Can't find the original column 'The Princess of Oz' which I wrote after hamed AGAIN begged off his mandatory against Marquez.
Some will tell you hamed eventually did offer Marquez a shot and it was Marquez who tuned it down BUT...it was an offer to stand in as a last minute replacement, with no time for training camp and at an insulting dollar amount.
Manuel knew he'd get his mandatory so he decided to wait, not knowing hamed would beg off again.
hamed eventually took on Barrera, thinking Marco was shot after his two losses to Jones and his most recent loss (win) against Morales. Her higness was mistaken and we all cleaned up on Barrera that night as he sent the princess packing. I found a related past column below, hope you enjoy it.....
WHAT CAREER ARE YOU WATCHING?
Revelations(?) on her highness Princess Hamed
by Sonny Palermo
I usually aim my columns at: Fans - to discuss the latest bouts, Fighters - to comment on their latest efforts, Sanctioning bodies - in my frustrating waste-of-time effort to get them to quit ruining the sport, Promoters - for pretty much the same thing, and/or Judges - to recommend my optometrist. But this week I want to address my fellow boxing scribblers, scribes and reporters on the subject of Princess Polloito (Little Chicken) Hamed.
WHAT FRIGGING CAREER ARE YOU WATCHING? I am astounded at the number of boxing writers who still list Hamed in their top ten lists. I am dumbfounded when I hear reporters refer to her as a "great champion".
This gal is a disgrace to boxing. She is not even a fighter. She is more of a reluctant participator, an 'avoider' at best. To continue to heap praise on a fighter who does not fight just boggles the mind! Especially when it's a joke like Hamed, who has taken dignity from the sport with her clown-like antics, and brought on comparisons to the WWF.
On (boxing site deleted - SP) they have Hamed's sex listed as "male" but I gotta tell ya - I have my doubts.
Let's look at her many transgressions -
*Made a career out of ducking mandatory challenger Juan Manuel Marquez.
How many times have he and his brother/manager Rita begged off taking on the number one challenger?
Juan Manuel Marquez, the best kept secret in boxing, spent TWO YEARS chasing Hamed, while Hamed and Rita spent two years avoiding him, with the help of the WBO. (All we need to know about this 'sanctioning body' is that they not only don't have Lennox Lewis and Roy Jones listed as the champs of their respective weight classes - they don't even have them listed in their Top Ten! Nuff said there).
Larry Merchant said on a recent pre-fight telecast that it was Marquez who ducked Hamed. Check your facts Larry, then fire your stat-boy. Even without checking all you need to do is use your common sense - look at Marquez - your usual tough guy takes-on-all-comers Mexican battler. Then considers Naseem's history and that of most of her hand picked opponents. Clear? Should be crystal.
*Ducked Eric Morales
A source high up in Top Rank confirmed for me that a while back, in England, Bob Arum offered hamed Eric Morales, but the princess insisted on Soto and his six losses instead. she wanted no part of Morales is how it was conveyed to them, and in turn to me, and now to you.
*Allowed the six month rematch clause to expire against Barrera.
Team Hamed sees Barrera has two losses to Jones, has just lost to Morales, and they figure - hey, another easy one we can catch on his way down. They take the fight and in a beautiful boxing moment - she gets her butt kicked. Her manager has included the standard rematch clause but her highness is not your standard boxer - she wants no part of anyone who can bitch slap her TWICE, so she let's the rematch clause expire.
WHAT THE HELL KIND OF *HIT IS THAT? Let me say that again - SHE LET THE REMATCH CLAUSE EXPIRE! Isn't that what boxing is all about, getting a title? Have you EVER heard a champ lose his title and not LOUDLY proclaim he wants a rematch, immediately? Only when the champ is a chump.
Open your eyes my scribbling brothers. She is a disgrace to the sport. she refused to fight for an entire year! Her loss to Barrera came more than one year ago. Various excuses have been offered but none lamer, or more despicable than when she used the tragic events of 9/11 as an excuse for not fighting. As an American, I find this insulting, as a human being I find it revolting.
Steve Bunce of the Observer, who seems to not wear the blinders other writers do, had this to say - "It's clear that Hamed will not fight again this year, even after it was announced that a short list of willing losers was being looked at." He goes on to say of the events of September 11 "it looked like a disaster of convenience for the fighter."
If everyone was like the princess there would have been no fights in the past nine months, and my boxing-writing brethren and I would have done a nine month thumb-twiddling stint.
*Tried to weasel out of her upcoming fight with Manuel Calvo
Hamed and brother/manager Rita sought to postpone her upcoming comeback bout with Calvo after they found out his record was 35-7 and not 7-35 as they originally thought!
OK, I made that last one up, but by now I think you get my drift. Nice choice on picking Calvo, whose last six opponents have combined for over EIGHTY losses. But what do you expect from Hamed, a gal who HBO had to tell "no, we don't think so" when he sought to make his comeback against Istvan Kovacs, a ranked WBO pug (yeah, them again) and his 0-2 record!
Yeah, according to (site deleted - SP) Isty is 0-2! Hamed said of the cancellation by HBO "I will be glad to knock Kovacs out after he has proven himself with a few more fights." I guess that means she'll wait until he's 0-4. And finally, this week - more tough gal posturings. She calls out Johnny Tapia
AFTER watching Tapia look sluggish in a losing (I go by MY scorecards from now on) effort against Manuel Medina.
Tapia, a fighter who is older than hamed,
a fighter who's best days are clearly behind him,
AND is s.l.o.w.,
AND is from a smaller weight class,
AND never had KO power in that class! A typical Hamed maneuver.
Your highness, why not call out the guy that beat Tapia - Medina? Or Paulie Ayala. Better yet - give Marquez the chance you denied him for two years, the chance he earned. The chance he deserves.
Actually, at this point, why not just drop the charade altogether naseema, and call out Mia St John?
And to my fellow scribes, scribblers and reporters who, like Max K, still rave about Hamed and harbor wishes to see her take on the winner of Barrera-Morales - I'll bet ya a fin she never gets in the ring with Barrera again. Any takers?????
