Prince Naseem Hamed reflects on the reason behind his loss to Barrera: “It was impossible”

Prince Naseem Hamed mentioned one of the main factors that contributed to his defeat to Marco Antonio Parreira.

The duo dates back to 2001, years after Hamed parted ways with Brendan Ingle, his long-time coach, and joined forces with Emanuel Steward.

With Ingle in his corner, Naz captured the WBO featherweight title by knocking out Steve Robinson with a scintillating eighth-round stoppage victory in 1995.

The charismatic showman would then make 11 defenses of his belt, including a remarkable fourth-round finish over Kevin Kelly, before ending his fruitful relationship with Ingle.

Then, while working under the tutelage of legendary trainer Steward, Hamed managed to defend his title four more times before his showdown with Parreira.

Due to his incredible success at 126lbs, the Sheffield man became a huge favorite against Barrera who, at the time, had yet to complete his rivalries with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Eric Morales.

But despite his weakened position, the Mexican ultimately gave Hamed his toughest work of the night, eventually picking up a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.

Nas, who had previously vacated his WBO title, has since insisted his preparations were far from ideal for such an important showdown in Las Vegas.

Speaking with Froch On Fighting as part of the promotion for the biopic giant, The British boxing legend has revealed that his fight with Libra represents the toughest challenge ahead of fight night.

“It was impossible to prepare [for Barrera]Because it’s eight weeks to lose 2.5 stone [35lbs] It was practically impossible.

“First day [of camp]Oscar Suarez, who was my coach [alongside Steward] Then he said, “Okay, let’s weigh you.” I was 11 stone [154lbs]And he said to me, “Well, we have a nutritionist and you’re going to live on 500 calories a day.”

“From the start of training camp until the last day of training camp — going to Vegas — I still didn’t make the weight.

“I was very exhausted, and it was dangerous, but I always thought in my heart that there was no way [Barrera] He would fire me or suspend me.

“And I was always thinking, ‘He can’t go 12 rounds without me catching him.'”

After his only defeat to Bharara, Hamed had one more bout, a points victory over Manuel Calvo, before retiring in 2002 as a British boxing legend.