NASEEM HAMED w rsf 8 STEVE ROBINSON
September 30, 1995; Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
CYNICS who choose not to give Naseem Hamed his due for this impeccable beatdown will point to the credentials of Steve Robinson and label him a journeyman who got lucky when he won the WBO featherweight title. Those cynics would be missing the point. Hamed, aged only 21, rose in weight to dethrone an established belt-holder in his hometown, one who had beaten Colin McMillan, Paul Hodkinson and Duke McKenzie and one who, even in America, was ranked among the best in the world at 126lbs. Hamed – hit by a coin on his way to the ring – was at his awe-inspiring and spiteful best on this night. It’s likely that Robinson, had he encountered anyone other than Hamed, would have been at his best, too.
DID YOU KNOW? Steve Robinson objected
to having to fight Hamed. He did not feel Hamed, who had never before fought at
feather, deserved the fight and demanded more money that never came.
WATCH OUT FOR: Hamed and his trainer Brendan Ingle offering commiserations and congratulations to Robinson in the immediate aftermath.