cover image Prince of the Ring

Prince of the Ring

Gavin Evans. Robson Books, $28.95 (280pp) ISBN 978-1-86105-021-2

First published in England in 1996, this is a lively--albeit uncritically praising--biography of Naseem Hamed, a young featherweight boxer born of Yemeni immigrant parents in 1974 who has made a reputation as a flamboyant motormouth quite deadly in the ring. Evans, a contributing editor to Boxing World, traces Hamed's development from his introduction to the sport in 1981 at a boys' club in Sheffield, England, through his outstanding record as an amateur, with 62 wins in 67 bouts and several junior championships, to his turning pro at age 17 and his meteoric rise. Hamed, who calls himself ""the Prince,"" has held various international titles--bantamweight, superbantamweight, featherweight--as his weight fluctuated. Particularly interesting is the reaction in his father's native Yemen, where Hamed is a national hero and has even appeared on postage stamps. Hamed, who models himself in part on Muhammad Ali, is a flamboyant figure known for his elaborately staged ring entrances. In December, he put his money where his mouth is when, fighting in the U.S. for the first time, he gained his 29th victory in as many bouts with a fourth-round knockout of Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden. If Hamed continues to be successful, there will be more books written about him--one hopes more balanced and less starstruck than Evans's lightweight account. (Mar.)