The one and only Prince Naseem and Brendan Ingle had one of the great journeys and team stories in the sport of boxing ever.
Prince Naseem Hamed in his day was one of the most explosive, heavy handed, powerful punching men that ever walked the face of this Earth for his size.
Small in stature, some called him the little prince but a big heart, too much heart at times in boxing and in life (same with Ricky Hatton and other fighters like Arturo Gatti).
These men are too tough, too brave and too fearless at times for boxing, and for life and society.
If there is a flaw that world champion professional boxers (a very rare, unique and special club that very few ever make it into and get into) at the very, very highest level of professional world championship boxing and fighting have, it is this.
It’s not their ego as they are some of the more quite brilliant members of society in all the nations that all their countries, private citizens, private organizations and governments around the world will all tell you all the time.
It is that they are simply too brave at times. These fighters like some other professions, military, police, professional hitmen in other walks of life and so on and so forth, are too brave for their own good.
Too fearless.
They need to be shielded sometimes because of this as they are also because of that fearlessness and bravery simply too brave and too fearless for regular mere mortals walking around in society at times in their lives (before boxing and after retiring).
Ironically it can be their fearlessness and bravery that make them vulnerable members of society, world championship professional boxers.
When they retire from boxing, because of that, then, sometimes issues occur for these great world champions.
Prince Naseem And Brendan Ingle Movie
So, sometimes they have to be shielded and protected for their own good.
This happened later on in Prince Naseem Hamed’s life in Sheffield and other places, and a small few people are sometimes quick to have a go at him because of some weight gain he had and so on.
And some off the cuff comments Naseem Hamed makes occasionally in the media, but look, he calls it as he sees it. He’s a good pundit.
If you go back to the success he had in boxing originally years ago it was with Dublin’s Brendan Ingle who moved to Sheffield in the UK where he later settled.
Founding the legendary boxing gym that produced Nas, Johnny Nelson, Ryan Rhodes, Kell Brook, Herol Graham, Clinton Woods and more.
Now, their classic story is coming to the big screen here again shortly in ‘GIANT’ — at long last — check this:
Quiet brilliant, roll on.
Brendan Ingle is no longer here now (RIP) but if you ask Hamed today some things on him, it would be interesting.
Sure he will say there was ups and downs, but surely he will also say there was far more good in their story.
A triumphant team that at their pinnacle were untouchable.
Unorthodox training and unorthodox boxing styles were often the order of the day for Ingle, and certainly in Hamed’s case, but it worked.
By the time Hamed lost to Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera later in his career the working relationship with Ingle was gone by that point.
Like when Cus D’Amato was no longer around Mike Tyson, things were just not the same when Ingle and Hamed were not working together.
Trainer and fighter working relationships matter very much in boxing, of course they do, they are absolutely crucial.
Look at Manny Pacquiao going back to the Wild Card recently in LA and teaming up with his worldwide beloved trainer Freddie Roach for the Mario Barrios fight.
At 46 they made the impossible possible once again, shocking the world with the draw and the performance.
Hamed and Ingle’s story above is not talked about enough and great to see now it will be on the big screen soon.
What a run between the two.
A vintage, classic pair in the sport.
