Prince Naseem Hamed viciously punished foe who dropped him for the first time in his career

Prince Naseem Hamed got his own back after suffering career-first knockdown

Hamed, then 21-0, took on 15-0 Daniel Alicea in the Telewest Arena in Newcastle in a defense of his WBO featherweight world championship.

The fight, however, took a dramatic turn from Hamed’s usual showings, as the Sheffield native was punished for his showboating and sent to the canvas in the very first round by Alicea, who became the first man to put down the champ.

Hamed, who dropped an opponent in 36 seconds, brushed himself off and fought on. It was clear he would not let the knockdown slide, and closed the show in the very next round after dropping Alicea twice.

Hamed, who urged Anthony Joshua to retire recently, said of the shot that put him down: “When he hit me with a good shot, I didn’t even see the shot but to tell you the truth I got back up, knew where my feet were, and when I plant my punches, see I’m just too strong.”

Prince Naseem’s sons turn pro but one walks a different path

Hamed’s two sons, Sami and Aadam, have both followed in their father’s footsteps and become pro boxers.

Aadam Hamed debuted in 2023 with a first-round stoppage of Vojtech Hrdy, a poor 1-2 boxer, on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois. He has since become 5-0 with 3 wins by knockout.

Sami Hamed, meanwhile, has taken a different route, signing with KSI‘s Misfits, a promotion that once saw magicians Jack Grady and The Magic Crasher face-off, and entering into the world of crossover boxing.

He’s now 2-0 after facing two debutants, with his latest win on the Darren Till vs Anthony Taylor undercard coming by first-round knockout after Hamed floored his opponent three times.