Legendary boxer Prince Naseem Hamed has been pictured in his new home next to the Queen and he looks unrecognisable from his days in the ring.
Naseem retired from boxing two decades ago following the final win of his professional career against Manuel Calvo. It came a year after his shock loss to Marco Antonio Barrera, which was the defeat Naseem suffered in 37 fights.
The flamboyant 48-year-old is currently renting a £1.4 million townhouse that backs onto Windsor Castle, making him a neighbour of the Queen. In pictures of the boxer walking his dog close to the townhouse, he looks unrecognisable having plied on a considerable amount of weight since his days as a featherweight champion.
Naseem became one of Britain's youngest world champions when he beat Steven Robinson in 1995 to win the WBO featherweight title aged just 21. It was just the start of an illustrious career for 'Naz' who wowed fans with his showboating that eventually captured him the WBC, IBF and IBO featherweight belts.
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After watching YouTube stars compete in exhibition and professional bouts, Naseem admitted that he considered making a return to the ring. Boxers of his generation such as Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather have come out of retirement to compete in exhibitions, and Naseem wanted to do the same.
But it seems unlikely that Hamed will return to the ring anytime soon, being far from the condition he'd want to be in for another fight. The Yorkshireman's son Aadam wants to follow in his father's footsteps, but Hamed admitted that he doesn't want any of his children to compete professionally.
“He’s the natural fighter. But I don’t want my kids to fight," Naseem said. "Beyond the smile and humour, the flying carpets and all the razzmatazz, I wanted to knock someone out cold.
“If you ruffled those feathers, I really wanted to knock someone out. Why would I want a guy with that same intention standing opposite my son?"
