Prince Naseem Hamed is back in Dublin, and this is one of those returns that carries more weight than a routine appearance on a fight week schedule. He is in the Irish capital this week as part of Queensberry’s build-up to Saturday night’s Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain card at the 3Arena, but the visit is about more than publicity. For Hamed, Dublin is tied to memory, history and unfinished emotional business.
That is because the city sits at the crossroads of his career. Almost three decades ago, he stopped Manuel Medina in Dublin. For a long time, Brendan Ingle trained him. And although Hamed had a famous falling out with Ingle later on, the connection still lingers. He was once public enemy number 1 in Ireland when he fought Wayne McCullough, yet this week his tone was warm, appreciative and openly affectionate.
A city that still means something
Hamed did not try to dress it up as anything complicated. “We love Dublin. We love the Irish. We love Ireland,” he said, before adding that he had “an Irish man training me myself for a long time from Ringsend, as you know, Brendan Ingle. I’m still proud and happy about that.” That is the kind of line that tells you the old scars have not erased the respect. The relationship may have changed, but the significance has not.
And there is another reason he is here now. Hamed said he was in Dublin primarily to support his eldest son, Sammy Hamed, who fights for the third time on the bill on Saturday night. That gives the visit a family dimension that matters. This is not just a Hall of Famer revisiting a famous fight city. It is a father standing alongside his son, with the same crowd, the same ring lights and the same expectation of drama.
Knockouts, entrances and a familiar warning
If you expected Hamed to arrive quietly, you were backing the wrong man. He said he sees “fireworks in Dublin on Saturday night,” and that he “can’t wait.” He also made it clear what he wants from Sammy: “Sammy loves knocking people out and he’s like his daddy. He likes an entrance.” Then came the warning that will have raised a smile in the room: “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. My Sammy is ready. He’s going to be looking to knock somebody clean out. If he doesn’t, he’s got trouble with me!”
That is classic Prince Naseem Hamed — part showman, part salesman, part old-school fighting man who still believes the knockout is the only ending worth watching. “I love knockouts. I want to see knockouts in Dublin. That’s what we’re here for,” he said. And really, that is the simplest read on this return. Dublin gave Hamed some of his defining moments, for better and for worse. This week, he came back to remind everyone that the city still has a place in his story — and now, in Sammy’s too.
