THE glorious career of Marco Antonio Barrera came to an end at the weekend after defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao.
It seems certain Barrera will be inducted to Boxing?s Hall of Fame.
But debate rages whether one of his most famous opponents should also be given the great accolade.
Rumour has it that former world champ Naseem Hamed has been nominated to join the HOF ? but some believe he was all hype and no substance.
I had my ups and downs with Naz ? but those who claim he wasn?t much cop are talking rubbish.
On his day he was one of the best featherweights of all time, and at his peak would have beaten all of the modern day champions ? including Barrera and Erik Morales.
He would have held his own against anyone, from any era.
When Naz eventually lost to Barrera in 2001, he had long lost the plot. He stopped training properly and even then he only lost on points. If they had met a few years earlier, it would have been very different.
I tried to match Hamed with Barrera before the Mexican?s narrow points defeat at the hands of Junior Jones in 1997.
Yet his manager Ricardo Maldonado wanted nothing to do with Hamed ? he was a good judge. In fact, he ran a mile ? and I don?t blame him.
Between winning the title against Steve Robinson in 1995 and defeating Kevin Kelley in the States a couple of years later, Hamed was the best by a long, long way.
He hit harder than anyone and his incredible reflexes and awkward style made him virtually untouchable. No one could lay a glove on him.
Had it not been for boxing politics, he would have unified at featherweight and he still won WBO, IBF and WBC titles.
Barry McGuigan made it to the Hall of Fame and great though his achievements were, Hamed won 36 of his 37 fights with 31 KOs.
If Naz lived the life Barrera and Morales did during their careers I have little doubt he would have won world titles at three weights. It?s frightening how good he could have been ? and heart-breaking that he wasted so much of his talent.
He was only 28 when he retired ? a time when most boxers are yet to peak.
Promoting Hamed was often a roller-coaster with his enormous ego. But it was fun and rewarding, especially experiencing the atmosphere ringside.
After I split with Naz, I often wondered if we would ever see that atmosphere again ? but I think Amir Khan generates a similar buzz.
Like Hamed, Khan is exciting to watch ? not one of his 14 fights has been dull and crowds are flocking to see him.
Like Hamed, when he turned professional Amir didn?t have a reputation for being a big puncher but he is developing considerable power now he is beginning to pick his shots.
He?s finished 11 fights early, and as he matures we will see even more knockouts.
Next up Khan fights in Bolton on December 8, his 21st birthday, which means he will be eligible for the British title.
If Amir turns out to be half as good as The Prince of the early days, he?ll be very special indeed.
