The bitter rift between 'Prince' Naseem Hamed and his coach Brendan Ingle has been brought back into focus with the release of the film 'Giant', which documents their love and eventual fallout. Hamed, a one-man boxing revolution in the 1990s, dominated the British boxing scene with his flashy style and knockout power, but his relationship with Ingle, the softly-spoken trainer from Sheffield, fractured irreparably over money.
Ingle, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan in the film, was Hamed's most-splendid creation and his most-damaging split. He defended Hamed against accusations of cockiness, calling him gifted rather than awkward. The pair remained estranged until Ingle's death in 2018.
Hamed's early fights on ITV built a massive following, but not from broadcasters or newspaper writers. After winning the European title in 1994 at age 20, he became untouchable, winning world titles and fighting in New York and Atlantic City. By 1997, the relationship with Ingle was fractured, and money rifts in boxing are never fixed.
Hamed fought frequently, building his fanbase with six fights in 1994, five in 1995, and multiple world-title fights in 1996 and 1997. He switched to Sky in 1995 and became the channel's biggest star, with 17 consecutive knockouts on television.
In late 1997, Hamed defended his title at Madison Square Garden against Kevin Kelley, a crazy fight that ended in round four. It was clear then that the relationship with Ingle was broken beyond repair. Promoter Frank Warren called it a good British success story.
The following year, Hamed savagely stopped Wilfredo Vazquez, dropping him five times. Ingle, barely speaking to Hamed, vented about the financial split, saying he had spent 15 years, seven days a week, eight hours a day training Hamed. Despite the rift, both are remembered as geniuses who were unbeatable together.
