Naz v Kelley - best ever fight involving a Brit? by Craig MacKay Apr 11th 2008

I have read countless articles in magazines or boxing websites discussing the best all-British fight and most usually end up coming back to classic wars such as Benn-Eubank or Eubank-Calzaghe. The all British fight is something special and the British public simply lap it up, as witnessed by the enormous interest in Haye-Maccarinelli or the clamour for a Ricky Hatton v Junior Witter bout. Rather than rehash old ground I sought to establish the most exciting fight that a British fighter has ever been involved in, whether they fought against a fellow Brit or not. There have been many truly exciting fights involving British fighters throughout the years but for me there is one fight that stands out above the rest. In terms of excitement there is nothing else that had me on the edge of my seat quite like this. I am quite sure my choice will prove controversial however since the actual fight only lasted four rounds and involved a certain Prince Naseem Hamed. Naseem or “Naz” split the opinions of British boxing fans so much, and still does to this day, that he may as well have changed his name to Mr. Marmite. The fight, of course, is the Prince's WBO super-featherweight world title defence against America's Kevin Kelley. Fights are often made by the hype surrounding them and any bout involving Naseem was a spectacular event but this particular night was one of his best. The British public had witnessed Naz dancing in his leopard skin shorts, throwing punches from impossible angles and somersaulting across the ring in celebration but this was his first trip across the pond to the States. Always a showman, Naz was headlining the bill in Madison Square Garden and aimed to impress. More than a million pounds were spent promoting Naz in America and the boxing fans were curious to say the least. This was not an easy match to make Naz look good in front of an American audience but the toughest fight of his career so far against Kelley whose record stood at an impressive 47-1-2. Many critics were hailing the night as the night when the Prince would finally be brought down to Earth with a bang, whilst Naseem himself being typically cautious predicted a third round KO victory. With Madison Square Garden packed to the rafters and Kelley in the ring, the stage was set for Naseem to finally make his appearance in America and no matter where you were, watching on TV or sitting ringside, you could feel the tension building. The music hit and a huge silhouette on a white screen of Naseem dancing to “Men in Black” appeared. The crowd went nuts – and that was without seeing him in person yet. The music changed, the dancing continued and eventually Naz stepped out from behind the screen to make his way down to the ring. Clad in his famous leopard skin shorts, Naseem looked a picture of confidence, a man who knew he could not be beaten. Standing on the edge of the ring apron, Naz gazed out to the sea of supporters and he looked at home – he wasn't just a boxer, he was a showman and this was his stage. A trademark somersault over the top rope brought Naz into the ring and Kelley was there waiting for him, right in his face. The experienced American wanted to show Naz he wasn't intimidated and that he wasn't there simply to play a role in the Prince Naseem story. As Michel Buffer introduced the fighters, they trash talked with each other in the centre of the ring and one thing looked certain, both fighters expected to win. Right from the opening bell, Naz worked his lighting speed jab but the southpaw Kelley used his five inch reach advantage to keep the Prince at bay. Once Naz got Kelley backed up in the corner, the crowd rose in expectation of a big punch. The big punch most certainly came but it wasn't from Naz. Instead a huge counter right hand from Kelley connected with Naz's chin which was left so high in the air it looked impossible to miss. Naz flew to the floor and just as quickly jumped straight back to his feet, he may have wanted to show he wasn't hurt but it was clear this wasn't part of the script. The second round brought fireworks, the likes of which I haven't seen in boxing before or since. Kelley's jab jolted Naz's head back with such ferocity I wouldn't be surprised if he suffered from whiplash after the fight. A left hook and a big right hand exposed Naz's almost non-existent defence and the Prince touched down twice with his gloves leading to another knockdown scored. Kelley continued to connect with Naz at will but was stunned by a counter which led to a slip from Kelley, which surprisingly wasn't scored as a knockdown. Then suddenly a massive right hand out of the blue from Naz sent Kelley to the canvas and he looked noticeably hurt. He rose to his feet and the fighters ended the round throwing huge swinging left and rights, both looking for another knockdown. The third round was the only round of the fight without either fighter hitting the canvas. A jab off which went in Kelley's favour lasted most of the round and it looked like Naz had bit off more than he could chew taking on a boxer as experienced as Kelley. The fourth and last round of the fight was as explosive as the first two. Naz began to slip Kelley's jab with some phenomenal upper body movement, with a style that was unique to the Sheffield fighter. From a stationary position and seemingly out of nowhere two left hands to the chin floored Kelley. Kelley had outboxed Naz so far yet looked stunned by the sheer power of these left hands. Naz went hunting for the KO and yet again was hit with a counter punch and with his balance never looking stable; he touched down one more time. The last exchange between the fighters saw Naz land his devastating left for the last time and Kelley valiantly tried to rise before the ten count was over but his efforts were to no avail. An explosive end to an explosive fight and in my mind the most exciting that I have ever seen. Was it the best display of boxing ever? Undoubtedly not. Was it the most dominating performance by a British fighter? Not even close. However, what this fight provided was an edge of your seat white knuckle ride through four rounds of boxing where nobody could predict what was going to happen next. That in my mind is what I want to see every time I sit down to watch a main event and that is why Naz v Kelley was the greatest ever fight involving a British fighter.

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