Prince Naseem crowned king

THE Prince has been crowned king. Naseem Hamed's eight-round destruction of Tom Johnson at the London Arena on Saturday was so complete, so masterful, that there can be little doubt Hamed should be regarded as the number one featherweight in the world.

His stunning victory added Johnson's IBF belt to the WBO version of the title he already held. Those fight fans who were bleary eyed after staying up to witness the Lewis-McCall farce, were revitalised by what was on offer. Hamed was quite electrifying.

Johnson, 32, had been a fine champion for four years. He showed enough skill and bravery to ensure his opponent was pushed all the way. The key to the outcome was Hamed's power.

A third-round blitz from the 5ft 3in Sheffield fighter almost ended matters, but a marvellous right hand thrown by Johnson shortly before the bell to end the round brought the experienced American back into the contest.

Most experts had predicted a quick finish, but by the halfway stage Johnson had worked his way back. However, his senses were scrambled once more in the seventh as Hamed cut loose.

When the end came, Johnson was almost out on his feet and fell into a blistering right uppercut which left him flat on the canvas. Astonishingly, the old warrior somehow got up at nine, but the referee Rudy Battle wisely called a halt.

There may be those who resent Hamed's success. At 22, he is already a multi-millionaire. However, the ecstatic acclaim of the capacity 12,500 crowd provided the majority view. The little man is a phenomenon.

Dr Ferdi Pecheco, for many years Muhammad Ali's ring physician, is now a respected analyst for the American pay-per-view television network Showtime. He was fulsome in his praise.

"He is a brilliant and charismatic fighter. Perhaps the defence leaves a little to be desired, but for a little man he hits so hard. He's as exciting as anybody in the world today. He's showbiz and the fans love him.

As Johnson was disconsolately leaving the ring after his defeat, Hamed was bathing in the spotlight: "He was a great champion, but no one can stand up to the power in my fists. He won some rounds, but what do you expect? He was the best until he met me, but I am the ultimate fighter. I will become a legend, you'll see.

"It doesn't matter who you put in against me, the result will be the same. I am going to be a legend. Nobody can beat me.

Hamed's promoter Frank Warren joined in: "The fans love him. He's appealing to youngsters and old stagers. He's winning over a whole new generation to boxing. He's having fun and at the moment there is nobody who can touch him."

The WBU champion Kevin Kelley was at ringside, and the New Yorker is hoping he will get the chance to be next to fight Hamed, on May 3rd. With the money being generated - Johnson earned £1 million as a loser - there will be no shortage of options.

Billy Hardy, the WBO's number one challenger, successfully defended his European title against Steve Robinson last week and claimed, foolishly, that Hamed was running scared". Quite simply, the biggest pay cheque is not to be found in Sunderland.

Robin Reid, the muscular Liverpudlian, who holds the WBC version of the super-middleweight title was too big and strong for the game, though limited, South African middleweight champion Giovanni Pretorius.

Powerful hooks are the Reid trademark. His footwork is poor, but his punching is devastating if a fighter stands before him going toe-to-toe, as Pretorius misguidedly did.