Former featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed has insisted he is the "happiest he has ever been" despite piling on the pounds since retiring.
The boxing legend has not fought for over two decades since calling time on his professional career after defeating Manuel Calvo in 2002. The 48-year-old now looks almost unrecognisable after gaining a significant amount of weight.
He has come in for criticism from concerned family members over his diet including his brother Ali. "He was boxing royalty but the shame and the sadness is that he was too arrogant to hold onto that," Ali told the Daily Mail. "He did not have the intellect to match the unique talent he’d been given. Now he has turned himself into a recluse who has spent 20 years eating non-stop and becoming morbidly obese."
Despite his recent weight increase, Hamed has claimed he has never been in a better place. "I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’ve never been in a better place," Hamed said. "I wish I could walk around with a camera, the number of people who stop and talk to me."
The 48-year-old is currently residing in Windsor in a plush £1.4million townhouse which positions him as a neighbour of the Queen. He has been spotted in public walking his dogs sporting a completely new appearance in comparison to his prime fighting years.
Around 11 million people tuned in to watch the final fight of Naseem's career with his flamboyant confidence making him one of the most popular fighters of the modern era. However the twilight years of his career spiralled out of control after he suffered a shock defeat by Marco Antonio Barrera following his split with Brendan Ingle in 1997.
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Since retiring, Hamed has appeared on TV in punditry role and continues to hold fond memories for fans who watched the star emerge and become one of Britain's youngest world champions aged 21 in 1995.
With boxing exhibitions becoming increasingly frequent, Naseem had previously considered a return to the ring according to YouTube star Slim Albaher who nearly inspired the star to make a comeback. "One thing that Prince told me after my second fight was that he wanted to come out of retirement and do what you do," Albaher told Jibber with Jabber.
"I do this little thing before I come out for a fight like this bow and arrow move, and he said he wished that he could come out of retirement and do that to his opponents." However it appears he is far from in shape to contemplate life back in boxing, with the likes of Ricky Hatton and Barerra in good physical condition for their ring return.
