Naseem Hamed suffered a cut mouth and welts under each of his eyes, but not for the first time he dug deep and retained his WBO featherweight title for the 16th time at Foxwoods Casino last night. What was widely expected to be one of the easiest nights of Hamed's career almost turned into a massive upset as Augie Sanchez's blistering hand-speed and precise counter-attacking had Sheffield's champion in all sorts of trouble. Hamed appeared to have suffered the fifth knockdown of his professional career when he was knocked to the canvas in round two from two right hands, but referee Michael Ortega ruled it a slip.
After dicing with defeat in round three, Hamed, as he had in his fight with Paul Ingle, regained his senses and won the fight with a four punch left and right combination. Ortega initially appeared to have been hasty in ruling out Sanchez without giving him a chance to beat the count. But Sanchez lay unconscious on the canvas and was fitted with a neck brace and eventually carried from the ring in worrying scenes. Ring announcer Michael Buffer later gave the crowd the news they were praying for when he revealed that Sanchez was wide awake and had been carried from the ring as a precaution. Chief ringside physician Michael Schwarz said Sanchez was taken to Backus Hospital in nearby Norwich as a precautionary measure. Ortega had stepped in after two minutes and 34 seconds of a bout which bore much resemblance to Hamed's American debut against Kevin Kelley in December 1997.
Then, Hamed had been knocked down three times before coming up with the goods in the fourth. Last night Hamed - officially at least - did not go down. But there were times in rounds two and three when his unbeaten 34-fight reign appeared to be drawing to a close in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
