Nelson did not hold back when asked about the remarks. He said Hamed was “delusional” and claimed the criticism only confirmed how far their relationship had broken down.
“I thought this kid’s delusional,” Nelson said to talkSport Boxing. “After Giant, I thought this kid’s not changed, and then when I saw the show, I thought you have definitely just gotten worse.”
Nelson said he had recently ignored two WhatsApp messages from Hamed and has no interest in reigniting a friendship.
“I blanked him. I’m not engaging with him,” Nelson said. “If you give an idiot air, you’re feeding him.”
The former cruiserweight champion made clear that while he still respects Hamed’s achievements in the ring, he no longer respects him as a person.
“Do I admire what he achieved? Massively,” Nelson said. “But as a person, I’ve lost complete and utter respect for him.”
Much of Nelson’s anger appears tied to Hamed’s criticism of late trainer Brendan Ingle, whom both fighters credit for their careers. Nelson said he could not accept the way Hamed spoke about a man he believes gave everything to the gym.
The public fallout has turned into one of British boxing’s ugliest old-school feuds, with two former world champions now trading personal shots instead of memories.
It’s a tough one to watch because these two are such icons of that golden Ingle era in Sheffield. When you see former stablemates trading shots this late in life, it usually feels like there’s a lot of unhealed history there.
The “snake” comment from Naz clearly hit a nerve, but Nelson’s reaction suggests his real issue is the perceived lack of respect for Brendan Ingle. For Nelson, Brendan was the man who kept him afloat when he was struggling. Seeing Naz take shots at that legacy seems to be the deal-breaker.
Nelson is happy to give Naz his flowers for what he did in the ring, but he’s closed the door on the man himself. It’s a shame to see them at odds, especially since they were once the faces of the same gym, but Nelson sounds like he’s found a lot of peace by just hitting “block” and moving on.
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