February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Jay Mwamba
Brendan Ingle, the Dublin-born trainer whose unorthodox ways helped nurture Naseem Hamed from a pint-sized bantamweight into the biggest star in British boxing, has split with the self-proclaimed Prince.
Ingle’s break with the 5-foot-3 Hamed, who was unconvincing in retaining his WBO featherweight crown against Wayne McCullough in Atlantic City in late October, was announced by both parties last week in Sheffield.
"We’ve both agreed that this is for the best," said Ingle, whose relationship with the fighter he took under his wings as a 7-year-old has been on the slide since the publication of the trainer’s book, "The Paddy and the Prince," earlier this year.
Hamed, portrayed by Ingle in the book as arrogant, cruel and obsessed with money, released a statement saying, "You cannot dismiss the time we have spent together — we have shared some very special times that I will remember forever."
The undefeated Hamed’s break with Ingle’s Wincobank gym means that he has also parted company with Ingle’s sons John and Dominic, who helped their father train the fighter.
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