Prince Naseem Hamed insists he would consider a comeback fight with Jake Paul if all the proceeds went to charity.
The former lineal featherweight champion joined Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT Drive on Friday afternoon with his son, Aadam, to talk all things boxing.
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Hamed hasn’t boxed since 2002 but insists he has ‘never officially retired’Credit: Getty
During a wide-ranging interview, Naseem was asked whether he would consider fighting Paul, like fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson is on July 20.
Goldstein asked: “If Jake Paul offered you £20million, would you fight him?”
Prince responded: “Jake Paul? Jake Paul doesn’t mean anything to me. £20m, what is £20m?
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“£20m, £100m, £200m doesn’t change my lifestyle. I am a man that gets on his hands and knees and puts his head on the floor five times a day. I’m humble. It ain’t about that.”
Hamed then claimed he would ‘think about it’ if the prize pot went to a country of his choice.
He added: “You need to understand something, fighting for a country for somebody to do well, for somebody to raise money, an obscene amount of money, then I could think about that.
“And I could get out of bed and do some serious training and get fit and maybe do it. For that, yes.”
Hamed hasn’t stepped between the ropes since May 2002 when he defeated Manuel Calvo.
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Paul vs Tyson is set for July 20Credit: Jake Paul – Instagram
However, the long-reigning WBO, IBF and WBC champion insists he ‘never officially retired’ and teased the possibility of a return to the ring.
Asked if he would come out of retirement, Hamed replied: “Stranger things have happened.
“I set my legacy in an amazing way in this boxing world and took it to the dizzy heights of boxing.
“It’s hard for anybody to reach that kind of level. But I’m from, a country that’s not well off.
“My parents are from a country, Yemen, and I would fight for that country to contribute to them in charitable ways. And the same for Palestine. We stand for Palestine, man.
“As a father now, it hits my heart, what’s happening in the Middle East, what’s happened in Palestine and what’s happening in Yemen, and the poverty.
“That’s the only time that really deep down in my heart I’d want to fight, to do something on that basis [to raise money].
“So I’d love to go into training and, you never know, if we could do like me, and my three sons all on one card in the Middle East, that would be one of my dreams.”
Meanwhile, Hamed suggested there is only widespread interest in a fight between Paul and Tyson because boxing has become boring.
When asked whether he supports the controversial bout, the former champion responded: “I don’t think it’s about whether I’m a fan or whether I’m not. That’s just the way the circumstances are right now in boxing.
“My sport has gone backwards. We haven’t gone forwards. It just seems that boxing has taken a step back.
“The viewing figures for MMA are crushing boxing. Why? Because it’s explosive. There’s knockouts and there’s crazy stuff happening.
“We’ve sat back a little bit. There’s not unbelievable fighters coming through and it’s so sad.
“I thought after I stopped in 2002 there would be loads of major talents, but there isn’t. I can’t see them. I’m looking for them.”
Paul has made a career in the sport using his social media following, and has fought the likes of Tommy Fury and ex-UFC stars Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva.
He will next take on heavyweight legend Mike Tyson on July 20, in a huge event which will be streamed around the world on Netflix.
It will be contested under professional rules, despite their 31-year age gap, which has provoked concern in the boxing world for Tyson’s health.
