Boxing: Hamed is asked to tone down antics
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Your support makes all the difference.It will be business as usual for Prince Naseem Hamed in his first defence of the World Boxing Organisation featherweight title at the London Arena on 9 December.
The Boxing Board of Control sent Hamed a letter congratulating him on his title triumph over Steve Robinson in Cardiff last month, with a gentle request effectively asking him to try to stop humiliating the man in front of him.
"My attitude is that I'm a pure winner," said Hamed, who defends his newly-won nine-stone title against the unbeaten Mexican, Arnulfo Castillo, a fortnight before Christmas.
"If you ask if I'm going to change my style or calm down, it depends who the opponent is. If I have to do what I do to win, I've got to do it.
"I'm not holding back for anything. I've listened to the Boxing Board and spoken to secretary John Morris. The letter congratulated me on winning the title, but it didn't exactly say: 'If you do that again...'
"It said to try not to do it, it didn't say: 'Do not do that'. A lot of people like it, some people don't. It worked against Steve Robinson. You saw him get mentally broken up in such a fashion, so it must have done something.''
Presuming the 24-year-old Castillo goes the way of all Hamed's foes, next stop could be a defence in the Middle East. His promoter, Frank Warren, has had a "substantial offer" from an Arab country to host a fight at the end of February.
The board of governors of the World Boxing Council will take a decision on who heavyweight champion Frank Bruno will fight to defend his title after the Council's convention next week in Thailand, an assistant to the WBC president, Jose Sulaiman, said yesterday.
"The situation will be reviewed at the Convention," Mauricio Sulaiman, the son of the WBC chief who works as an assistant to his father said. "The board of governors will have a decision I should say by 11 or 12 November."
He said he had no information regarding rumours of a fight being arranged between Bruno and the former world champion, Mike Tyson, in Las Vegas on 16 March.
In the High Court on Thursday a decision will be made on Lennox Lewis's bid for an injuction to preserve his claim to fight for the title ahead of Tyson.
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