Sheffield boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed has spoken out about his late trainer Brendan Ingle, claiming he was 'brainwashed' as a child over a deal struck when he was 11
Martin Domin Editor, Mirror Fighting
08:50, 09 Jan 2026Updated 08:51, 09 Jan 2026
Prince Naseem Hamed has reignited past grievances, accusing his late trainer of manipulating him during his childhood.
Under the guidance of Brendan Ingle, Hamed rose to become one of Britain's greatest boxers. The Sheffield-born boxer impressed the Irish trainer from the moment he stepped into his gym at the tender age of seven.
However, their successful partnership was marred by a contentious agreement made between the two when Hamed was still in school.
Ingle had pledged to help Hamed earn £40 million, in return for a 25% cut. The newly released film, Giant, explores their intricate relationship, albeit from Ingle's viewpoint.
Hamed has since expressed his discontent with Ingle, who passed away in 2018 without the pair reconciling their differences, reports the Mirror.
"I tried for years to reach out to him and claw back, to sit down and just quash it," he shared. "But there was nothing there, there was no way he was going to do it. I've no regrets about anything. I just wish we could have closed it amongst ourselves, but it didn't happen."
Hamed continued, "I tried going through his family, his sons, his friends. Even down to the funeral; I said I wanted to go but one of his daughters sent me one of the worst messages you could dream of. Once I got that message, everything was clear. If that's the way you feel, then fine, no problem. It was all about money, that's the sad thing with Brendan.
"He did a deal with me at the age of 11. He wanted to hold me down to speaking to me at 11, how can you shake a kid's hand and say you owe me that? Brendan would call me his meal ticket, how could he treat me as a meal ticket?".
Hamed clinched the world title back in 1995 after knocking out Steve Robinson in front of a packed Cardiff Arms Park crowd. The Sheffield fighter successfully defended his championship 15 times before relinquishing it to face Marco Antonio Barrera, suffering a points defeat in Las Vegas.
Following just one more bout, Hamed hung up his gloves - and maintains that Ingle deserves minimal recognition for his achievements.
"It's so sad because the person who trained me, and who should get all of the recognition for doing most of the work, is Brendan's son John," he continued. "He hardly got anything and nobody talks about him. But I've had a break and stayed quiet but this is my time to tell the truth."