Sheffield boxing: Prince Naz's infamous 'Thriller' entrance named most dazzling pre-fight walk-in ever

Not every boxer or fight fan was enchanted by 'Prince' Naseem Hamed's jaw-dropping ring entrances.

The Sheffielder swept aside the normal function of walking to the ring with a series of wacky and flamboyant stunts which, over the years, included the use of three lookalikes, a Puffy Daddy serenade, elaborate dance routines, a convertible Cadilac, a throne, and thousands of pounds worth of fireworks.

Anybody who saw him fly through the air on a 'magic carpet' before his bout with Vuyani Bungu back in the year 2000 will never forget it.

His opponents were often livid when these spectacular entrances went on for 10 minutes or more.

One of his rivals simply got out of the ring because he was so fed up with waiting.

Fans, occasionally, reacted badly - spitting at him or throwing coins, beer, and racist taunts as he manouvered his way in.

But credit it where it's due.

Naz ignored the haters to continue to evolve ring entrances up to a whole new level which even today's versions can't hold a candle to.

Now the 49-year-old, whose last big pay day after the loss to Marco Antonio Barrera apparently raked in six million dollars, has picked up another title 21 years after retiring from the sport.

Talksport broadcasters have named his infamous 'Thriller' entrance ahead of his WBO World featherweight title defence against Wayne McCullough in Atlantic City on October 31, 1998 as the most dazzling ever pre-fight walk-in.

Spookily set against the backdrop of a Halloween graveyard, Naz wriggles and jives his way to the ring taking time to KO a couple of skulls, handily left on top of gravestones for him.

One TV pundit at the time described Hamed as "a cross between Michael Jackson and a belly dancer" as he eventually reached the ring and somersaulted over the top rope.

Talksport says Naz's entrance marked him out as the "undisputed king of the gaudy ring walk."

They said the featherweight's "masterpiece" was the bad-taste classic.

Not everyone shared their enthusiasm for the stunt.

Author Gavin Edwards, in his book "Wicked: The Prince Naseem Phenomenon" described how the fighter "danced his way HBO's grotesque mock Halloween night graveyard (originally set to include the names of his past victims on the gravestones, until, in a moment of good taste, Naseem refused.)"

Edwards recorded how the 125lbs fighter was greeted by boos and cheers - some of the 8,000 fans apparently unable to make their mind up whether they loved it or hated it.

Hamed topped the modern-day Talksport list, followed by 2: Chris Eubank (vs Graciano Rocchigiani), 1994, 3. Mike Tyson (vs Michael Spinks), 1988, 4: Floyd Mayweather (vs Oscar De La Hoya), 2007 5. Tyson Fury (vs Francis Ngannou), 2023.

Sadly no other South Yorkshire boxers made the top 10.

One possible addition could have come from the Roy Jones Jr. versus Sheffield's Clinton Woods contest at the Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon, USA in  2002.

Jones put on a distracting song and dance routine alongside six women dressed in short pants and knee-length boots, before beating Woods.