On this day in 1996: Hamed stops unbeaten Molina in two rounds

Naseem Hamed retained his WBO featherweight title at the NYNEX Arena in Manchester against an Argentine who arrived with a 27-0 record.

Naseem Hamed kept his WBO featherweight title 30 years ago today, needing only two rounds to beat Remigio Molina at the NYNEX Arena in Manchester on 9 November 1996. The Argentine came into the scheduled 12-round contest with a 27-0 record and left it with his first defeat, a technical knockout in the second round.

The result extended a reign that would run for years. Hamed held multiple featherweight world titles between 1995 and 2000 and was lineal champion from 1998 to 2001.

The quick finish followed a far longer night in Hamed's previous defence, in Dublin, against Manuel Medina, a former two-time world featherweight title holder. That contest lasted until the end of the 11th round, when Medina's corner withdrew him on the advice of the ringside doctor. Medina went on to win versions of the featherweight world title another three times.

Hamed, who boxed professionally from 1992 to 2002, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2019 The Ring magazine retroactively awarded him its featherweight title, recognising his hold on the division and the multiple champions he beat during a period when the magazine was not awarding belts. He is the only former world champion in any division to receive that honour.

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