You wouldn't know it now, but in the late 1990s and going into 2001, "Prince" Naseem Hamed was a superstar in the U.K. and on the verge of really breaking into the U.S. boxing scene.

Then Marco Antonio Barrera happened.

On this episode of the Knuckles and Gloves podcast, Patrick Connor and Brin-Jonathan Butler remember the looming mega-stardom of Hamed and the night he ran into Barrera. 

The mid- and late-1990s brought on some hard-charging culture in the U.S., and boxing wasn't exempt. The heavyweight division went through plenty of changes throughout the 90s, until finally it seemed Riddick Bowe stood alone as likely the best around. Then the Andrew Golota fights happened in 1996. 

There were brawls in the ring, melees outside of it, fouls, historic moments and more. Two fights acted as a sort of mirror for boxing and its fans, and many couldn't turn away. 

Let's revisit the Riddick Bowe vs Andrew Golota fights! 

Heavyweight boxing is considered the sport's crown jewel or pinnacle, but fight fans are used to sacrificing activity rate and sometimes nuance for the chance at seeing a big heavyweight taken down. Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua combined to throw 1,730 punches against one another in 1997, however, and it was the kind of fight fans still talk about 25 years later. 

A relatively sparse crowd in Sacramento watched as Ibeabuchi and Tua beat each other up. On this episode of the Knuckles and Gloves podcast, Patrick Connor and Brin-Jonathan Butler gave the fight another watch and offered up some background.