THE WORLD Boxing Organisation featherweight champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed expects to take Dublin by storm this week, starting with a tour of Dublin in an open-top bus this afternoon. He will be accompanied by "Ireland's only Olympic boxing gold medallist, welterweight Michael Carruth and former "European featherweight champion, Paul Griffin and other boxers from a 12-bout bill at The Point next Saturday night.

For the boxing purists this will be a unique night in Dublin with no fewer than three world titles at stake. Apart from Naseem's defence of the WBO belt against Manuel Medina from Mexico, there will be Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson from Indiana who will defend his International Boxing Federation featherweight title against Ramon Guzman from Venezuela and Nate Miller from Philadelphia defends his World Boxing Association cruiserweight title against James Heath from North Carolina.

There will be huge interest in the Naseem-Medina fight of course but attention will also be paid to the Johnson-Guzman bout since a unification match between Naseem and Johnson is marked as a potential moneyspinner in the United States.

Without any doubt Naseem's antics, dress and general demeanor has attracted enormous attention. Many boxing traditionalists dislike his behaviour - particularly when he taunts his opponents and seems to dismiss them.

Under the guidance of Dubliner, Brendan Ingle, Naseem has emerged from a working-class area of Sheffield, where he was subjected to racist taunts and beatings as a youngster. He has learned to protect himself verbally and physically and has made a fortune into the bargain.

His opponent on Saturday, Manuel Madina, will be having his 53rd fight having lost only seven of these. Medina is also a former WBC and IBF champion so that it cannot be said that he is not a worthy opponent.

There are 15 bouts in all scheduled for Saturday night with Dublin's own Michael Carruth topping the non-title list against Mike Brannon from the US. The other Irish boxers on the bill will be Paul Griffin, Mark Winters, Marty Reneghan and Paschal Collins.