Naseem Hamed's first loser's speech must have been painful and inwardly emotional to deliver, but the Prince never once choked on his words.

Hamed could only acknowledge that Marco Antonio Barrera was his master in his unanimous points defeat at the MGM Grand Garden in the early hours of this morning, the astute-boxing Mexican ending his long and lucrative winning run stretching back seven days short of nine years.

"I'll be back", was probably the easiest sentence of his post-fight oratory to relate, with the fight contract containing a return clause. Hamed-Barrera is set to happen again, probably before the end of the year.

And providing it does, Hamed will need no reminding that a more flexible strategy will be essential. If he fights the same fight, it will surely be a repeat result of Hamed's "defining" night.

The fascination of a re-match will centre on Hamed's ability to adjust and out-think Barrera next time because on this evidence, power alone is not enough. That was the big card which was tactically trumped in the world's gambling capital.

Barrera earned easily his highest purse of $1.9 million and the new IBO featherweight champion can bank on at least doubling that pay-day for a second audience with the Prince.

The judges' cards coldly and correctly told the story of Hamed's disappointing Las Vegas and American pay-per-view debut.

Duane Ford and Patricia Jarman-Manning made it 115-112 and Chuck Giampa 116-111, and that after Barrera had a point deducted in the final round for muscling the Prince into a ring cornerpad.

Hamed, while falling short in his fight strategy, showed bags of courage on the occasions Barrera clearly hurt him, the first time in the opening couple of minutes.

The Prince seldom tried to adjust, perhaps once in round six when he switched from southpaw to orthodox, but soon reverted to his natural stance.

And when the bombs were not landing, Hamed did not go back to basics and box. If there was a Plan B, it was not apparent.

Hamed admitted: "He won clearly in my eyes. I didn't box to the best of my ability, but credit is due to him. I'll be back. I think I tried too hard, maybe the rematch can come by the end of the year.

"I'm going to relax a bit, take a bit of time off. I'm nowhere near as sad as I thought I would be. If that's what's written for me from Allah, that's what's written.

"All the success in the world to Marco in future, that is plain and simple. There was never a time when I thought it wasn't going to be my night. I've knocked guys out in the 11th round before, late.

"If you try too hard and look for it, sometimes it's not there. I had my mind focused on hitting him with certain shots and taking him out. Great fighters have lost before, great fighters come back. Marco's been beaten three times. He came, he prepared, he boxed his fight, he boxed the right fight."

Hamed seemed to be settling from an unsteady start, and had much the better of the third.

But Barrera caught him cleanly at the start of the fourth, and Hamed was back trying to claw the initiative away from his eventual conqueror.

All that came after an elaborate ring entrance with an Arabic flavour accompanied the time-honoured fireworks, climaxed by Hamed arriving into the arena in a trapeze ring.

The fifth was better for Hamed, though he had to wait until the 10th to record his best round.

After that Hamed needed a knockout, and Barrera was too experienced and determined to give the Prince a clear shot at his chin.

And all through, the Mexican contingent in a crowd of 15,000 drowned Hamed's travelling British supporters.

"Hamed is very strong, but he is the Prince and I am the king," Barrera said. He admitted that he had changed his tactics to confuse Hamed and was delighted that it had paid off.

"I changed my style to upset him and worked on it in the gym," the Mexican said. "We tricked him. The main thing is that he does not hit as hard as everyone says he does. I was never hurt in the fight."

Hamed's promoter Barry Hearn observed: "The better man won on the night. It was a great fight from Barrera, and Naseem will go back to the training camp and get it right for the next time.

"In defeat, sometimes you find what sort of champion you've really got."