36. Big dreams, boxing, and belief with Nader Hamdan
On episode 36 of the B-side I speak to Australian boxing legend Nader Hamdan. Once ranked No.2 in the world behind Oscar De La Hoya, he fought some of the world's best across all corners of the globe. Waging wars against the likes of Anthony Mundine, Arthur Abraham, Sam Soliman, and John Wayne Parr.
He's also thrown his hat into the entertainment ring, appearing on shows like The Contender, East West, Mr Inbetween, The Ropes, Heartbreak High, and Underbelly.
We talk about growing up in the diverse and once working-class suburb of Marrickville, where he was bullied as a child and became an angry, out-of-control teenager; before turning his life around by taking his passion for fighting off the street and into the ring at Newtown Police boys club. There he met trainer and fellow Marrickville legend, world champion boxer Jeff Fenech.
He talks about his boxing career, shares the details of his toughest fight, and the drive that gave him the ability to push through serious injuries and never give up, earning him the ring name 'Lionheart'.
We discuss what happens behind the scenes of a fight promotion, the rules of trash talk, and how he caught the attention of some of the world's best once he started embracing the bad-boy persona. And we jam on the merit of 'entertainment' or 'exhibition' fights where YouTubers like Jake Paul, and Logan Paul, or ex-footballers like Paul Gallen and Sonny Bill Williams fight legitimate boxers or MMA stars like Floyd Mayweather Junior, Mark Hunt, and Anderson Silva.
Nader talks about his son Hassan Hamdan, a future boxing champion in his own right, who is following in his dad's footsteps, being coached by Jeff Fenech and making waves on the boxing scene.
And he talks about the principles of discipline, respect, and self-belief, being crucial to establishing his successful career in boxing, and the core values of his mission to help bring direction to troubled youth and help others turn their lives around.
This was a cracking episode, Nader is a beautiful soul and a great friend, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Cheers.