be here

but that statement I just think like it's such a weird thing that people say like balance you need balance and it's just like I truly think if you want to be exceptional or you want to stand out from the rest you have to be all in on whatever you choose and I don't think there's time for like you know family birthdays or like I'm just thinking about like my early in my career, like probably from 18, 19 onwards, like there was majority of the time it was just like boxing.

That's all I thought about, you know? And I think that was purely the reason as to why I got to where I got.

Like I was nowhere near the best athlete, the most naturally gifted, the strongest, you know, like the best technically, like I didn't have any of those things, but I think it was just like the obsession to the thing that consistently over time, brick by brick, eventually things started to happen and, And I just think like, depending on what you want, and it's probably like something that we'll probably talk about on this.

Like I would say that I have broke away from that because I do want to be a dad.

Like that's probably the next evolution of my life.

And it's like, I'm trying to learn balance.

What did that lack of balance actually look like for you from the age of 18 and 19?

Hey, bro, where are you? Are you in your car at the moment? Are you in an Uber? What's going on, Haz?

Oh, jeez.

I've got a story to tell you guys.

So I was swimming laps and I timed it perfectly.

I'm thinking, jeez, I'm going to work this perfectly.

I'm going to be able to dry off.

I'll go sit in my car, do the interview.

Would you rely on a partner to be like, if you were getting belted in the ring, to be like, hey, it's time to hang up the gloves?

But you just have to stay in the room long enough for that kid to feel safe enough to put it down.

There's always someone in the room that holds a lot of power and it's often that rat bag kid who you can say at the age of 15, 16, they can sort of pick on people and they're tough, they're strong, they're usually quite big and they're the ones that like, it's so interesting because they're the ones who, I wouldn't say they have the biggest story, but they have a rich story as well.

And then there's like a hook and there's a moment where you chuck a few hooks out, And it's like that call to adventure.

They get the opportunity to go on the hero's journey.

And if they take that hook, there's a lot of resistance.

But often, if you get them early in the day, it gives everyone else the permission to be vulnerable.

Such as? Right.

Our ancestors did such a good job that most of us will go an entire week thinking without our body being asked to go through anything hard.

Yeah

... to delve inside myself, and other people hold space for me.

Um, and I think in that I just...

I think I got just like the rebirth of curiosity, 'cause I think every young person is naturally curious about the world.

But then eventually we start, you know, we start talking in certainty and, and believing things.

And don't get me wrong, there's definitely times I do that.

Yeah.

You know? But it's like, for me, I can only speak from my experience, but I can't deny that a lot of my life, I would argue, that I created an impenetrable armor of this masculine man who went to two Olympic Games.

If you have a partner, do you sort of like, you know, get them across the rules of boxing, tell them what they're going to expect when they come?

See, I'm I'm kind of all for it.

I love that she's almost bigger than the sport, right? F1's massive.

It's huge.

Obviously, that event is massive.

It's one of the biggest ones they've got on their calendar.

And I love that she's almost a bit bigger than the sport.

But what about putting up online, hey, I'm going for this all on my own and I don't want other people in my life?

Yeah, I think it's like there's a fine line.

I think having, as you said, like a bit of alone time, like setting a boundary, having a bit of space is really important.

But I think...

I don't know.

We're tribal beings.

We are animals at the end of the day.

And I think just

[laughs]

Like, in this, in, in all seriousness.

Like, I think it's like, there's ...

I've done you wrong.

I, I had this beautiful chat with my best mate, Ned Brockman, and I was just like, "We can't go back." Like you, that childlike innocence of like when you were like 11, 12, you lose in sport, but you have this like childlike innocence.

You know, you view the world with such rose-colored eye- uh, eyeglasses, and I think you can't go back.

And I think I've just been trying to work on that for the last like two months, trying to accept that fact.

Yeah.

Is it a good outlet for you?

Yeah.

I, the reason as to why I started, I, like, my ...

I, I've always had an abundance of energy, like, and I think a lot of young boys do from what I can recognize.

Uh, but I had an abundance of energy, and I also was the youngest of three boys.

Uh, but felt quite soft com- comparatively speaking to my two older brothers.

Like, they were quite, um, rambunctious.

Weapon of a man

What's made you want to do Movember?

I think it has a really close place in my heart, Movember.

I think obviously men's mental health is a massive issue globally, not just in Australia, but globally.

And I think the statistics, we lose 60 men every hour globally to suicide.

Three out of four deaths in Australia are men.

It's the leading cause of death between 16 and 54.

It is just a massive issue and something that I really care about, having a few people Growing up, one from the boxing gym, a couple from close family friends taking their life.

But I've never thought that maybe if someone is battling with their mental health, maybe just looking around and seeing people walk around with fully grown mustaches at the end of November could even be quite a pep up.