Hardman and Camilleri finally settle six-year feud in IBC gold clash

One of Australian combat sports' longest-running grudges reaches its conclusion on Wednesday night, when Issac Hardman and Joel Camilleri meet in the cage at the International Brawling Championship on the Gold Coast. The welterweight title bout caps six years of insults, a backstage confrontation and a dispute that began over a $5,000 fight offer.

Hardman, the IBC middleweight champion known as 'Headsplitter', is chasing dual-division glory. Camilleri, a veteran boxer ranked No. 11 with the WBA, is making his brawling debut. Both men say the personal animosity is real, even if the reasons have blurred over time.

How did the Hardman-Camilleri feud begin?

The bad blood dates to 2020, when Camilleri was coming off a loss to Tim Tszyu. Hardman, then a rising prospect, wanted to fight on the undercard of Tszyu's breakout win over Jeff Horn. He reached out to Camilleri directly, but the matchmaker's offer fell short.