Mini Nachar started kickboxing to honour his best mate Roger Abbas.
Now he has just won his fifth world title last month.
Facing an opponent from outside Australia and New Zealand for the first time, Nachar defeated Japanese opponent Daichi Kimura to take out the International Kickboxing Federation championships heavyweight world title in Flemington.
Nachar’s trainer Mehedin Abbas said this fight was a special one.
“He’s had a few before, but this was the big one as it was against an international fighter,” he said. “He was excited for the fight and he was very happy.”
Nachar won via technical knockout in the second round. Abbas said that it had been a fairly even fight until that point, with his charge having the slightly better of it.
Abbas, who has trained Nachar from the start of his career, said that Nachar continues to surprise people.
“Everyone has pretty much underestimated him from the start and they still do,” he said. “He’s a short, fat bloke and always has been.
“I had strong confidence and believed in him and still believe in him.”
Nachar, who trains at Rogers Gym in Campbellfield, has been kickboxing for 11 years with Abbas by his side the whole time.
The gym, which opened in 2017, is named after Roger, a champion kickboxer, who died in 2012 in Syria.
Roger was an IKBF Australian and Victorian middleweight champion.
Mehedin Abbas said he was so proud of what Nachar has achieved and that he was a very humble man.
“His best friend was my brother [Roger],” he said. “When he passed away it was his motivation to have one fight in his memory.
“Then it became one belt, one Victorian title, one Australian title, one pacific title, a Commonwealth title and an international one and the rest is history.
“The gym we train at is his honour as well. We wanted to open up an orphanage and we did that and it’s gone beyond that now.”
Nachar’s fight was one of three fights on the night between Australian and Japanese opponents.
Melbourne’s Nasar Kassab defeated Japan’s Aqil Bukhari, while Prince Bunjaku beat Atsushi Mori despite breaking his leg in the fight.
Yarraville promoter Lim Jeka organised the three fights.
Abbas said the aim now for Nachar was to go overseas to fight against different competitors.
