By Dongyun Kwon
The Melbourne heavyweight champion is tying to collect one more silver belt in March.
Coldstream Boxing Club coach Hayden ‘H-Bomb’ Wright, the heavyweight champion of Melbourne, is now training for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Silver Championship.
He is facing Bowie Tupou at the international competition in New South Wales.
“The WBC title is a world organisation championship and the Silver Championship is one of the four major ones,” Wright said.
“So winning this belt is a step up on the world stage.”
Not only boxing, the Melbourne heavyweight champion is also passionate about helping kids and people with disabilities.
Wright runs a boxing club in Coldstream, providing free boxing classes for local children and also works as a disability support worker.
He first started doing disability support work about 17 years ago when he studied nursing in university.
“A lot of the clients’ or participants’ goals are the same as my personal goals; achieving little things in the community,” Wright said.
“I find it rewarding to help people achieve their goals.”
Wright has a special mate who helps him stay motivated, Zac Thompson.
Thompson has had a lung disease and immune disease since he was a kid.
Wright and Thompson train together three times a week.
Thompson said training with Wright and coaching local kids with him help him mentally and physically, and make him a better person.
“(Wright) has helped me a lot through the good times and the bad times,” Thompson said.
“He pushes me to my limit and I push him to his limit.”
They are more than just training mates; Thompson is on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and Wright is his disability support worker.
The Coldstream Boxing Club coach said it’s like a team effort.
“We train as part of Zac’s NDIS goals; health, fitness, boxing, sports and community participation, and his goals are in line with my personal goals,” Wright said.
“So we train each other, and on weekends, Zac comes and helps coach the kids for free as part of a community program.
“Zac is a really good motivator who pushes me when I’m slacking off.”
The WBC Heavyweight Silver Championship will take place at the Grand Vaudeville in Condell Park, New South Wales on Saturday 29 March.
Wright thanked Paul Nasari, the promoter of the fight.
‘He gave me the opportunity even though I’m not the highest-ranked fighter,” he said.
