It’s the great Australian boxing feud that started over $5000.

That, and a throat grab.

“And now,” Issac Hardman laughs, “somebody will get f***ing chinned”.

Almost six years after initially looking to fight on the undercard of Tim Tszyu’s breakout win against Jeff Horn — and then almost coming to blows backstage at a domestic show -— longtime rivals Hardman and Joel Camilleri are finally set to settle their beef.

Although instead of a boxing ring, it will be inside a cage.

IBC 05: Hardman v Camilleri | Wednesday September 23 from 7pm AEST | The World’s fastest growing combat sport returns with a showdown for the ages, as Isaac Hardman takes on veteran boxer Joel Camilleri in the Gold Coast. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

Or more specifically, the International Brawling Championship — with Hardman and Camilleri fighting for IBC gold in Wednesday night’s latest Gold Coast event.

For both men, the welterweight title bout represents six long years of ongoing challenges, social media barbs, even a backstage confrontation which almost saw the pair trade blows.

Indeed, while Camilleri is still chasing a world title as a middleweight boxer — and is ranked No.11 with the WBA — he has agreed to debut in the new sport where Hardman is now poster boy.

Already, the fighter dubbed ‘Headsplitter’ is IBC middleweight champ.

And now on Wednesday night, is looking to become ‘Champ Champ’ while also ending one of Australia’s great domestic grudge matches.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, Camilleri revealed the pair’s bad blood stretches all the way back to 2020.

According to the 36-year-old, the drama started shortly after he had himself fought, and lost, against then rising star Tim Tszyu.

“It was around that time they started trying to match me and Hardman,” Camilleri explained. “And he actually reached out, messaged me saying: ‘Hey man, do you want to fight?’.

“And I was more than happy to fight him. Said, ‘yeah beautiful’ …”

But then, Camilleri says, he got a call from the matchmaker.

“And they were only offering five thousand dollars,” he says. “I’d just come off fighting Tim Tszyu. And for a lot more than that.

“So I said ‘no’. And that’s when Issac turned on me.

“He said ‘you f***ing b***h, when I see you in person I’ll smack you’ …”

Joel CamilleriSource: SuppliedIBC HardmanSource: Supplied

To which Hardman, now six years on, says what?

“Yeah, sounds exactly right,” he laughed when contacted this week. “It all happened when Tim Tszyu was fighting Jeff Horn, and I wanted us to be the co-main.

“I wanted the fight. But then Camilleri started saying he had been lowballed.

“[Laughs] Thing is, I was offered five grand myself.

“So that’s why I was thinking ‘c’mon fight me you weasel’. I was thinking if he was so confident of beating me, he could go on to make more money anyway.

“Back then, I was young and naïve. Didn’t really understand the business side of boxing …”

So when you look back now?

“I can appreciate him declining,” he says. “I wouldn’t fight me for five grand, either.”

Camilleri, meanwhile, says now that he was surprised by Hardman’s response.

“Because there had been no bad blood between us at that point,” he continued. “In fact, when I’d first moved up to Brisbane sometime earlier, he actually suggested I go join up with his trainer.

“He said how he’d been watching me fight, supported me and wanted me to train with him.

“But then when the offer came in, I said ‘mate, I’m not taking five grand for a fight’.

“So he started calling me a f***ing coward.

“I said ‘mate, go back to your matchmaker and ask why he would be such a goose, offering me five grand’. But he kept going. Saying ‘bro, what until I f***ing see you, I’m going to crack yah’.”

Fight of the year!? Hardman v Vaotuua | 13:32

Eventually, things boiled over when the pair crossed paths backstage at a local show.

“Because I didn’t give a f***,” Camilleri continued. “If that’s who you think you are, OK, when you see me try and crack me.

“So next time I saw him, we were backstage at the fights in Brisbane.

“I’ve looked at him, he looked at me and stood up … and then, yeah, people quickly jumped in between us to split us up. I said ‘why are you so insecure?’.”

So as for how Hardman recalls the incident playing out?

“At the time I was gung ho,” he laughs. “Wanted to fight King Kong.

“So I did call him a f***ing coward.

“There was also another incident [weeks earlier] where he thought I was spraying one of his sponsors online. I wasn’t, but he then put a big thing up on Facebook.

“So eventually I saw him at a boxing show where he was working commentary. He was with some people, so I walked up and said ‘listen here c***, this is real life, not Instagram … so be careful with what you’re saying’.

“He then stepped towards me and said something like ‘I’m not scared of you’.

“I just flew in, grabbed him by the throat, and said ‘this is real life c***, actions come with consequences’ …”

Which, both men agree, is when it was all broken up.

“I was never going to hit him but that’s what happened,” Hardman continues. “We’ve had some back and forth on social media since — he’s the Camel Toe now — but honestly, I have no qualms with the guy.

“I’ve matured, I’m a dad now … so either I’m chinning him or he chins me.”

Pushed on the bad blood between himself and Hardman, Camilleri continues: “Back when all this started, I think he was just lost.

“Obviously, Issac isn’t the world’s most intelligent bloke. He’s also a really sensitive bloke who reacts to a lot of stuff.

“Last few years, he has grown up a lot. He speaks decently now, isn’t so emotional and has found religion.

“And, look, congratulations. I’ve never hated the guy. I just never understood why he was so immature …”

IBC 05: Hardman v Camilleri | Wednesday September 23 from 7pm AEST | The World’s fastest growing combat sport returns with a showdown for the ages, as Isaac Hardman takes on veteran boxer Joel Camilleri in the Gold Coast. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

While Hardman has already fought several times with the IBC, Camilleri will be making his debut in the new sport.

Better, the boxer said he will, in victory, continue to throw down in both sports.

Already, Camilleri has a December showdown booked against rising talent Mitchell Leek (14-0), and is also actively chasing headliners against the likes of Nikita Tszyu, Michael Zerafa, Ben Mahoney and Callum Peters.

But as for the brawling challenge?

“For anyone who has followed my career, they know for six years from 2012 I was a brawler,” he says.

“[Laughs] And you don’t get a head like this being a pretty boxer.

“For years there I was getting my nose broken, getting cut open, f***ing head clashes, I fought for a long time like a brawler.”

Asked about adapting to the crossover challenge, he continued: “I’ve got one of the highest fight IQs in combat sports, so I’ll assess everything on the night.”

And Hardman?

“Look, I know he’s trying to call out all the big names in Australian boxing,” he says of Camilleri. “And nobody has put their hand up because he is a tough fight.

“He’s awkward, has all that herky jerky movement.

“So credit where it’s due.

“I can’t knock the bloke anymore. But I am gunna knock the c*** out.”