Banned in New South Wales, Hass Hamdan scores heroic one-armed win in Saudi Arabia

He’s been banned from fighting in his hometown, but Hass Hamdan just scored one of the gutsiest performances by an Aussie boxer, battling through torn biceps in Saudi Arabia.

It’s already being called one of the most heroic performances in Australian boxing history, but Hass Hamdan’s one-armed win could rule him out of the rest of the prestigious WBC Grand Prix tournament in Saudi Arabia.

The son of Nader Hamdan, Hass scored a majority decision win over America’s Jose Luis Sauceda, and was forced to lean into his Lion Heart moniker after tearing his left biceps early in the third round of the six round bout.

The 27-year-old grimaced after throwing a left hook, before rubbing his arm and continuing.

A doctor assessed the injury in between rounds, and cornerman Jeff Fenech wanted to call the fight off. But Hamdan pleaded for the bout to continue, saying, “He’s not hurting me, I’ll beat him with one arm.”

One of the gutsiest performances ever seen in Australian boxing with Hass Hamdan fighting through a torn bicep to win his bout in Saudi Arabia. Extraordinary effort #boxinggrandprix#WBCboxing

— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) April 18, 2025

It was all he needed.

Hamdan’s mate, the sprinter John Steffensen, and his dad were also in the corner urging him on as he fought through the pain, only able to paw his left jab on the way to an emotional win in the first round of the 32-man Grand Prix tournament.

Hamdan could barely lift his left arm after winning with scores of 57-57, 58-56 and 59-55, with powerful WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman offering his congratulations in the ring afterwards.

It has been a rough few years for Hamdan.

Now 10-0, the Sydneysider has been unable to fight in New South Wales since 2023, after throwing a drink bottle at an official during a ringside altercation at an amateur bout featuring his brother.

Hamdan is no stranger to adversity, battling through a bad cut to beat Justin Frost in 2023. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The Combat Sport Authority of New South Wales hit Hamdan with a three-year ban which has been widely criticised in Sydney boxing circles as being far too harsh. It is the same ban handed to Adam Abdallah, who brutally bashed a soccer referee in Padstow in 2023.

Hamdan launched an appeal to have the ban reduced, but it was knocked back in March, forcing him to fight overseas or interstate until 2026.

Hamdan last fought in New South Wales in 2022, and most recently in Australia on the Gold Coast on the undercard to Tim Tszyu’s win over Brian Mendoza in October 2023. He has been forced to fight twice in Thailand since being hit by the ban from Combat Sports.

The WBC Grand Prix is open to boxers from around the world who were 26 or under at the start of this year, and have had fewer than 10 professional bouts. There four 32-man tournaments at featherweight, super-lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.

The quarter-finals are in June, and Hamdan faces a race against the clock to be fit in time. The finals are scheduled for December this year.

Fellow Aussies Jude Grand and Dylan Biggs are also in the inaugural tournament, which hosts its first event this weekend.

Originally published as Banned in New South Wales, Hass Hamdan scores heroic one-armed win in Saudi Arabia