Boxing champ erupts at daughter dating NRL star Bradman Best

Jeff Fenech had long warned his daughters about dating NRL stars before he received a phone call about a Newcastle Knight.

Bradman Best and Kayla Fenech, plus her parents Suzee and Jeff. Photos: Supplied/News Corp

Kayla Fenech is in a relationship with Knights star Bradman Best and it hasn’t gone down well with her famous father.

That would be Jeff Fenech, the three division boxing world champion and one of Australia’s greatest fighters.

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Kayla, 28, one of Fenech’s three children, rang her famous dad a few months ago to break the news about the relationship with the NRL standout and Jeff wasn’t happy.

“He actually went apes**t,” Kayla told The Daily Telegraph.

Part of the problem was the fact Jeff had spent a lot of time around footy players in his life and had previously warned his daughters about dating them.

“I’d always warned my girls about going out with league players,” he said. “I’ve been knocking around with footballers all my life.

“They’re young and they love going out and having a good time.

Bradman Best and Kayla Fenech, plus her parents Suzee and Jeff. Photos: Supplied/News Corp

“So when she rang and told me, I went off the deep end. I gave her a roasting.

“She kept trying to say ‘Dad, he’s a lovely guy’. Kayla was telling me every day how nice he was.

“Bradman knew I was angry, but he told Kayla ‘I’ll prove your dad wrong’ and he has.”

Kayla Fenech, who has over 220,000 Instagram followers, met the Newcastle centre through social media.

The couple are planning to move in together and Kayla said 22-year-old Best eventually won over her famous father.

“We met on social media, started talking and hung out a few times,” she said. “Now we’re dating.

“I said to Dad at the beginning that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Footy players can get a bad reputation. Bradman is so different.

Kayla has a strong following on social media. Photo: Instagram

Best slowly won over Jeff. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Chris Hyde)

“Dad now loves him. He’s a good person, very down to earth, and treats me really well.

“Just an all-round good person with a big heart.

“He’s actually perfect.”

Fenech is one of Australia’s greatest boxers. Photo: Al Bello /Allsport

Best showed plenty of bravado by taking part in some boxing sessions with Jeff.

A talented junior boxer himself, Best impressed Fenech, with the 60-year-old only taking exception to one move Best has made to date.

“Maybe he was trying to impress his future father-in-law,” Jeff laughed. “He was very impressive when we trained.

“When we first met, you could tell he was a good young man. He’s treating Kayla beautifully. Like a gentleman. They’re very happy and so is my wife Suzee and I.

“The only time I got dirty is when he scored two tries against my Parramatta side last weekend and beat us.”