‘Next Don Bradman’: The special connection between Mundine and Hughes, boxer pays tribute to late great mate

During his boxing career, Anthony Mundine and his camp formed a special bond with the late Phillip Hughes, and on the anniversary of his death, he has paid tribute to a ‘great young man’ he revered.

Anthony Mundine has paid tribute to “cool cat” Phillip Hughes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the former Test opener’s tragic death.

Before Hughes was fatally felled in 2014, he and Mundine – the champion boxer and ex-NRL star – built a relationship.

It started when Mundine’s then-agent Khoder Nasser reached out to the boxer to reveal that Hughes, who had burst onto the international scene with twin tons in South Africa in 2009 as a 20-year-old, was keen to meet Mundine.

Hughes (left) with Anthony Mundine in the ring post-fight in 2009. Picture: AAP Image/Paul Harris

“Khoder rung me and said ‘there’s this young kid, he’s the next Don Bradman and you’re one of his heroes,’” Mundine told this masthead.

“He said ‘Phil Hughes wants to meet you, and we said ‘yeah, no problems’.

“So we met, we organised a dinner, we met, we had a dinner, and then we connected ever since man, and we were getting close around the time the tragedy happened.

“We hung out a few times, and he was a great, great young man. Man, I was just trying to lead him in the right direction and give my experiences over the years.

“He was a cool cat man. He was very much me, laid back, humble, very humble. He’s from the bush, Macksville. And come from humble beginnings.

“He had a great family, he just ruled. He grew up with the blackfellas up there, so he had a connection with the blackfellas.”

Hughes appeared in the ring after Mundine beat Daniel Geale in a 2009 bout.

Mundine’s business partner Gosh Daher – the pair have founded Mundine Gosh Management – met Hughes through the boxer and developed his own bond with the cricketer.

So close did they become, Daher gave his son the middle name Phillip as a tribute to Hughes.

“He loved going out, having fun,” Daher said.

“Every year, on the 27th (of November, the anniversary of Hughes’ death), I go to the Sydney Cricket Ground, say bit of a prayer for him, and ring his father. And we both have a bit of a chuckle and a cry. It should be more. He was just a special kid.

“I’ve had three kids, and I still got the screen saver with me and him and my wife on my phone.

“I just, I know we shouldn’t live in the past, but he won’t let me delete it. So I see the kid (Hughes) 150 times a day.”