A former Mongols biker is a boxing champion less than two years on from being shot in the chest six times.
Sam Abdulrahim, 34, was shot while at his cousin’s funeral at Fawkner Cemetery, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, in June 2022.
He was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition but survived, telling his gangland rivals: ‘Allah is bigger than all these flops, they’ll get their day.’
And now the 34-year-old known as ‘The Punisher’ has won the WBC Australian cruiserweight championship after defeating Thailand’s Panya Chomphoophuang on Thursday.
The pair were meant to meet at Melbourne’s the Furlan Club but the venue was set ablaze just days before he was due to step into the ring last month.
Sam Abdulrahim is a boxing world champion after winning on Thursday night
Abdulrahim, a former Mongols bikie, had made a ‘miraculous’ recovery after being shot in the chest six times at a funeral
The fire forced the family run venue to be shut down and detectives have linked the incident to Victoria’s tobacco wars, with News Corp suggestion tensions between exiled underworld boss Kazem Hamad and Abdulrahim have been rife for some time.
Instead, the undefeated fighter wn his title overseas, securing a knockout victory in the fifth round with a beautiful uppercut that left Chomphoophuang doubled over.
Abdulrahim could not contain his joy as his new belt was wrapped around his waist after the bout, posing with his team for winning pictures.
He later shared a series of congratulatory posts to his Instagram page.
Attackers travelling in a Mazda ambushed Abdulrahim’s Mercedes car and fired several rounds into the kickboxer’s luxury vehicle during the bungled shooting in June 2022.
Abdulrahim then managed to escape and drive to a nearby police station to seek help.