Golden Soft Sombrero Moment with Sam Greco

Achievements:                       

World Kickboxing Champion – Sam Greco

Diegos Verdict:                       

David Beckham is lucky this guy didn’t go on with his football.

In comparison, Greco makes Danny Tiatto look like the Dalai Lama at a Tibetan Monk ‘Enya’ easy listening convention.

Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with Sam Greco

Greco on ‘tough guy’ favorite movie…

Diegos: “The Diegos are going to ask you the hard question straight up, is ‘Karate Kid’ your favourite movie?”

Greco: “It’s one of my favourite movies…I can’t say I’ve learnt that much from it though.”

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000

Greco on kicking the ball around as an introduction to kicking heads…

Diegos: “Its not too often that the Diegos entertain World Champions on our show, let alone world kick boxing champions but it is a little known fact that before started to get angry and hit blokes, you played in the National Soccer League and looked set to take the soccer world by storm.

What are your memories of your soccer playing days and what made you hang up the boots and pull on the gloves?”

Greco: “I’ve very vivid memories of my soccer career.

I played for about 13 years of my junior life. All I can say is that they were great memories. I look back today and think if things didn’t go wrong for me I most probably still would’ve been playing.

I played for Heidelberg and Juventus. I didn’t make any NSL appearances at Heidelberg but I did play at Juventus.

I’d been at Juve for nearly ten years and I just wanted a change but I couldn’t get a clearance so that’s why I basically only trained at Alexander.”

Diegos: “Of course if you’d stuck with the amateur league you could’ve had the best of both worlds – played soccer and hit blokes at the same time…”

Greco: “That’s true, not a bad option down the track perhaps.”

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000

Greco on having to leave Australia to make a name for himself…

Diegos: “Like many good Aussie soccer players you have had to ply your trade overseas in the United States and in Japan to earn the massive financial rewards on offer in your sport.

As kickboxing’s version of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, how do you feel about having to leave this country to make a real name for yourself?”

Greco: “Like everyone, I’m pretty sure Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka are in the same boat, I’d love to fight in Australia and for it to financially rewarding here but unfortunately it’s not.

The truth of the matter is Australia loses some of its best athletes to the rest of the world for this reason.

I’m one of them, so is Harry and Mark and a few others.”

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000

Greco on his greatest threat…

Diegos: “You are the current World Champion of the WKA organization.

Who’s the dude next in line? Who wants your scalp?”

Greco: “The taxman at the moment.”

Diegos: “He should know better…”

Greco: “Yeh you’d think he would.”

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000

Greco on Cantona’s Kung fu kick…

Diegos: “Following in your footsteps a few years ago, we had the enigmatic Eric Cantona emulating Sam Greco on the soccer pitch and unleashing a Kung Fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan in England.

In your expert opinion if you were to rate the kick, what would he get?”

Greco: “Well it’s funny. If we talk about Eric, I trained him for that kick but he didn’t execute it as well as I would have liked.

Very poor technique so I would rate that kick at all.”

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000

Greco’s grand entrance…

Diegos: “A few week ago the Diegos were invited to a huge night of kick boxing in St. Albans with none other than the ‘Master Blaster’ Lester Ellis making his debut in the sport.

It was a highly entertaining night with Lester making a grand entrance wearing a ‘Chief Little Horn’ getup and proceeded by his own harem of squaws.

The fanfare of a good entrance is very important in your sport.

How do you enter the ring? Is it the disco suit or the soccer gear?”

Greco: “Yeh white line fever.

I tell you that the entrance is very important because it can be very intimidating.

On the night that you guys attended you may have noticed that Lester wore a plaster cast on his leg. I don’t know why he wore that. It’s definitely a sign of weakness and I know what I’d be aiming for if I were fighting him.

All credit to Lester. He fought well as a boxer. I wouldn’t rate him much as a kick boxer at the moment though. ”

Diegos: “So do you wear your old Brunswick Juventus strip?”

Greco: “No I don’t but if I did wear that they’ll probably shoot me as I walked in.

Everyone has their own personal touch in this regard. I’m very serious but enjoy playing the crowd up.

I fight in front of up to 70,000 people so this can pay off if I can fire them up as I walk in.’’

Soft Sombrero Moment 2000