“To go through what he went through in that horrific accident in the ’90s at the races in Sydney and to keep that quality of life and humour as a person, he was just one of the most amazing humans I’ve ever met.

“He was such a strong character, such a beautiful person.”

Famechon retired aged just 25 after his second win against Harada. His fighting qualities were called upon again after he was hit by a speeding car outside Sydney’s Warwick Farm racecourse in 1991, an incident that resulted in a coma and paralysis. However, he underwent a series of revolutionary treatments that allowed him to eventually regain some of his speech and mobility.

“Forget about boxing, just as a man, to go through what he went through and come through that, he was a special human,” Fenech said.

“Every time you would see him, despite what happened in that horrible accident, he would joke around and he never changed. Some people would be miserable and just want to sit inside and hide, but he would be out there and be the life of the party.

“It’s crazy that a man in his position, in a wheelchair and barely able to walk or talk, was trying to be as normal as possible.

“When you talk about a fighter, they are the true fighting qualities. As a boxer and as a human, his fighting qualities were second to none.

“There’s meant to be a hall-of-fame dinner in a couple of weeks and it’s going to be sad without him there.”

Asked where he ranked in the pantheon of Australian boxers, Fenech replied: “I don’t know who is the greatest ever, but he is right up there.

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“For me to be mentioned in the same breath as a Johnny Famechon or a Lionel Rose is the ultimate accolade.

“That means the world to me, that’s very special. They were around when the fight game was the fight game. They were the hardest in the history of the sport, they went 15 rounds and had to fight every couple of weeks.

“They were the real fighters, those guys in the ’60s and ’70s.”

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