Italo can’t fail!

Julio Adler picture
Julio Adler (julioadler)
Swellnet Dispatch

Rather than writing about Italo Ferreira's accomplishments, please allow me to start with an obsession of mine: finding someone else’s flaws.

Way back in 2007, I was editing a big budget surfing movie, Surf Adventures 2, and there was this little kid who came from Baía Formosa, which is in the deep northeast of Brazil, the same place where Fabio Gouveia learned how to read and ride a point wave.

The kid had this constant smile. A smile that reminded me of a quote from 'The Great Gatsby':

"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor."

The kid even surfed smiling!

It was an Oakley team trip to Mexico and Italo was the grommet, forced to eat chilli peppers, to surf all day, and he presented an endless curiosity to everything around him. At the time he was thirteen-years old.

At the end of 2008, he faced three surfers from Ceará - 600 Kms from Baía Formosa - to win the under-14 regional title, among them was another young surfer, little Michael Rodrigues who got fourth place in the final.

As Oakley’s team manager, Luis 'Pinga' Henrique used to browse amateur contests looking for young talents. He had a great young crew in Adriano de Souza, Danilo Costa, Jadson André, Miguel Pupo, Caio Ibelli, Gilmar Silva, André Pastori, Edgar Groggia, Charlie Brown, Rodrigo Sino, all very promising.

Then Italo teamed up with Pinga and he never looked back.

Now, here comes the first of the above mentioned flaws.

Style - Part 1

A very pragmatic coach, Pinga never believed in style and grace - elegance was a thing for the feeble. If you were on Pinga’s program all that mattered was victory.

Don’t get too attached to surfing, just bloody win and big things will come. It was aggressive, effective, and relentless.

Also, hideous and profitable.

It seems to me that he almost despised style as a sign of weakness.

But, boy! Did they win?!

Pinga knew first that one of the greatest problems is getting too much too soon and wanted to change it with loads of work. When he worked with Alfio Lagnado, Brazilian surfing big capo, owner of the Hang Loose brand and a dozen other licenses, Pinga learned the value of a tight team with nutritionist, physiotherapist, psychologist, coach and manager to let the kids just do what they love - surfing.

Pinga was the central figure for Italo’s growth with meticulously layered work ethics.

But style? Italo projected down the line, he surfed flat and fast, and his wide legs thumped and bounced, never stopping.

Jump for joy

Despite the stereotype not every Brazilian surfer comes from humble beginnings, but Italo might be the kid closest to living a Brazilian version of a Dickens novel. As you may know, Italo’s father Lusinho used to sell fish for the restaurants and hotels around the town.

Some data about Baia Formosa:
Population 9,000
Average wage around AUD$600.
The average child mortality rate in the city is 15.75 per 1,000 live births - compared to Australia’s 3.1.
Just 10.1% of households have adequate sanitary sewage.
Of 5,570 towns and cities in Brazil it ranks 4,340.

Luisinho did not have the money to buy his son a surfboard so he improvised with a foam lid from an old fish cooler and let Italo play with the waves. And there were always waves! All year ‘round, lazy little waves sometimes, but always surfable. Also, Baía Formosa is one the very few point breaks in Brazil's whole 7,367 kms of coastline.

Usually, the learning curve for the kids from the northern coast is meteoric, and Italo was no different. As soon as he got his first surfboard he began winning contests. He liked to win things: surfboards, T-shirts, leashes, bar of wax, bikes, things he could not buy. In this way, Italo got a glimpse of a life different to the one he was raised in.

Katiana, Italo’s Mother, remembers when she had to sell her commuter benefits to pay for her son's entry fees. Now, she and Lusinho have their own hotel, bought by Italo with his prizemoney alone, over a million bucks, and I’m not mentioning his salary.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. To understand some things we  have to jump back ten years.

In 2009, Italo lost his spot in the ISA Junior Games. Another promising surfer, Gabriel Medina, got the spot and won the junior titles in New Zeland 2010 - the same year Matt Banting won the Under-16 and Tyler Wright was junior world champ.

Also in 2009, Italo entered his first QS-level contest, the Maresia Surf International. He placed 122nd. Gabriel won. But unperturbed, the boy from the northeast kept trying, kept fighting, kept smiling.

"Italo projected down the line, he surfed flat and fast, and his wide legs thumped and bounced, never stopping" (Chico Padhila)

Countdown to armageddon

The true sign that you’re living through a golden age is the feeling that it's never going to end. So let's count them: 2014 with Medina, 2015 Adriano, in 2016 and 2017 Florence got in the way, 2018 Medina again, and now it's Italo's turn.

One might say it’s Karma.

I’ll say it’s just anarchy.

And remember, Toledo is also waiting for his turn.

Now, what about that flaw we spoke of? The style, or the lack of it.

As Italo opened his eyes to the wider world his style became more soothing to the eye (Chico Padhila)

Style - Part 2

We've already said his learning curve was meteoric, but in that he wasn't alone, many young kids are fast learners, they're like sponges soaking up new skills.

But what many young kids don't have, but Italo does, is modesty. On his first year he cleaned out his approach to the wave; his surfing became more vertical, not so flat, less thumping and bouncing. He was becoming a front foot power surfer, and also an accomplished tube rider. All this just by paying attention to other surfers.

He had the modesty to assimilate what he saw, all that knowledge, year after year. After three years on tour Italo was a completely new surfer.

Not many surfers do that.

In fact, most don’t change a bit and competitive surfers who won't change get eaten alive in the tour and by the tour.

One must adapt.

Don’t resist what has to be done. Swallow your pride, accept it, and then change it.

Which is what Italo did.

The local derby

Here in Brazil the mainstream newspapers boasted headlines: 'Brazil becomes the main World Surf League market in the world'. There’s a new WSL zone in Latin America’s biggest city, São Paulo - V.I.P only of course.

It may not appear it from outside, but the sutuation isn't healthy. Brazilian amateur circuits and media are choked to death, and meanwhile the 1% are celebrating.

A little bit like Australia, don’t ya say?

Italo, however, is a man with a plan and he is providing for young surfers in Rio Grande do Norte, from his own pocket. It’s the opposite of the Gabriel Medina institute, where Gabriel employs relatives and friends and questions about tax deductions abound.

There is a lot of antagonism between those two, but also grudging admiration.

Italo qualified for the CT in 2014, the same year Medina won his first title. Since then, Italo has beaten Medina every year, an overwhelming 6:2 in Ferreira's favour, and no other surfer has that kind of advantage over Medina. Also, Italo also has never lost a heat to Slater.

In 2008, Timmy Patterson began shaping for Italo and they have a relationship not unlike John Florence and Jon Pyzel - and now they also have a World Title too (Chico Padhila)

Italo's world title also means a triumph for Brazil's northeast, who are notoriously against the far right wave that has swept the country - something again similar to Australia.

Of all the Brazilian surfers in the CT, Italo was the only one to voice his wrath over oil leaking on the coast of Brazil - all the way from north down to southwest.

That takes way more balls than Pipe. It is like a CT surfer standing up to Fight for the Bight.

It is the first time since Fabio Gouveia’s 1988 victory in the World Amateur Titles at Puerto Rico that a surfer from that region has won a world title, and it is also the very first time that a surfer - any surfer! - has unified all the titles, ISA, WSL, and even the Surfer magazine Best Surfer award.

I sense multiple titles for the guy.

Not only because he is that good - many surfers have the talent in the water - but because it takes much more than that to be a champion. The kid from Baía Fomosa has shown that he can shoulder the load of expectation, he can execute his responsibilities, he knows how to put aside his ego, and maybe more than anything, and what we all saw on finals day at Pipeline, he's a surfer who knows how to rise to the occasion.

//JULIO ADLER

Julio is an ex-Brazilian pro surfer and long time journalist. He learnt English by listening to Neil Young records, and the title of this piece is proudly lifted from The Clash's joyful anthem, Rudy Can't Fail.

Comments

ringmaster's picture
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ringmaster Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 12:26pm

Great story. A worthy world champ from all angles by the sound of it.

ojackojacko's picture
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ojackojacko Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:00pm

very nice write up julio - go italo

>> Italo's world title also means a triumph for Brazil's northeast, who are notoriously against the far right wave that has swept the country - something again similar to Australia.

unfortunately, we don’t have any such significant area that is resisting the swing to the right in australia

Horas's picture
Horas's picture
Horas Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 11:58pm

That's because people have had a faaarkin gutful of the insanity of the left.You caarnts just don't learn.Leftism is a mental illness.

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 9:06am

Ha, ha, ignorance is bliss and such a command of the English language is admirable. I am not left or right however how can say you have had a 'gutful' when there hasn't been any forever. Do you even know what it is?

Horas's picture
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Horas Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 1:21am

Yes mate it certainly is,example being the climate cult freaks . Those saying we must 'respect the science ' are the same morons insisting that there are 50 or so genders whilst ignoring the biological,scientific facts that there are only 2 as dictated by chromosomes XX and XY.Yes ,ignorance certainly is bliss.FMD what a time to be alive.

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 2:01am
pigdogger's picture
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pigdogger Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 1:05pm

Thank you for your Frank response, Julio. Very inventive how you zapped the naysayers. What would their mothers think?

palmlife's picture
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palmlife Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 10:41am
memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 2:47pm

Let me guess you are also an anti vaccer, believe the world is flat, and love Tumpy dumpy.

t-diddy's picture
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t-diddy Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 6:50pm

Gender is a human social construct thus it can have an infinite number of categories because it is subjective. Gender has nothing to do with science! Sex is biological!
The problem with being a climate science denier is that if you're wrong then basic risk assessment would imply we need to start making some changes. Thus if you're wrong we're fukt

Bluedreams's picture
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Bluedreams Thursday, 2 Jan 2020 at 12:45pm

You sound like a nut job Horas

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Lottolonglong Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 11:14am

I agree with Horas

spelled3's picture
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spelled3 Saturday, 28 Dec 2019 at 2:45pm

Victoria tends to be quite progressive, in comparison with NSW and Qld.

bonz's picture
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bonz Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:00pm

Was very happy to see him win, is very likable and after reading this article I like him a little more.

The Shaper's picture
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The Shaper Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:07pm

it was one of those wins that makes you happy..........

stunet's picture
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stunet Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:33pm

Sing, Michael! Sing!

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 9:07am

Not the tele, I feel for that guitar.

Troz's picture
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Troz Saturday, 28 Dec 2019 at 6:45am

Its actually Pauls bass that gets smashed on the cover. Given how sturdy they are i reckon it survived intact.

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Saturday, 28 Dec 2019 at 9:47am
stunet's picture
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stunet Saturday, 28 Dec 2019 at 10:14am

Paul Simonon don't surf...

top-to-bottom-bells's picture
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top-to-bottom-bells Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:56pm

Couldn't agree more.....except for the armageddon bit.

Solitude's picture
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Solitude Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 1:59pm

Great write up Julio.

I’m quite interested in the world tour Brazilian factions. I take it from the underlying tone that there is a bit of a divide between the crew (as would be with any group of people I admit).

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 2:07pm

It's not that bad. Pretty much like any other group of competitors.
You do have little rivalries but i guess in the end they hoot for each other.
But (there's always a But...) right now they are all starting to reach the goals at the very same time, meaning world titles, so the war, like the song, We've Only Just Begun...

Solitude's picture
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Solitude Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 3:01pm

Yeah fair enough, that kind if scenario puts strain on the best. I’m fairly sureits been written that Joel and Mick weren’t exactly having beers at each other’s at the height of their rivalry

Lanky Dean's picture
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Lanky Dean Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 12:36am

Great question @ Solitude,
I have been pondering the same, any one notice the lack of communication between the two, on stage after the final ?

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 9:09am

Odd man out everyones favourite Grabby?

stunet's picture
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stunet Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 8:53am

"...right now they are all starting to reach the goals at the very same time."

That's the crux of it.

Blowin's picture
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Blowin Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 2:05pm

Oh oh.

Now that Swellnet is doing profiles on pro surfers the legacy surf media has nothing to offer.

Great write up ,Julio. Thanks for operating as a conduit to the exotic and often inaccessible world of Brazzo surfing. Whilst I don’t pursue it , it’s strange that I know virtually nothing about our world champ. Thanks for rectifying that.

Italo is a very worthy world champ in my opinion.

Go Italo !

helmet-not-hose's picture
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helmet-not-hose Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 2:06pm

Viva Italo! ....do they say that in Brazil??

Its so good to have a champion that everyone can truly get behind, and not have to overlook his misdemeanours or whatever.

abc-od's picture
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abc-od Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 2:11pm

The Pipe final day had to be THE pinnacle moment in pro surfing. I'm not in the habit of complimenting the wozzle, and they should be buggered with a hot poker for their reaction to Gabs cheating, but on the competition and rivalries and drama, and especially the outcome, it's hard to think of a better day. It almost seemed too Hollywood for reality.

Spuddups's picture
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Spuddups Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 3:11pm

Probably one of the most popular champions of the last twenty years. The rivalry between him and Medina over the next few years should hold some interest. The wild card is of course JJF.

ringmaster's picture
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ringmaster Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 3:17pm

and Jesse Mendes

linez's picture
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linez Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 6:25pm

Juggernaut..

bluediamond's picture
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bluediamond Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 4:28pm

Great article. Thanks for the insight. What a bloody good bloke Italo seems to be. Also shreds!!

zenagain's picture
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zenagain Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 6:09pm

I echo the sentiments above. An enjoyable piece and great to get an insight not only to the champ, but Brazilian surfing in general.

crg's picture
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crg Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 6:35pm

Thanks Julio...great insight and an apt Gatsby quote.
When he was interviewed after his win and was honouring his grandma, luckily I was cutting onions.
He seems like such a genuinely likeable person.
Vai Italo!

bipola's picture
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bipola Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 8:56pm

yeah i got a bit emotional myself

billie's picture
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billie Tuesday, 24 Dec 2019 at 9:42pm

I'm so happy happy for him. What a great man.

Remigogo's picture
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Remigogo Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 12:35am

'It was one of those wins that make you happy!'...

Fuck yeah!!!

On ya Italo. Done well. You certainly, in my eyes, earned it well this year.

Guts got ya the glory.

innatube's picture
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innatube Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 7:09am

Gotta love an underdog story. Seems like a top bloke too.

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 9:17am

Julio great article and what better way to learn English than Neil Young and to be able to write in another language is awesome. I met a Brazilian in a surf shop last week and was chatting to him about the various top Brazo surfers and he was right behind Italo. He grew up next to Flippy and knows him and his family but loved Italo's heart and go for it attitude. He should be a happy man this Christmas as am I. Go Italo.

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 10:26am

That's when we can all be as one.
(Stu helped me a lot in this one, as he always didi...)
Cheers

Davesci's picture
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Davesci Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 10:06am

Great profile! And makes me keen to see the guy keep dominating over Medina - seems like he's not forgotten his roots. Hope he can stay grounded!

fcalmon's picture
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fcalmon Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 10:51am

Fala Marreco, Coquinho aqui. Really nice to hear from you and see that you have followed your passion. Great write up and shows that not all Brazilians are like Gabriel, arrogant and a follower of winning at all costs . Being a dick has nothing to do with where you were born... I have been living on the Gold Coast for quite a few years and I try to show the good side of us as much as possible. All the best and Merry Christmas. Abracao !

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 1:55pm

Valeu Coquinho!
Cheers!

benjis babe's picture
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benjis babe Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 1:55pm

yep italo seems like a classic guy. I was also pretty stoked when he won the world title.

Tony Green's picture
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Tony Green Wednesday, 25 Dec 2019 at 7:22pm

Italo is a champion in and out of the water. Fantastic insight . He gave Medina what Medina deserved.

The MIDdleman.'s picture
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The MIDdleman. Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 9:24am

JOB dropped a vid of them surfing soft tops the day before the pipe final.

He ain't acting, he seems like a genuine dude someone to get behind.

If the aussie are out he will have my support moving foward .

Remigogo's picture
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Remigogo Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 10:39pm

Living the life.

warddy's picture
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warddy Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 11:54am

Well deserved champ and an obvious conduit to us aussies warming to the brassos...
and if Ciao has jumped onto Gabs back
after That drop in there would’ve been another one LoL

Toppa's picture
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Toppa Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 3:41pm

A great read thank you Julio. I spent 10 days at Macaronis in 2017 with a bunch of Aussies, Californians, Brazilians and a spattering of other nationalities. It was a magnificent time, apart from the epic surf the other highlight was the friendship I formed with the Brazilian boys, an awesome group of guys. Gustavo the Brazilian I got along best with didn't speak a word of English and I not a word of Portuguese. We found a real connection without being able to talk to each other. The other boys spoke ok English and were able to express to me the hunger that exists in young Brazilian surfers who mostly come from very humble beginnings like Italo. I think many Aussie surfers were once very working class like Mick Fanning prior to coastal property becoming the domain of the wealthy end of town. They are funny guys, passionate about surfing and life, very religious some with tattoos of Jesus and Mary on one arm and voluptuous females on the other. Wonderful memories I won't forget in a hurry.

Vic Local's picture
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Vic Local Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 4:53pm

Great story.

Italo and Caio are class acts. Medina and Toledo not so much.

jetson.rover's picture
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jetson.rover Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 5:45pm

10 years ago Jordy and Julian were prodigies who were earmarked for (some said certain) future world titles and no one anywhere had heard of Italo.
5 years ago they started showing signs of being competitive underachievers and Italo entered the scene still largely unkown by most people compared to Medina and Toledo.
And now he has a world title being 5 or 6 years younger than Jordy and Julian.
No one would of scripted that a few years back.

Solitude's picture
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Solitude Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 7:52pm

'you can't script this'.........

PS - reckon an Australian male will deliver a world title within the next 10 years? If so who?

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 10:07pm

Still believe there's a title between Jules and Owen- somewhere...

Remigogo's picture
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Remigogo Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 10:44pm

Hear hear...me too. X 2

Solitude's picture
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Solitude Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 9:37pm

I used to think those two might but I just can’t really see it now...... a fair bit would have to change before that happens.

Phil Jarratt's picture
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Phil Jarratt Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 6:30pm

Beautifully written, Julio! Enjoyed it immensely. Festive greetings, my friend.

julioadler's picture
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julioadler Thursday, 26 Dec 2019 at 10:23pm

Thank you Phil!
Say hello to Jackie.
Have a great 2020!

Lanky Dean's picture
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Lanky Dean Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 12:44am

Well,
That was fantastic. What an interesting profile.
Great work swellnet team !

Elliedog's picture
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Elliedog Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 8:08am

Great article guys. What would you be writing if Medina had of won the world title?. Seems the majority are filthy on him.

loungelizard's picture
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loungelizard Friday, 27 Dec 2019 at 3:02pm

interesting comments re the medina institute "medina employs relatives and friends and questions re tax avoidance abound", the institute cited by apologists on the medina thread as proof he is ok. sometimes a dog act just means you are a dog.
go italo!

Vic Local's picture
Vic Local's picture
Vic Local Saturday, 28 Dec 2019 at 7:03pm

Donald and Shane had charities too. Most of the donations went straight into the pockets of family and friends.