Professional boxer Benjamin Hussain has apologized after making a controversial joke about rugby league player Nathan Cleary and domestic violence. The welterweight contender's comments, posted to Instagram, referenced research indicating a rise in domestic violence incidents during the annual State of Origin rugby series.
Hussain's since-deleted video clip stated that Cleary's involvement in the New South Wales Blues' victory would lead to a doubling of domestic violence incidents in Queensland. He specifically mentioned findings from La Trobe University, which reportedly show a spike of up to 40 percent in domestic violence cases in New South Wales on Origin game nights.
"Boys, in Queensland, domestic violence goes up 40 per cent on Origin night - and Nathan Cleary, the chin, is single-handedly going to make it double," Hussain said in the video. "Hopefully all your dogs and partners are wearing mouthguards when they go to sleep tonight. Let's go, boys, the Blues are on."
The video was quickly shared by the Sherele Moody Femicide Watch account and met with significant backlash from the public. "Thinking it is one thing, saying it’s another but sharing it on social media so proudly is really something else. Wow," one social media user commented. Another wrote, "I would say unbelievable, but sadly it’s very believable!" A third user called the remarks "shameful."
On Thursday, Hussain posted an apology on Instagram, re-sharing the offensive clip. He described his remarks as "dark humour" and stated that he does not support domestic violence or animal cruelty. "I just got caught up in game three, you know. I didn't mean to upset people," he said.
Hussain also indicated he had received negative messages following his post and suggested that the public's energy should be directed towards individuals who have committed actual offenses. "But one thing I will say is if I told a joke and it didn't land, I put my hand up, but make sure we save this energy for people who actually did something, not attacking someone on a platform," he added.
Hussain, 27, has been a professional fighter since July 2020 and holds a record of 14 wins, eight by knockout, against two losses. He is scheduled to compete for the vacant IBO International super welterweight title in September.