Arab sport in Israel is publicly presented by its major actors as an integrative sphere, and Arab athletes usually distance themselves from nationalist overtones or political protest. Israeli Boxing, which is dominated athletically and administratively by Arabs is even an extreme example of this tendency. This paper juxtaposes the integrative discourse produces by Arab boxer and functionaries with the life story of Hamze Yones. In 1963 Hamze Yunes was a rising boxing star and represented his Israeli sports association, Beitar, in international competitions. Eight years later, in 1971, he was captured in the Mediterranean Sea while commanding a group of Palestinian naval guerillas on their way to kidnap Israeli soldiers. In 1974 he became a Palestinian national hero after a legendary escape from an Israeli jail to Lebanon. Hamze's fascinating life story from Israeli boxing star to Palestinian guerrilla is not only good material for a Hollywood blockbuster movie, it is also highly interesting as a case study that challenges the conventional linkage between Arab sport and politics Israel. Hamze's narrative ties his attraction for boxing to the humiliation of Arab men under the Israeli Military Government (1948-1966), implying that boxing was a combative practice more than a channel for integration. Based on Hamze's memoirs published in 1999 and interviews with his family members, the article contrasts the two diametrically opposed discourses and discusses the reasons for Hamze's exceptionality.