Why did he drive hours just to fight someone he did not even know?

But he found the answer he had been looking for last Sunday night an Australian title.

Six months after sacrificing his reasonable pay packet to start training as a full-time kickboxer, his hard work and dedication paid off.

From 11am to 2pm you can find him in a Dickson cafe serving coffee with a smile and never complaining.

But his passion is not in the hospitality industry.

Ten years after he started karate, he now wants to be one of the best kickboxers in the country.

''I don't really make anything,'' he said of his financial status.''I only scrape by week-to-week and I'm not really making any money at all. But when you win ... all the training and sacrifices make it so much sweeter there's nothing else I would rather be doing right now.''

Rees won the Australian Cruiserweight title, while fellow Canberra fighter Warrick Harrington walked away with a Super Welterweight Australian crown at the Castle Hill RSL Club in Sydney on Sunday.

In March this year, Rees said he felt like he had hit the ceiling in his kickboxing career and he had to make a choice about his future.

Did he want to increase his training and go to the next level or was he satisfied with juggling full-time work and part-time training?

After much thought, progressing through the kickboxing ranks was a much more attractive option for the 28-year-old.

''I just wanted to keep working and improving on my skill,'' he said.

''At the start of the year I wanted to win an Australian title.

''Now I don't know what to do next but there are a few fighters that I want to fight against and get a bit more experience.''

His trainer and coach at the Phoenix Gym, Anthony Manning, said as soon as he started working with Rees he knew he had the potential to compete at national and international level.

''I've worked with more athletic guys, but none with more heart than Gaz,'' Manning said.

''No one has more heart and determination than him.

''He didn't have the tools to be a great fighter, but he had the will and that's what helps him beat his opponents.

''When he started he just needed some more competition to get used to fighting and now he has proven that he can match it with anyone.''

Manning said their new goal was to defend the Australian title. Once he does that, Manning said Rees would be a true champion.

He has two fights later this year with his coach hopeful of an international bout early next year.