Rudy Bundini is a man of many talents: a former boxing champion, actor, social media influencer, athlete, businessman, entrepreneur, and fashion model. He chatted with Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about his career and latest endeavors.
Bestselling author and world-renowned athlete Tim Tebow once said, “Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t come with money and it doesn’t come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love, and being passionate about what you do. That’s having a life of success. When you have the ability to do what you love, love what you do, and have the ability to impact people. That’s having a life of success. That’s what having a life of meaning is.”
A person who is worthy of this inspirational quote by Tim Tebow is former boxer-turned-model Rudy Bundini.
His life’s mission is to leave a positive imprint on as many people as he possibly can. This is what he would like his legacy to someday be. “I try to live my life as optimistic as I could. We are so small and we look at the larger picture. Life is too short so I try to live it with a positive impact,” he said.
Bundini was born in Basel, Switzerland. In 2014, he moved to the United States to pursue his modeling career. He is a man with a thick skin and an elastic heart.
On his daily motivations, Bundini said, “I am driven by these four questions, and thy are very helpful for me to go through the days. The first one is ‘why?’ where I ask myself why should I need to push harder. Everyone has their own whys. The second one is ‘why not?’ and that helps me whenever I want to give up. The third question is ‘why not me?’ If somebody has done it, then why not me? The last one for me is ‘why not now?’”
A New York-based fashion model, actor, and former boxing heavyweight champion Bundini was recognized as a “Male Model of the Year” by the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA). He has modeled for Nike, Armani, Versace, Calvin Klein, Roger Dubuis, Philipp Plein, and Hennessy on numerous runways, campaigns, magazine covers, and billboards.
On being a part of the digital age, he said, “It used to be different. I came to the conclusion that I need to adapt to the situation. It has its own advantages and disadvantages. For me, it’s a necessity of the business and I need to adapt to it. The digital movement was happening so I needed to adapt to it. I started working more on social media and adapting to the trends that came up.”
As an actor, he starred in “The Beautiful Grind New York” as the main actor as well as the movie “Furious 7” as a beach man directed by James Wan, an Ariana Grande music video, and such TV shows as “The Real Housewives of New York” and “Younger.”
He is not only good looks either. Bundini has a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and he is a former member of the swimming national team. He won the gold medal as the heavyweight champion in an Azerbaijan international boxing tournament.
Speaking of swimming, Bundini listed the “freestyle” as his personal favorite stroke in the sport. “Swimming was pretty competitive and I like competitions. It attracted me so swimming is one of those competitive and enjoyable fields,” he said.
“Between boxing and swimming, I would probably prefer boxing more,” he admitted. “The training for boxing is more enjoyable and more adventurous. Boxing is my favorite sport.”
He addressed some of the commonalities that he sees among champions. “Champions are all dedicated and persistent,” he expressed.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Decisions.” “It’s my chapter of deciding what I am going to do: real estate or continue doing modeling or if I should do more Hollywood. I am in the decision-making phase of my life.”
Regarding his future plans, Bundini said, “I don’t look at the final target or the end goal. For me, it’s about the journey, that’s a very important part of life that many people are missing out on. I am navigating my life and I am seeing where it is going to take me.”
“I am very open to what upcoming opportunities I get, either in Los Angeles or New York,” he added. “Overall, I am open toward it.”
For young and aspiring actors, models, and athletes, he said, “Don’t try to be anybody else. Everybody else is taken. Don’t copy other people’s paths, try to have your own unique path. We all have very distinct characteristics and we can present our true selves that way. Be authentic.”
On his career-defining moments, Bundini said, “Walking in Fashion Week, you have thousands of people present there and many more that are watching it live. The fact that it’s live and the audience is there gives you a good feeling of confidence, and at the same time, it gives you the definition of achievement and fulfilling your goal.”
If he were to have any superpower, it would be to “spread peace in the world and take war out of it.” “That would be a good superpower,” he said. “I would replace hate with love.”
The heartthrob defined the word success simply as “doing your best in whatever you are doing regardless if it’s a failure or victory as long as your put your highest effort into something.”
Most recently, Bundini was featured on “Live on Air with Steven Cuoco” on Power 98.5 Satellite Radio, where he was interviewed by acclaimed radio personality and PR professional Steven Cuoco. “Steven is a great guy. It was phenomenal to do an interview with him, it was a great experience. It was inspirational,” he said.
Bundini also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Waffles
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? City living
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Library
Bath or shower? Shower
Pepsi or Coke? Neither
Texting or calling? Texting
Half-full or half-empty? Hall-full
Curly fries or normal fries? Curly fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Scuba diving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Dancing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Long course or short course? Short course
Money or fame? Money
For his fans and supporters, he concluded, “Thank you. I appreciate them all, and I wish I could sit down with each and every one of them and get personal with them. I truly hope that they can all find something in their life that inspires them to achieve what makes them happy.”
To learn more about Rudy Bundini, follow him on Instagram and check out his IMDb page.
