Listen: Brazil’s first legitimate title contender Neco Padaratz on John John Florence’s $1500-a-month personal board-waxer, pro surfing conspiracies and the debilitating voodoo curse that forced him off tour!

"He did claims you could see from the next county. Adriano De Souza at his arm-flailing peak was an aging Carmelite nun compared to Neco…"

Yesterday, Charlie and I enjoyed a profitable, if one-sided, seventy-five minutes listening to Percy “Neco ” Padaratz, Brazil’s first legitimate world title contender, at least according to Surfer magazine.

I’ve known Neco since he was fifteen when I took him surfing at South Stradbroke island and an encounter with a small shark on the paddle back across the seaway left an indelible mark on the kid.

“I’ve never been so scared,” he said.

Neco did thirteen years on tour, beat Andy Irons in full flower in 2002 to win the Quiksilver Pro France, won back-to-back WQS titles in 2003 and 2004, was busted for steroids in 2005, got belted by Sunny Garcia for refusing to yield to the Hawaiian during a heat at the Pipe Masters and run off Oahu in 2007 (watch here) and is still regarded as the greatest claimer in surfing history.

“It was Neco who made an artform of the huge rafter-shaking claim. Fucker did claims you could see from the next county. Adriano De Souza at his arm-flailing peak was an aging Carmelite nun compared to Neco,” writes Matt Warshaw.