Bulldogs recruit Tevita Pangai Junior has revealed how club GM Phil Gould jokingly challenged him to a boxing match before allowing him to take part in his first pro fight.
Pangai Jr will step in the ring on December 4 in the Tasman Fighters’ card against Daniel Joyce at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall and was given Gould’s blessing with a catch.
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“Gus said if I wanted to take the fight, I’d have to fight him first,” Pangai Jr said of Gould’s request.
“Lucky the borders are shut and I’ll have to fight him after December 4 when I jump in the ring.
“I was training up here [in Brisbane] when I realised I had three missed calls from Gus. When I phoned him I asked him about boxing. He was fine, just as long as I could beat him first.
“Luckily for me, the borders are still closed. Gus just told me to keep my left hand busy. He’s obviously done some sort of boxing in the past.”
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While he is the latest NRL player to set foot in the ring, Pangai Jr says he will not become a full-time boxer like Paul Gallen and Anthony Mundine, calling boxing “just a good way to stay in shape”.
After his 2021 season was prematurely brought to an end by a knee injury just prior to Penrith’s grand final, Pangai Jr is primed to be fit for the start of the Bulldogs’ pre-season campaign having only resumed boxing after completing his knee rehabilitation work.