Star jockeys to face off in boxing ring
Two prominent Queensland jockeys are ready to step into the boxing ring for the first time, with one fighter already claiming the tag as “the fight night roughie’’.
Boris “Big Bad” Thornton will take on Luke “Tyrant” Tarrant in a jockey challenge corporate bout on the Sunshine Coast.
Tarrant, 29, said he only picked up the gloves in November after signing up for the Raw Challenge on the Gold Coast.
“In a bid to get fit for that I signed myself up to the Hinterland Boxing Club (HBC) and I just fell in love immediately,” he said.
“I’ve been very serious about it all, very dedicated in getting to the gym as much as I can and from day dot I wanted to fight and wanted something to work towards.”
After some back and forth conversations with HBC owner Stephen Pitt, Tarrant is set to feature on the inaugural P4P promotions card at the Caloundra RSL on March 23.
“Stephen had said ‘no you’re not ready, you’re not going to be ready’ and he was right but I had to show him how serious I was,” Tarrant said.
“When I got a call asking me if I wanted to fight Boris Thornton I said no because I love Boris but once I realised it was in the ring I said absolutely.”
Despite the height and weight difference, Tarrant said he was excited for the opportunity.
“He’s got to have at least a good 20cm reach on me and at least five or 6kg so I’ll definitely be the underdog and the roughie but I want the fight and couldn’t be less scared,” he said.
“I think because I’ve been in racing for a while now and given it’s such a highadrenaline thing to be doing every day, it takes away exciting things from your dayto-day life.
“When you’re riding big races on quality horses in such a high-pressure environment it’s hard to find excitement in things outside of it all but I feel like walking into this gym has really lit me up.
“Stephen doesn’t know how much this means to me, it’s changed my life in just a couple of months.’’