James “Bullet” Dalton and Ollie le Roux will square off in a charity boxing match in Bloemfontein on Thursday night.
The former Bok front rowers – once roommates on tour – will face each other during President Steyn High School’s Boere October Festival Week, with proceeds going to the school.
Dalton, who played for the Lions and shared Bok dressing rooms with the Cheetahs’ Le Roux, couldn’t resist stoking the pre-fight fire.
“I hope Ollie doesn’t hide in the long grass like a cheetah while the lions are out hunting,” Dalton told Rapport. “I know a cheetah can run fast, but I bet you didn’t know how a lion could run. I’m looking forward to the challenge in Bloem.”
Le Roux began training 12 weeks ago and says he’s ready for a serious test.
“I started by training once a week, but now I train four times a week,” he said. “I initially did three sets of 10 sit-ups, but now I do three sets of 100. It’s nice to be training again and I have a fair challenge ahead of me. James is a formidable opponent.”
While the bout is in good spirit, Le Roux made it clear this is no exhibition.
“It’s really just a game of chess – a guy has to have patterns,” he explained. “We have a plan to beat James and how to get me out of trouble if I find myself in that situation. It’s going to be a good boxing fight.
“We’ll go in and beat each other up. It’s not about winning, it’s about the entertainment. We’re old legends, but we’re not forgotten, and it’s going to be fun to fight each other and live out our Springbok values.
“James asked for six rounds. I think he’s crazy, but hopefully one of us can make things happen in that time.”
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