Chaos erupted at a celebrity boxing match between poker pro Dan 'Jungleman' Cates and sports betting figure Ryan 'Elf' Noel after a confusing second-round stoppage sparked debate over what actually happened in the ring.
A clip circulating on social media shows the two fighters tangling and hitting the floor before the referee split them up and seemingly signaled for the fight to continue.
As Cates appeared confused and unprepared, Noel rushed in and landed a huge blow. Cates went down, and the referee stopped the fight.
You can see the critical passage of action below.
The result: no contest?
While some ringside fans initially believed Noel had been disqualified, it appears the bout was ruled a no-contest. Noel, visibly upset, argued with officials after the stoppage.
A debate raged on social media as to whether the final blow was legal, with some calling it an elbow and others claiming Noel followed through with a forearm. It's impossible to tell from the footage, but the blow did leave Cates with a bloodied face.
Noel posted a short and inconclusive video that stopped as the blow first made contact with Cates – and he subsequently declared himself the winner.
The road to being a champion
Meanwhile, Cates posted to say, "This fight was definitely one of the crazier things I’ve done. (Noel) was tougher than I expected and misunderstood something for the apparent loss. Good news is I feel almost normal in spite of getting slammed. Would fight more so long as it doesn’t cause permanent damage. On the bright side, should I recover fast from that punch, we may discover I have another superpower."
Later that night, he seemed to accept defeat, posting, "Just got my ass kicked, and because I wasn’t paying attention. But this is a road to becoming a champion."
The bout was under amateur rules, with both fighters wearing headgear. It was set for three rounds before the early stoppage.
Talking about his motivations to PokerOrg ahead of the fight, Cates said, "When you think about it, poker and a fight, when it’s for the sake of sport, are quite similar. There's not really a difference aside from the fact that there's a bit more danger during a fight. It's not 100% safe, but it's pretty close to that, at least at the amateur level.
“I’ve also wanted to learn how to defend myself, so I'm going to have to learn striking technique. When it comes to combat, striking is one of the more important things to learn, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”
You can hear him talk more about the fight in the interview below.
