Pettifer to enter the ring

By Gus Underwood

Mar 12, 2024

From boots to gloves: Kayne Pettifer and wife Laura with two of their three daughters.

Kayne Pettifer may have hung up his footy boots, but his boxing gloves still have the ‘‘still to be used’’ sign out.

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The 42-year-old former Richmond and Kyabram star will climb back into ring in the Gather Round Boxing Fight Night in Adelaide on April 3.

It will be on the Wednesday night prior to the AFL Gather Round which kicks off the following day and runs through to April 7 in South Australia.

Pettifer’s opponent will be former Carlton and Brisbane Lions hard nut Mitch Robinson.

They will feature in one of four bouts involving former AFL players.

Media personalities and former AFL players in Nathan Brown and Kane Cornes will match up as well as Dale “Daisy” Thomas and Dane Swan and Anthony Rocca and Corey McKernan in an undercard to five professional fights at Adelaide 36ers Arena which has a capacity for 8000 fans.

Pettifer, who hung up his football boots at the end of last Goulburn Valley League season at the age of 41, said this week he was in full training for the fight which he acknowledged would be the toughest test of his brief, but successful career in the ring.

Pettifer is unbeaten in three professional fights, but has not been in the ring competitively since 2016.

‘‘I was to have a couple more fights in recent years, but with COVID and that it never got round to happening,’’ he said this week.

Pettifer is being prepared for his fight by Jason Mallia, who holds five national and nine state titles, so he will certainly ensure he will be well prepared for his return to the ring.

And the good judges say he will need to be.