Footy hard man Mitch Robinson reveals which VERY high-profile sports star helped him prepare for his boxing debut – and which heavyweight fighter decked him just days before the bout
- Robinson was crushed by boxing star two weeks ago
- Put in an excellent performance against Kayne Pettifer
- Says he wants fights against NRL players now
AFL hard man Mitch Robinson has revealed he was decked by a top Australian heavyweight while training for his debut boxing match at The Gathering on Wednesday night.
Robinson defeated former Richmond star Kayne Pettifer via boilerover decision as he dominated his more experienced opponent, who was in his fourth professional fight.
The 34-year-old former Lions and Blues star looked every inch a boxer and showed the results of many hours of hard work and dedication in the gym – and his trademark aggression.
After the fight, Robinson revealed that he had been sparring with top Australian heavyweight Joseph Goodall – and had recently been dropped by him.
Robinson reposted a congratulatory message from Goodall to his Instagram account, where he revealed the news.
Mitch Robinson has revealed he was dropped by top Australian heavyweight Joe Goodall just two weeks before his debut boxing fight
Joe Goodall is one of the best heavyweight boxers in Australia
“I got sparred two weeks ago, but I appreciated it,” he wrote.
‘Big Bad’ Goodall is one of the best heavyweights in the country, and if Robinson can continue to learn from him, the former AFL star will be a real problem for any NRL stars who take him on.
Robinson indicated after the fight that he ‘definitely’ wants to fight again.
“I don’t know who’s in my weight class for the NRL, but AFL versus NRL would be a good decision I think,” he said.
“I know I’d like to go up against those guys, I know they’ll probably fill up a little bit before us, but they can pack a punch.
‘We will see. We’ll have a few beers. I haven’t had a drink in eight weeks, so I definitely fancy a beer.’
Robinson also recently hired tennis star Nick Kyrgios as a personal trainer to help him prepare for the fight, and has gone out and said that many people have the wrong idea about the controversy magnet.
“Don’t buy into the media hype surrounding Nick Kyrgios,” he said on his YouTube channel.
AFL hard man says he was floored by Goodall while training for his debut but appreciated the lesson
Robinson (pictured center with Kane Cornes, left, and former player manager Ricky Nixon, right, after his fight) indicated he would be very interested in boxing again
‘Bad boy, spoiled brat, waste of talent? I call all that bulls**t.
“Perhaps misunderstood, the guy literally offered a bedroom in his family’s house, said he’d pay for a hotel, called a dinner party and we hadn’t even met yet. Not to mention the hard work and training he puts in behind the scenes!’
Also on The Gathering fight card, controversial analyst Kane Cornes was defeated by ex-Tigers and Bulldogs star Nathan Brown in the pair’s bout.
Cornes had the advantage in terms of fitness, but Brown dominated the entire match with bigger shots.
Robinson says tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios is misunderstood by many sports fans
“The thing about Kane is that he will tell the media, he accepts it,” Brown said afterwards.
‘He had me for fitness, but my team there… Four months of training camp, I really enjoyed it.
“I wanted to pay some respect to the sport of boxing, so hopefully tonight we did that.”