MATE v MATE: Friends become foes in the ring

‘Liquid courage’ was all it took to get these two mates into the ring for Fight for the Farmers.

MATE v MATE: Kobi Tate and Jordyn Hogden will go head to head next Saturday night in the Fight for the Farmers.

BOXING : They’re best mates 365 days of the year, but when Jordyn Hogden and Kobi Tate step into the ring next Saturday night, they’ll be rivals.

With the help of a little “liquid courage”, the pair made the brave decision to jump into the ring at charity fundraiser Fight for the Farmers.

“I was actually playing in the Australia Day cricket carnival when (Chris) Foxxy asked if we wanted to do it,” Hogden said.

“After a bit of liquid courage, I said yes.”

Boxing is a sport neither of them have tried and both admitted they’d never even considered fighting before the offer came up.

“It wasn’t something I thought I would ever do,” Tate said.

“I usually play touch football and cricket although boxing is something that runs in the family.

“It’s a bit of a laugh, and just mate against mate.”

With little more than a week until the big fight, both say they’ve upped their workouts so they can last the three one-minute rounds.

“Training has been really good for me – I’ve been running, going to the gym and doing some pad work,” Hogden said.

“I should be prepared when it comes to the night,” Tate said.

“I haven’t done too much cardio, just weights really, so he might have a one up on me.”

Their friendship could be tested in the ring next weekend, but the mates agreed it was an opportunity to give back to a worthy cause.

“It’ll definitely be a great night, but more than that we’re doing it to help out,” Hogden said.

“Foxxy runs a really good show and there will be some other really good fights on the night,” Tate added.

And when asked who was going to win, they agreed it was 50-50.

“To be honest, I think it’s going to be pretty even,” Tate said. “If I can land a big bomb in the first round, it will go a long way to helping.”

“It’s just my best mate – that’s really the motivation to get the win,” Hogden added.

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