What would motivate poker cipher Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates and professional sports gambler Ryan ‘Elf’ Noel to step into a boxing ring and go mano a mano?
More often than not, it’s for money, fame, or to settle a beef. The answer here is nothing more complicated than curiosity and for the hell of it.
“My friend is opening a club in Los Angeles called the Beverly Hills Fight Club,” says Cates. “It’s the same idea from the Fight Club movie, but classier. He asked me if I wanted to fight there. I had mentioned in the past that I had wanted to do some boxing; he was kind of pushing me into it.”
The fight is scheduled for this Thursday, January 22, at the Beverly Hills Fight Club on North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, CA.
Watch the interview above, or read on for more.
There will be blood
Last week, Noel posted that the fight is officially booked with Cates. He predicted the fight’s most likely outcome (it's not pretty) and wondered where he could book some action on himself as the last man standing.
Elf took a deeper dive into the upcoming match vs. Jungleman on a recent X Spaces.
“When you think about it, poker and a fight, when it’s for the sake of sport, are quite similar,” says Cates. “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.”
When the two-time WSOP Poker Players Championship winner was asked if his opponent is less or more experienced than himself in the ring, Cates was quick to respond.
“Elf apparently has trained for a similar amount of time as I have; I expect this to be close to a fair fight. Both of us have been training in boxing for one month each. He's a little bit taller than me. But what I lack in height, I make up for with heart. It may be unfair in that category; I have much more heart than Elf.”
Cates dressed as the wrestler 'Macho Man' Randy Savage to win the 2022 WSOP Poker Players Championship.
Fight the good fight
In recent years, Cates has entertained us at the tables, alternating between both cosplay villains and heroes on a whim. But as of late, off the felt, he’s been crystal clear about the role he wants to own: a force for good in the poker world, cape or no cape.
“My hope has been to cultivate a group of guys who are going to use their money made in poker for good. So, I have to be a bit of a role model, you know. Though I'm not always a role model myself, not in all ways, but that’s partly the idea I’ve been expressing.
“As I've said, I’ve been wanting to learn how to defend myself. If I'm going to call out scumbags and stuff, eventually one of them will attack me physically. It's going to happen eventually. I don't really expect it too much from the poker players, but if I continue down this path, who knows?”
When Cates agreed to the match, it wasn’t just about the actual fight; it was more about the story it told within the poker world.
“I thought it could be an inspiring story – someone who’s a little neurodivergent, who’s also quite nerdy, stepping into a boxing ring. It’s not what people expect someone like me to be able to do.
“Ideally, I want to inspire people. But obviously, I want to win, too. It’s definitely a selfish incentive.”
The fight will take place at the Beverly Hills Fight Club, 235 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA. The Jungleman vs. Elf bout is part of the January 22 lineup and sanctioned by the International Kickboxing Federation. Click here for ticket information.
Stay up to date on Jungleman's fantastical poker journey as well as the upcoming fight on X.
