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Justin Trudeau: Boxing Match With Tory Senator Patrick Brazeau To Air On Sun News

Sun News Scores Rights To Trudeau Boxing Bout
CP/Alamy

The right-wing broadcaster announced Wednesday that it has scored the rights to the highly-anticipated bout.

"When Sun News launched we promised to pull no punches," said Luc Lavoie, spokesman for the channel. "When Trudeau and Brazeau do battle, it will be a promise kept."

Justin's father Pierre Trudeau, introduced his son to boxing and the MP from Papineau, Quebec has been interested in the sport ever since. But that doesn't mean he has an advantage going into the fight.

Brazeau holds a second-degree black belt in karate and told the Toronto Star he would jump at the chance to beat on Trudeau in public. At age 37, Brazeau is the youngest senator in the upper chamber and three years fresher than Trudeau.

Sports Bet Online has Brazeau as the heavy favourite. However, Trudeau does have a three inch reach advantage on the senator and is a full four inches taller. Brazeau currently weighs in at around 183 pounds while Trudeau tips the scales at 175 pounds. The two politicians have been training since November.

The two men will fight three two-minute rounds with Olympics rules, according to the National Post. That means headgear.

Trudeau also challenged Defence Minister Peter Mackay and Tory MP Rob Anders to fight, but neither could find the time to train for the charity bout.

The fundraiser for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is being organized by Ottawa's Final Round Boxing Club.Complications from prostate cancer killed Trudeau's father and Brazeau lost his mother to lung cancer.

Tickets will be $250 and the fight will take place at the Hampton Inn Convention Centre on March 31.

After making headlines for swearing at Environment Minister Peter Kent and suggesting he might support separatism, the fight offers Trudeau the opportunity to grab some positive media attention.

Trudeau's media presence his something Brazeau is acutely aware of. While expressing his respect for the Quebec MP, Brazeau told the National Post that Trudeau "is a person who will try to do anything to gain media attention, positive or negative."

The fight is undoubtedly a big risk for Trudeau, who many see as the inevitable heir to the Liberal leadership.

A Forum Research poll in February suggested Trudeau is Canada's second pick for leader, coming in behind current interim chief Bob Rae. While Trudeau has pledged not to run this time around, the outcome of the coming boxing contest could have major implications for any future ambitions.

Trudeau joked about those very implications to Sun News, referencing former Tory leader Robert Stanfield's infamous football fumble during the 1974 federal election. "If Sun News is willing to put out the big bucks it's because they think they are going to catch me dropping the football."

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