It has been tried before with varying levels of success.
Take a professional boxer and put him in the squared circle with a professional wrestler and see what happens.
One of the first was Muhammed Ali going up against Antonio Inoki with the wrestler spending most of his time on his back kicking at Ali.
There was also Andre the Giant against Chuck Wepner, Trevor Berbick stepped in with Nobuhito Takoda, Evander Holyfield versus Matt Hardy and who could forget Rocky Balboa fighting for his life against Thunderlips (aka Hulk Hogan).
On Feb. 28th in Red Deer fans will get to see CNWA Wrestling’s version of the spectacle as amateur boxer P.J. Swales goes head to head with ‘Mr. Beefy Goodness’ Vance Nevada in the cozy confines of Festival Hall.
“I’ve never challenged a boxer before,” said Nevada. “I’m confident when they see a wrestler in his element against a boxer on even standing, people might take a look at wrestling in a new light.”
Apparently the animosity between the two athletes has been building in advance of the showdown so now each man will be able to settle any differences using the skills they have learned.
For Nevada, he can draw from almost 20 years in the wrestling industry and is coming up on his 1,500 professional match.
The same can’t be said for the 245lb Swales however.
He learned the sweet science in 2012 at the Red Deer Boxing Club in preparation for his involvement in the white-collar boxing event last November so his lack of experience might work against him as he faces the wily veteran wrestler.
Nevada, for his part, is all about the wrestling game as over the years he has done his best to be a part of the industry in areas like publishing, mentoring along with being an advocate for wrestling in general.
“A lot of people dismiss professional wrestling because of what they perceive – real or fake,” said Nevada. “But at the same time they’re willing to accept that the UFC is the ‘real deal’.”
Nevada has stepped into the ring in the past with some of the UFC fighters like Hall of famer Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn and Kryzystof Soszynski.
“Both were the most physical battles of my life,” he said.
This test against a boxer will be interesting for both him and the fans, he said.
“Kind of like when Corn Flakes rebranded a few years ago,” said Nevada. “Taste it again for the first time.”
Also on the card are all five current CNWA champions including national titleholder Bobby Sharp against the ‘Tattooed Terminator’ Massive Damage.
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