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ADELAIDE: AFL villain Kane Cornes says he was “dying inside” before getting belted by colleague Nathan Brown in his boxing debut.
With free flowing and forthright opinions, former Port Adelaide champion Cornes has become one of the most divisive personalities in Australian sports media.
He was booed while entering the ring at The Gathering but won a few admirers for his bravery on Wednesday night after taking several punishing blows from the more powerful Brown.
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Brown won by unanimous decision after four hard fought rounds.
“I tried to put on a brave face, but I was dying inside,” Cornes said.
“I’d never really put boxing gloves on until eight weeks ago. So to be able to get in there and still be standing is a win, right? It’s the most nervous and anxious I’ve ever been.
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“I think I got him a black eye, which I’ll take. But he was unbelievable. He’s clearly the overwhelming winner.”
The decorated pair sit next to each other each week on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show and Brown was pleased to bank bragging rights.
The ultra competitive Cornes said he would happily retire 0-1 as a boxer and was not fazed by the crowd’s reaction towards him.
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“It’s never really bothered me. I’m aware that my style is divisive and I’m happy to embrace that.”
Brown, meanwhile, said his overwhelming emotion was of relief.
“It was going to be pretty embarrassing if I didn’t get the job done, going on all the media outlets over the next couple of days,” he said.
“It wasn’t about going out there and and hurting Kane. I know that there’s a lot of people out there that don’t like the way he goes about the media. But I love it. I mean it.
“It takes courage to go out there and say what he does. And in in terms of boxing, he puts his chin out there every weekend when he talks about people.
“And to be honest, I reckon a lot of people who don’t like him then sit there and go ‘actually, I agree with that, but I’d never say it’.”
