BLOKES are bred tough in Mount Isa.
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"Mount Isa has the toughest blokes in Australia, without a doubt," said boxing legend Fred Brophy, operator of the last surviving boxing tent in the country.
Brophy boxer Levi Page said Mount Isa was renowned for putting on a good fight.
"Guys are tough in Mount Isa, it is always a great atmosphere," he said.
Mr Page joined Fred Brophy's Boxing Troupe seven years ago and fights at two shows a year, Mount Isa and Birdsville.
He started boxing as a teen, during the football off-season and said it was good for his fitness and confidence.
"I was 17 years old and feeling a bit bulletproof, so I decided to have a go in the tent," Mr Page said.
"Fred was a bit short of guys that night and one of his fighters knew I was a boxer and I was asked to step in to make up the numbers."
"It went really well, I loved it."
Mr Page's brothers Boy and Ben are also members of Brophy's Boxing Troupe.
"It's more entertainment than boxing."
"It's about putting on a show for the crowd and the atmosphere is always great," he said.
"There is no pressure to win, it is so relaxed.
"It's about having a go and getting the experience. Afterwards the competitors sit down and chat over a beer, with no hard feelings."
"There is nothing else like it anymore, we get people coming from all over the world just to see us fight," he said.
Catch all the action at Fred Brophy's world famous boxing tent at the Xstrata Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo this weekend.