Deputy Editor
Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates’ foray into boxing went poorly. He received a bit of a beating at the hands of Ryan ‘Elf’ Noel in the brief, sanctioned match on Thursday night, before Noel landed a controversial haymaker in Round 2 that ended the fight.
Ultimately, officials ruled it a no contest despite the blow appearing to occur legally.
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Elf Capitalizes as Jungleman Lets His Guard Down
Elf, a high-profile sports bettor who hosts a popular show on Twitter Spaces, entered as the consensus betting favorite. Markets had Elf as high as a -600 favorite before the price settled closer to no-vig odds of -235. That meant Elf was about a 70-30 favorite.
The former collegiate soccer player got off to a solid start in Round 1. He peppered Jungleman with left-hand body shots and harder rights, appearing to wobble Cates with an early blow. The second half of the round was uneventful.
In Round 2 of the three-round affair, the fight went off the rails. Elf began swinging for the fences and landed several big shots. After that, the two men got tangled up and Jungleman dragged his opponent to the mat.
The referee ruled Jungleman down, so he could have taken a 10-count. Instead, he leaped up from the mat as soon as he could. Meanwhile, Elf began playing to the crowd.
The referee looked at Jungle, then got Elf’s attention and signaled for them to fight. However, after the referee had turned to Elf, Jungleman appeared to think the fight had been paused and turned away. He seemed unaware that the fight had officially resumed.
Elf responded by rushing across the ring and clobbering a completely unaware Jungleman with a right hand.
Cates sprang up quickly, but the damage was done. Moments later, officials called off the fight due to bleeding from his face.
Jungleman Admits ‘Got My Ass Kicked’
Chaos ensued, and officials ushered an upset Elf out of the arena, declaring the fight a No Contest.
“It’s a fight,” he yelled. “They called the bell. So, I can punch him. It’s as simple as that.”
Later, Jungleman appeared back on camera with Elf. He called it a “weird situation” and said he wasn’t going to say much more as he “just got punched in the face a bunch of times.”
A few hours later, Cates posted his reactions, taking responsibility for having had a lapse of attention.
Just got my ass kicked, and because I wasn’t paying attention.
But this is the road to becoming a champion… To taking risks with the possibility of getting fucked up, and when it inevitably happens persevering anyway.
— Daniel Cates 🇺🇸 🌎 (@junglemandan) January 23, 2026
Elf maintained he won the fight, and combat sports bettor Luca Fury said he agreed.
“I cannot possibly understand how they did not award Elf the win,” he wrote. “‘Protect yourself at all times’ isn’t just a slogan.”
Cates, for his part, said he would be open to more fights “so long as it doesn’t cause permanent damage.”
