Dressed in a pair of vintage black-and-gold silk shorts, with a head of dark hair and the classic Furner physique, you could have been forgiven for thinking you were watching a very young Don Furner.
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But it was Kyle Furner, Don's eldest grandson, making his debut as an amateur welterweight fighter in Townsville, dressed in a pair of shorts once owned by his Pop.
It is little known that Don senior (Don junior, his son, and Kyle's uncle, is the current Canberra Raiders chief executive) was a champion boxer in the 1950s. Don snr is better known to Canberrans as an Australian rugby league footballer and the inaugural coach of the Canberra Raiders.
But he was also a pro heavyweight boxer and today his lookalike grandson is following in his sparring footsteps.
The black-and-gold shorts Kyle wore in his first ever fight were the same shorts worn by "Poppy Don" during the Queensland state title fight in 1953 against Cec Meredith.
"There's even a small blessing medal sewn in the side of the shorts for good luck, and it's still there, 60 years later," Kyle says.
"It's pretty special."
Kyle is the son of former Canberra Raiders coach David Furner and wife Kellie, and said watching his dad train in the family's home gym in Jerrabomberra as a kid inspired him to try boxing.
"Dad had a [punching] bag downstairs, and he would be putting punches together and I was fascinated by that."
Today, 20-year-old Kyle trains at Sydney University under boxing coach Johnny Lewis, the former coach of Kostya Tszyu and Jeff Fenech. He's had amateur fights in both Townsville and Sydney, and to date is undefeated.
"People have always said I look like Poppy Don," Furner says. "You can 100 per cent tell I'm a Furner."
Sadly, Don senior has never been in the crowd at one of Kyle's fights to proudly cheer on his grandson. Now aged 85, Don suffers dementia and lives in a care facility in Duffy.
"Sometimes my aunty will take an iPad and he'll watch the fight online," Kyle says.
"It is sad but I'm just so glad I get to continue the boxing tradition in our family. Every time I step out in the ring, I'm thinking of Poppy Don."
Kyle says while his grandfather can't make it to his fights, mum Kellie yells enough for the entire Furner family.
"She's my biggest fan," he laughs.
"I think she simultaneously loves and hates watching me fight. I'll play back a video of my fight and you can hear her in the background yelling, 'Finish him off Kyle'."
Kyle's next amateur welterweight fight is in Sydney in July.
