Rocky of the oche? Gerwyn Price to fight in charity boxing match at local pub

The former world darts champion Gerwyn Price is trading in double-tops for double-jabs after revealing he will take part in a charity boxing match in his native Wales.

Price, who played professional rugby union and league before his darts career, has announced he will take on former professional Rhys “Cool, Fly and Flashy” Evans on 9 April at the Valley Tavern pub in Fleur-de-Lis, a few miles from Price’s home town of Markham.

The 36-year-old, known as “the Iceman” on the oche, revealed the news on Instagram . “Need to drop 10kg for this,” he wrote alongside posts about his new diet and training regime.

After playing as a hooker for Neath and Cross Keys, and in league with South Wales Scorpions, Price switched to darts full-time in 2014. He is the current world No 1 and became the first Welshman to win the PDC world championship when he beat Gary Anderson 7-3 in the 2021 finals.

Price reached the quarter-finals in the defence of his title and hit a nine-dart finish against Michael Smith, but went on to lose the quarter-final match 5-4. A divisive figure among darts fans, he labelled fans at the Alexandra Palace “cheats” after complaining of being distracted by a member of the crowd during the game.

Evans, who hails from nearby Blackwood, boasts a 3-0 record as a super-lightweight but last fought professionally in 2014. Tickets for “the tear-up at the Tav” will be available in March, according to the pub’s social media.