Dan “Jungleman” Cates in Boxing Debacle vs. Ryan “Elf” Noel

Daniel “Jungleman” Cates is no stranger to heads-up contests having participated in the infamous “durrrr” challenge years ago and more recently booking a $15 million profit in a series of one-on-one matches versus Ossi “Monarch” Ketola in August 2025. Yet, it wasn't poker that was the focus of Jungleman's latest heads-up duel but rather “the sweet science”: pugilism, fisticuffs – that's right, boxing. On Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, Cates squared off in the ring against sports betting personality Ryan “Elf” Noel, and the result was anything but straightforward.

About the Contenders

Before going into the details of the fight and what happened, perhaps it would be a good idea to give a brief overview of the combatants.

Dan “Jungleman” Cates

Daniel Cates, 36, from Bowie, Maryland, started playing poker at the age of 17 and even dropped out of college to become a full-time poker pro. In the late 2000s, he took on very tough competitors at Full Tilt Poker to hone his game and eventually was considered one of the best heads-up No Limit Texas Hold'em players in the world. He has won two back-to-back World Series of Poker gold bracelets in the Poker Players Championship event in 2021 and 2022.

Dan “Jungleman” Cates

Ryan “Elf” Noel

Ryan Noel is a former actuary from the Boston area. He's 25 years old and has a popular X account with the username “Elf”. He claims to have made $200,000 betting sports in 2024. Elf hosts a sports betting show on X called “The Elf Show.” Although Noel is not a professional poker player, he has appeared a couple of times on Hustler Casino Live.

Ryan “Elf” Noel

Background to the Fight

Word of the fight began to spread around Jan. 7. It was announced that the two contestants would take to the ring Jan. 22 at the Maybourne Beverly Hills as one of five matches on the card that evening. The bout was sanctioned by the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) and was held under the auspices of the Beverly Hills Fight Club.

Although initial reports said that “only those invited by the hosts are permitted to attend,” we later saw information that stated that a corner table at the bout, seating between 8 and 10 spectators, would cost $5,000. There was no prize money up for grabs, but the two adversaries had a sizable bet with each other on the outcome.

Neither combatant had any former experience in the ring. Taller and younger than his opponent, Ryan “Elf” Noel was the favorite to trounce the older and presumably slower Jungleman. Pro poker player Rob Kuhn felt that Elf was “the stone lock of the century” to win the fight.

Bookmakers seemed to agree with this opinion. BetOnline listed Elf as a -280 favorite with Jungleman the +220 underdog.

What Happened in the Ring

The fight started as scheduled with the audience enthused and cheering for their favorites. Both fighters were not shy about getting into the fray and aggressively attempting to best their opponent. The first round ended without either being knocked down, but Elf was the clear winner of the round.

Jungleman and Elf Fighting in the Ring

It was during the second round that the bout ended, and the denouement of the match was most unusual. Following a brief scuffle that saw the fighters clasp onto each other and fall to the mat together, they both regained their footing. The ref separated the two.

The official then dropped his arm and yelled, “fight!” However, Jungleman appeared dazed and disoriented, and it seemed that he did not hear the instructions of the referee. Elf quickly ran toward his adversary and threw a haymaker that caught Dan full in the face. Cates went down instantly though he surprisingly climbed back to his feet very quickly.

Jungleman's face was bloody, and the referee decided to end the fight then and there. It was ruled no contest, meaning that neither participant was granted the victory: an anti-climactic result to be sure. After the fight was over, it came to light that Dan had suffered a concussion although there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage.

Some believe that Ryan acted in an unsportsmanlike manner by launching an attack at the clearly unprepared Dan. However, others noted that the ref had indicated for the fight to continue, and it was Cates' responsibility to ensure that he heard and followed these instructions.

Elf posted a video of the punch in question on X. You can take a look at it here and judge for yourself.

Decision Changed Upon Appeal

Noel was unhappy with the decision, and he appealed to the IKF. They conducted a “thorough review of the footage” and, on or around Jan. 31, determined that Elf was the victor by technical knockout.

However, the story doesn't end there. Daniel Cates received a 30-day suspension from training and a 45-day suspension from competition. The IKF noted that “It remains the responsibility of all fighters to protect themselves at all times.” Ryan Noel drew a 120-day suspension because he allegedly “directed verbal abuse at officials,” ”refused to cooperate with the ringside physician,” and demonstrated “general disregard for commission rules.”

Dan Cates paid off his bet to Ryan Noel. However, almost all sportsbooks and prediction markets that accepted action on the fight abided by the original no-contest decision and voided all wagers.

Next Steps

After the bout, both competitors headed to X to give their final remarks and indicate their future plans with boxing:

It looks like Jungleman has no immediate plans to don his boxing gear again though he doesn't rule it out in the future if conditions are right. Elf, however, has been busy setting up his next match with $100,000 on the line!

Poker Is Safer Than Boxing

We can't help book you into sanctioned boxing matches if that's what you're interested in. But if you want to play some poker, then you've come to the right place. We work with a number of online poker sites that are happy to accept customers from the United States. With poker, you can get the same thrill of competition that you can from boxing but without the threat of physical harm.

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If you want to read more about Ignition first, then check out this thorough Ignition Poker review. For other internet cardrooms to play at, head over to this USA online poker guide.

Feb. 3, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief