'I'd prefer to get on any bull': young cowboy prepares to step into the fight ring

He jumps on the back of a raging 800-kilogram bull without so much as batting an eye.

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So it's reasonable to assume that not a lot daunts Colby Edgar.

Five months on from ticking off his goal of representing NSW in the PBR Origin Series, Tamworth bull rider is preparing for a couple of big events in his home town. He's got the PBR Tamworth event on October 24 and then on December 5 the Code Wars Fight Night. Picture PBR Australia

Talking about strapping on the gloves for the inaugural Code Wars Fight Night, he joked that he'd "prefer to get on any bull".

"The first time walking through the doors of the gym I was real nervous. I was having to pump myself up a little bit because it was kind of a bit daunting to walk in there," he said.

"I was completely out of my comfort zone that's for sure."

In his debut season in the opens division, the 20-year-old sits 20th on the standings heading into this weekend's round in Mackay.

It has him well-placed to qualify for the grand finals weekend to be held in Townsville on November 13 and 14, with only his home-town event to come after Mackay.

He would prefer to be higher, but acknowledges "that's just how it goes".

It has been a learning curve stepping up to the open ranks, but hasn't been as big a transition as it could have been after his experience in the US.

Edgar (back row second from right) with some of his fellow Fight Night contenders. Picture One2Boxing Facebook

He said it has alleviated some of the pressure of going up against the best bull riders in the country week in, week out.

One of his biggest moments of the Farrer alumnus's season came in May when he made his PBR Origin debut.

"That was a really good experience. It was one of my goals from the beginning of the year to make the team, so I was really, really happy to make the team and be able to represent my state," Edgar said.

Edgar is looking forward to competing on home soil when the PBR tour bucks into Tamworth on October 24. Picture PBR.

Edgar's hockey days are well behind him now, and have been for some time, as he pursues his dream of becoming a professional bull rider.

He hopes to return to the US in the new year.

"I'd like to be heading back there for their next summer, which is like the end of March," he said.

"It's just getting visas and that kind of thing sorted out."

He kind of stumbled across the fight night. He was on his way home from a rodeo and saw a story about it pop up in his Facebook feed.

"I've always wanted to learn how to actually box and fight.

"I thought it'd be a really good discipline type of thing to learn.. and I thought this was the best opportunity," he said.

Organised by One2Boxing Westside and the North Tamworth Bears, the event requires the fighters to go through a 12-week training program under the guidance of coach Jamie Carroll and his team before stepping into the ring.

The program includes two nights training a week and then sparring on Saturday mornings.

Edgar's rodeo commitments make it hard to get to the sparring sessions but he was able to do a couple when the tour had a couple of weeks off, which were really good, he said.

Otherwise he tries to fit something in during the week.

The first time he's done any serious boxing - he's mucked around with mates - after getting over his initial nerves, he has really enjoyed it and said it's definitely something he'd like to continue with.

The event is the brainchild of Carroll and doubles as a fundraiser for the clubs involved.

How that side of it works is when people buy a ticket they will be asked to tick a box for which club they are supporting. That club will then receive 20 per cent of the ticket price.

Edgar is excited about the event, which will be held at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday, December 5.

"I haven't heard anything like it before really happening in Tamworth, so it's good to see the community getting around it and it should be a pretty good event," he said.

The PBR Tamworth event will meanwhile be held at AELEC on Saturday, October 24.

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