Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau have agreed that the loser of this weekend's charity boxing match will cut their signature lengthy locks.
But it's not just Trudeau's chin-length curls or Brazeau's long ponytail that are at stake -- they have also agreed the loser will wear a jersey bearing the winner's party logo for a week following Saturday's match in Ottawa.
"We'll see which of us has to get the haircut of shame," said Trudeau on Friday, as the opponents appeared side-by-side on CTV's "Canada AM."
"I think the overwhelming consensus tends to be that because of his secondary black belt in karate and because of the size of his arms, he's going in with a bit of an advantage, but I've got a game plan I'm going to stick to. I hope to demonstrate that we Trudeaus are tougher than people think."
The two looked like polar opposites Friday morning, with Brazeau in a T-shirt and Trudeau in a dress shirt and suit jacket. The Conservative teased his Liberal foe that he should be careful "when" he loses, as he might get comfortable dressing up like a Conservative.
"I think if he wears (the Conservative-logo jersey) too long he'll know what it feels like to be on the winning team, and will want to cross the floor," Brazeau said. "We don't want that."
Brazeau also made it clear that he won't be pulling any punches in Saturday's Olympic-rules match, which benefits the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and is sold out.
"We are wearing headgear and it's very rare that people do get knocked out, but if it just so happens to be the outcome tomorrow night, then so be it," said Brazeau, noting he's been training four to five days a week in preparation.
Trudeau said he's been at the gym three times a week for the past six months, and has several years of boxing experience to back him up. But at a lanky six-foot-two and 175 pounds, he's got his work cut out for him against Brazeau, who stands at a much stockier five-foot-eleven and 183 pounds.
A betting website is giving Brazeau three-to-one odds of winning the contest.
Even so, the scrappy MP said he's surprised he couldn't find any Conservative members of the House of Commons who were willing to fight him, having asked both Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Calgary MP Rob Anders before settling on Brazeau.
"I was sort of surprised it was as difficult as it was to find a Conservative across the aisle in the House not willing to punch me in the face," Trudeau said. "I suspected more of them would have wanted to."
