But this time he will be in the ring, not on the field.

Former Panther Simon Osborne has been confirmed as one half of the main fight on a charity event set down for December 6 at Paddy’s Hotel.

Osborne has been busy honing his skills outside of rugby league: not long after leaving Bathurst, he started to get involved in various combat sports.

He returned for a brief six-game stint at Panthers at the end of last year’s Group 10 competition, but almost 15 months on, he’s back to prove himself in a new arena.

Osborne has been involved in pro-level mixed martial arts for the past four years after taking it up by chance.

“It’s great to be back in my home town for this boxing match. It will be a good night out at this amateur fight,” he said.

“I was up playing football in Newcastle and I was starting to get a bit bored of it and picking up too many injuries. A friend of mine went to a kickboxing class and I ended up going and it pretty much took off from there.

“It’s been going well. I’ve been learning jiu-jitsu and wrestling as well and it’s great because around here in Penrith they’ve got gyms set up specifically for it.”

Osborne, who lives in the western Sydney city, hasn’t dropped his football commitments, helping his side to a win in the Brothers A Grade competition in Penrith.

The boxing scene, however, is more of a recent addition for Osborne.

He’s been getting all the help he can in preparation for the December charity match – particularly because he does not yet know who he will be up against.

“Boxing has been a bit more difficult than I thought it would be, to be honest. I’ve been working with trainers to get my footwork right because it’s a lot more different than what we use for the mixed martial arts,” he said.

“I’ve got a coach at the moment who works at the Mundine gym and he comes over and does the pads with me a couple of times a week.

“I hope I don’t get someone too experienced, but in saying that I really look forward to a good challenge. I’ll play it by ear to see what I might do with boxing, but we’ll see how we go with this first.”

The eight-fight card will be used to raise funds for the Bathurst PCYC and the Christmas Miracle Appeal.

Osborne is planning to give any kids in attendance a chance to win his boxing gloves after the fight.

He’ll also be contesting on behalf of Fighting For Autism. He is an ambassador for the body and will contribute a portion of his winnings towards it.

The one confirmed match for the charity event will be the night’s opener between Steve Ellery of Bathurst Real Estate and Liam O’Hara of Paddy’s Hotel.

Organisers hope other business identities, as well as female boxers and players from across the various football codes in Bathurst, take part.