Avid boxing fan Jake Lever has added several kilograms of muscle to help him go toe-to-toe with the game’s power forwards next season.

Flanked by Australian boxing great Danny Green at the Club’s West Lakes headquarters on Thursday, Lever said his bigger frame would help him fight in the same weight class as some of the AFL’s strongest forwards.

“I was pretty happy to come back and put a couple of kilos on,” he said.

“The last couple of seasons for me I was probably a bit skinny.

“For me, it was about coming back and putting a little bit of strength on my body. I’ve started that, and now I’ve got to continue it through pre-season.”

Lever was among several players who were regulars in the Club's world-class gym facilities in the final weeks of the offseason break.

But the young backman, who now weighs in above the 90kg mark, said it was also crucial for him to retain his agility to cover any type of opponent.

“For me to give a chop out to ‘Harto’ (Kyle Hartigan) and Daniel Talia it’d be really good, but also still having the ability to play on the smaller blokes that I did this year,” he said.

“The way the game’s going now, the flexibility and the versatility of a player is really important.”

Pyke’s call for contested ball

Green toured the Club’s facilities with Lever, captain Taylor Walker and midfielder Brad Crouch as part of his preparation for February’s clash with rival Anthony Mundine at Adelaide Oval.

The players were given a special insight into Green’s training habits before presenting the former Olympian with a signed Crows guernsey.

A talented junior boxer before he focused his talents on football, Lever said there was a lot he and his teammates could learn from the 43-year-old light heavyweight.

“A person and boxer of his calibre just to be down here at the Crows, it’s a pretty amazing feeling standing here next to him,” Lever said.

“He’s been through a lot in terms of the competition he’s faced and how to deal with pressure.

“The way that he handles himself, not only with this fight but with fights before, is pretty special.”


Green holds AFL footballers in high regard said there were many similarities between the two sports despite their obvious differences.

“I’m a West Coast Eagles supporter, being from Perth, but I’ve sided with the Crows for this one,” Green said.

“The Crows are a phenomenal outfit and have been from the get-go.

“I know how to fight, I know what to do. It’s like these boys playing a game of footy… it’d be just business as usual for the boys.

“It’s a big occasion, the crowd’s big, there’s more at stake, but at the end of the day they’re just trying to put the ball through the goals more times than the other team.

“I’ve got to punch him more than he punches me. That’s the game.”

Lever, a cruiserweight in boxing terms, left little doubt whose corner he’d be in on fight night.

“I’ve been a big fan of Danny for a long time,” he said.

“I’ll be barracking hard for him.”