Event liveblog: Justin Trudeau vs. Patrick Brazeau

The political fight of the season is set to get underway later this evening as Liberal MP Justin Trudeau takes on Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau in a fight-til-the-death-(or-at-least-bragging-rights) boxing match. The setup for tonight's match, courtesy of Colleague Janyce McGregor:

As fans of professional boxing know, all great bouts begin long before the fighters step into the ring, with furious rounds of trash-talking, odds-making and often a rancorous weigh-in ceremony.

In this respect, Saturday night's charity boxing match between Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau does not disappoint: The Montreal-Maniwaki match-up is a classic.

In the red corner, the well-coiffed, privileged son of the most liberal of Liberal prime ministers who took up boxing 20 years ago like his late father, returning to it "on and off" to keep in shape.

In the blue corner, the bandana-and-ponytailed blue-collar Tory Senator appointed by Stephen Harper to represent Canada's off-reserve aboriginal population, touting a background in martial arts and at least a figurative familiarity with the odd street brawl.

The shirtless promotional photos for the Fight for the Cure event, organized to raise funds for cancer research, show off both fighters' muscles and tattoos.

Local media speculation has favoured Brazeau's corner based on the black belt on his resumé and his bulging biceps.

Trudeau isn't daunted. "I'm a better boxer than him. We're not doing karate," he told CBC News' Julie Van Dusen on Parliament Hill Monday. "Boxing is muscles, yes. It's also heart and brainpower and strategy," he said, "and I think I can beat him on all three of those levels."

When asked by Van Dusen whether he meant to say he had a bigger brain than Brazeau, Trudeau said: "I think I'm smarter."

Check back at 6pm for full coverage of tonight's festivities, culminating in the main event -- the Brazeau/Trudeau face-off, that is -- at approximately 10:30 pm.

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