Norwich City and Ipswich Town fans square off in weight loss contest
James Baxter, 27, a Norwich City fan, and Chris Bird, 48, an Ipswich Town fan, have challenged each other to a weight loss competition - Credit: Archant
Pride is always at stake between Ipswich Town and Norwich City fans.
James is the heavier man but he won the last weight-loss bet between him and his Ipswich supporting pal - Credit: Archant
But now two workmates have given an extra edge to Canaries and Tractor Boy rivalry - by competing for the title for which of them can lose the most weight.
The loser of the conest between Gressingham Food workmates James Baxter, 27, a Norwich City fan, and Chris Bird, 48, an Ipswich Town fan, will have to wear their opponents’ shirt to work.
It means that the pair will be avoiding the pints and pies until Ipswich take on Norwich at Portman Road on September 2 and beyond.
A final weigh-in will be held on the September 17 to see which man has lost the higher percentage of their body weight, with Mr Baxter currently weighing in at 135kgs and Mr Bird at 116Kgs.
Chris is absolutely determind to win and avoid the humiliation of wearing a Canaries shirt to work - Credit: Archant
Mr Bird, who works as a manager at Gressingham Foods, said: “I will be absolutely distraught if I lose.
“James tried to get me to wear his Norwich jumper for £100 but I wouldn’t do it.
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“If I have to wear a Norwich shirt at work it would be awful.”
Mr Bird’s brother Kevin has even pledged to add to the embarrassment, saying: “I’ve asked them to put on a parade for my brother during the derby game with him wearing the Norwich shirt - it would kill him.”
Mr Bird and Mr Baxter will be sponsored through a JustGiving page, with proceeds going to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Parkinson’s UK.
People can also get involved in the competition by guessing the combined weight both men will lose, with the most accurate guess bagging a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts.
Mr Bird is confident that he will be triumphant.
“I’ve been for a jog everyday the last three days and I’ve been eating a lot a healthier,” he said.
“James definitely hasn’t lost as much weight as me.
“Last year we had a similar bet to see who could lose the most weight with the money going to charity, but I didn’t take it seriously and I lost by 1kg.
“But now that pride is on the line I’m determined to win.”
To donate, visit the JustGiving page here.
