Channing Tatum Lets Daughter Everly, 6½, Practice Punches on Him: 'We Love Wrestling and Boxing'
Channing Tatum has a young boxing prodigy on his hands.
In a new clip shared on Instagram, the actor, 39, coaches his 6½-year-old daughter Everly from the comfort of his couch, offering technique tips and fighting advice as the girl lands more than a few punches on her dad.
“Let’s go, come on,” the Magic Mike actor encourages Everly, whom he shares with ex-wife Jenna Dewan, in the nearly 3-minute video.
Tatum — who rarely shares photos of his daughter — appears to be enjoying the boxing session, laughing as Everly showcases her best moves while wearing bulky headgear and large boxing gloves.
“She love punching dad!” he wrote in the caption. “This is only 1/16 how long this went for hahaha she an animal. We love wrestling and boxing. And we keep it fun.”
Tatum went on to explain why martial arts is important to him, and why teaching his child self-defense is important to him as a parent — keeping violence as a last resort, of course.
“In my experience fear most times leads to bad decisions. Being calm and secure with your mind and body…Make great opportunity for good decisions,” he wrote. “Violence is 100% never the answer.”
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He added, “But having a daughter i always want her to feel safe in her being. And god help the person that ever poke the beast inside this little angel.”
The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano, a former MMA fighter herself, applauded Everly’s abilities, commenting, “Haa 🔥🔥🔥 she really finds those openings. 👏👏👏”
In September 2018, Tatum raved about his only child’s individuality to Entertainment Tonight, admiring her for her independent personality.
“She’s on the ground, rolling around. Every kid is up doing the proper stuff, but she’s just doing her own thing,” Tatum said of Everly’s participation in dance class, admitting that “she kinda came out that way” more so than her parents instilling a sense of spunk in their daughter.
“I wish I could take credit for that, but I can’t, really,” said the proud dad. “That’s really all her. I think kids come out a little bit of what they’re going to be, and then you foster that to be whatever you hope her to be in the world.”
He added, “She always just does her own thing.”
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Tatum spent an evening last week with his daughter seeing the Frozen musical in Los Angeles. The outing came just over two weeks after he and Dewan, 39, were declared single by a judge in L.A., according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Dewan and Tatum announced their separation nearly two years ago after almost nine years of marriage. They are still working out a financial settlement, and continue to share custody of Everly.
The Flirty Dancing host’s immediate future is a busy one — she’s expecting a baby with boyfriend Steve Kazee, whom she began dating in fall 2018.
Dewan recently told PEOPLE that she and Tatum, who is dating British singer Jessie J, are in a good place, adjusting to their “new normal,” and that Everly remains their No. 1 priority.
“You can still have a relationship, and just because the forms change as to who you are to each other, it doesn’t take away from the love that we shared all those years,” she said.
