Macron hits below the belt on election campaign trail

French President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his re-election in the 2022 French presidential election, talks to journalists during a visit in Saint-Denis as he campaigns in Seine-Saint-Denis ahead of the second round of the presidential election, France, April 21, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

SAINT-DENIS, France (Reuters) - A day after the gloves came off in a combative debate between Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, the president sparred with a new partner on Thursday as France's election campaign neared its close.

On the hunt for votes in a Paris suburb with a strong left-wing vote, Macron dropped into a sports club, rolled up his shirtsleeves and tossed out a few tentative jabs as a boxing coach urged him on.