Retired Ferdinand To Launch Into Boxing

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand works as a TV pundit and he has his own clothing line.

The 38-year-old former player is ready to take up another career in boxing, as he is backed up by betting company ‘Betfair’, which was announced on the news on Tuesday.

“I’m doing this because it’s a challenge,” he said. “I’ve won titles and now I’m aiming for a belt.”

He has posted several social media videos in recent months showing him boxing and working with personal trainer Mel Deane.

Ferdinand, who won the Premier League six times and the Champions League once during his time in Manchester, may follow in the footsteps of former Birmingham City midfielder Curtis Woodhouse and former Crystal Palace forward Leon McKenzie, who became professional boxers after quitting football. Woodhouse became British super-lightweight champion.

Woodhouse became British super-lightweight champion.

Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff also launched a boxing career after retiring, winning his only pro bout in December 2012 against American Richard Dawson at Manchester Arena on points.

It was Betfair who approached Ferdinand about making the switch, and the betting company will help him qualify for his British Boxing Board of Control license before he begins training and competing.

The company previously backed Victoria Pendleton in her transition from Olympic cyclist to Cheltenham jockey.

“When Betfair approached me about the challenge, the chance to prove myself in a new sport was a real draw,” added Ferdinand.

He will be coached by Team GB coach and former WBC super-middleweight champion Richie Woodhall.

“In all honesty, I think Rio can definitely box as a professional given time. He has natural power in his right hand, is extremely fit and is very enthusiastic to learn which is encouraging,” said Woodhall.

“Style-wise, he’s very raw and I’ll have to develop this which will take time but he has all the natural ingredients, height and reach advantages over boxers in his weight division and definitely has potential to win a title in the future.”

Ferdinand joined Anthony Joshua in the ring in April after Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko to unify the WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles at Wembley Stadium

The former center-back started his career with West Ham and also played for Leeds and QPR, making more than 500 career club appearances. He was capped 81 times for England.

Woodhouse told BBC Radio 5 live he was “shocked” to hear of Ferdinand’s career change.

“When it came up on my Twitter feed that Rio Ferdinand was going to become a professional boxer I thought I’d been hacked,” he said. “It’s not something you read every day, is it?

“I’ve been retired three years myself and one thing I missed – and he’s probably going through himself at the minute – is the competitiveness of being an athlete.

“Once that’s taken away from you it’s very, very difficult to replace it, so that’s probably what he’s chasing – to get that competitiveness back in his life.”