Rio: I’ll channel anger
RIO Ferdinand hopes his bid to become a professional boxer can help him to “channel his anger and aggression”.
The 38-year-old former England football captain plans to fight through Betfair’s ‘Defender to Contender’ project.
Ferdinand’s wife Rebecca died of breast cancer shortly before his retirement from football, and he has since lost his mother, also to cancer.
“I’ve been through quite a few things in my life,” he said at London’s York Hall. “This is a way of trying to channel that aggression, that anger sometimes, into something I can be really focused on.
“I’ve probably been searching for that since I retired. I miss that competitive edge. It’s something for me to focus on after the last couple of years.”
He will compete at cruiserweight and be trained by ex-world champion Richie Woodhall. And both men know the former Manchester United centre-half is far from being granted a professional licence by the British Boxing Board of Control.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for the boxing fraternity and I’m not saying I’m going to be a world champion,” Ferdinand said.
“There are loads of hurdles to get over and I’m going to meet them head on. I’m not going into this without thinking about the dangers. I’m taking it seriously.”
Former world heavyweight champion David Haye says he is set for a rematch with fellow Briton Tony Bellew after losing their first meeting in March.
“It’s taken months of negotiating but teams have finally agreed ALL terms for HayeBellew2,” Haye said on Twitter. “Will Bellew put pen to paper?”