Ferdinand set for new career – in boxing
RIO Ferdinand is bidding to move into professional boxing as a means of channelling his anger and aggression.
The 38-year-old former England football captain has announced his 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 has since lost his mother, also to cancer.
“I’ve been through quite a few things in my life,” he said, speaking at a press conference at London’s York Hall yesterday afternoon.
“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 former world champion Richie Woodhall.
In a promotional video, Ferdinand said: “I’ve won (football) titles but now I’m in it for a belt.”
But he added: “I’ve got the utmost respect for the boxing fraternity and I’m not saying I’m going to be a world champion.
“I’m saying there are loads of hurdles to get over and I’m going to meet them head on.
“I haven’t done any boxing but we used to sort out our problems on the estate (Peckham’s Friary) with a pair of old Henry Coopertype brown gloves. There would be one of us reffing and two going at it, but I wouldn’t say technique was at the forefront of our minds.”