Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand offered an insight into the lengths he went to become a professional boxer, before the British Boxing Board of Control ended his dream.
Had things been different, Ferdinand, 42, could have been six years into his fighting career. Who knows? He may have even been on the undercard of Tyson Fury's undisputed heavyweight championship clash against Oleksandr Usyk. Three years after he retired from football in 2015, Ferdinand found a new love in the sweet science when he was approached to star in a documentary called 'Defender to Contender'.
The aim of the series was to see if he could become a professional boxer within 18 months with the help of boxing coach and former fighter Richie Woodhall. After getting into tremendous fighting shape and gaining some valuable experience by sparring with heavyweight boxing stars such as Frazer Clarke, the BBBofC rejected his boxing licence application.
Ferdinand holds no animosity or anger towards the British boxing regulators. He was not able to fight professionally, but he did manage to get an insight into what it takes to become a boxer.
Ferdinand, who spoke exclusively to Mirror Football while promoting his team 'FIVE FC', who will be competing in the upcoming 'King's Cup', said: "It was a weird time in my life. I needed something to stimulate me and to keep my mind focused for personal reasons.
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“Then an offer just came out of the blue. I said they must have seen me when I was vulnerable, a moment to get me. I didn't actually even think about or consider the problems or what could happen and the risk, someone offered me the opportunity.
"[They said] ‘Do you want to go from being a professional footballer to being a professional boxer?’ I loved the idea and to see if I could do it, so I threw myself into it.
Ferdinand said he lost between nine and ten kilograms when he started his boxing challenge (Betfair)"I did it for about five or six months, training, like, 5-to-6 times a week - really, really intense. Unfortunately, at the end of the year, the authorities declined my bid to get a professional contract in this country.
“A few things that happened, obviously behind the scenes with people's health and that. I’ve got to say, they probably made the right decision, in terms of protecting me for my own health.”
In the later stages of his training, Ferdinand uploaded a picture of himself sporting the kind of physique you would expect to see on the likes of Usyk and Anthony Joshua. "Yeah, I was ridiculous," Ferdinand said, when asked about the condition he got himself into.
Ferdinand trained with ex-professional boxer Richie Woodhall (Rio Ferdinand / Twitter)"I lost about nine or ten kilograms. I looked really ripped. I look back to when I was playing, [I had] probably a bit more muscle on. I definitely looked better than I've ever looked."
At first, Woodhall was altering Ferdinand's fitness from that of an elite Premier League footballer to a boxer. It was a long and arduous process which did not see Ferdinand step into the ring with a sparring partner for close to three months.
"I trained for probably two-and-a-half months before I even sparred anybody," Ferdinand added. "I hadn't even taken one punch. I was always saying to Richie Woodall like, ‘Come on, man, get me in with someone, I want to spar’."
Ferdinand threw himself into the world of boxing (PA)His wishes were eventually granted. A young Frazer Clarke, the Olympic bronze medallist who now boasts eight victories - six by knockout - and recently went through a fight of the year contending brawl with fierce rival Fabio Wardley, was his dance partner.
"I got in with Frazer and he hit me a few times," Ferdinand laughed. "People who don't box just think ‘Oh, it’s really painful, I’m going to stop’. But my adrenaline kicks in and it kind of takes over everything.
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“It was good, cut lips and stuff like that. That was a mad thing. You go home in the car and the inside of your mouth was all cut, but you were buzzing. It was ridiculous - a funny, funny feeling."
How do you think Rio Ferdinand would have fared as a professional boxer? Let us know in the comment section below
Ferdinand used to spar with Frazer Clarke (PA)While Ferdinand jokingly says he could have given Usyk and Fury a run for their money, he is the first to admit he was only a beginner in the unforgiving sport. Ferdinand was informed by the BBBofC that they would not be reviewing his boxing licence application in 2018, ringing the final bell of his boxing hopes.
He was not bitter or angry with the decision. After Ferdinand informed his fans of the end of his boxing hopes, BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith justified their decision, claiming: "It was not sensible for him or for the sport".
Woodhall insisted he could have climbed his way through the ranks to compete as a professional, despite starting at the age of 38 years old. Ferdinand is the first to admit he was only a novice in the sport.
Ferdinand said boxing training was harder than anything else he did in football (PA)Despite playing as an elite level player for club and country, the central defensive legend revealed the day-to-day training of boxing was more physically difficult than football. "It's hard, harder than football," Ferdinand added.
"You're in the red zone. In football, it’s not often you get in the red zone. But in boxing, every training session, you get that [feeling of] ‘Can you stay with this?’ It’s hard man. Really hard. I respect boxers massively.”
Ferdinand was speaking at the final training camp of his FIVE FC team before they head to Mexico to represent the UK in the Kings World Cup at the end of this month. The Kings World Cup is the first international tournament from the Kings League, created by former Barcelona and Manchester United legend, Gerard Pique and will feature teams from around the world and a host of legendary players including Neymar, Eden Hazard, Francesco Totti and Sergio Aguero. For more information on the Kings World Cup, including how to watch online, see here
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