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Rio Ferdinand to become a professional boxer

Hoddle&Waddle

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2012
8,337
17,565
Dont see the problem. He'll get to fight a couple of journeymen that have full time jobs and cant train fulltime. He'll beat them just based on superior fitness levels then that will be it.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Another thing that people are outraged and offended over just in order to be outspoken...the worst thing about modern day social network I tell thee...:hungover:
 

dontcallme

SC Supporter
Mar 18, 2005
33,985
81,903
someone at his age and with as much money as he has doesn't need to be taking hits in the head. this isn't a game. most people are looking to wind it in at 38.

Retirement is extremely tough mentally for a lot of people regardless of their wealth.

People want to have an active place in society and a reason to get up in the morning.

Being 38 with no purpose is tough for many retired sportsmen. They are used to competing, working hard and being in the limelight. Then they suddenly have no place.

Lots of boxers fight on well past their prime despite having no financial need to do so. They mentally need to train in order to be happy.

Paolo Malidini is now a professional tennis player. He loves training and playing sport. Should he just quit and do fuck all for the next 50 years.

Rio has lost his wife and mother in a short space of time. He has found boxing training to be a great help in his mentality.

Can't believe people are actually against this. He isn't harming anyone.
 

riggi

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2008
48,486
104,718
Retirement is extremely tough mentally for a lot of people regardless of their wealth.

People want to have an active place in society and a reason to get up in the morning.

Being 38 with no purpose is tough for many retired sportsmen. They are used to competing, working hard and being in the limelight. Then they suddenly have no place.

Lots of boxers fight on well past their prime despite having no financial need to do so. They mentally need to train in order to be happy.

Paolo Malidini is now a professional tennis player. He loves training and playing sport. Should he just quit and do fuck all for the next 50 years.

Rio has lost his wife and mother in a short space of time. He has found boxing training to be a great help in his mentality.

Can't believe people are actually against this. He isn't harming anyone.


Really? I'm not totally against it but get why some people are abit pissed off with it. Most seem to think he will essentially be handed a licence. Also he has a massive step up by being a multimillionaire and being able to invest in the very best trainers etc.

Boxing is very much seen as a rags to riches sport and this just shits all over that idea..
 

dontcallme

SC Supporter
Mar 18, 2005
33,985
81,903
Really? I'm not totally against it but get why some people are abit pissed off with it. Most seem to think he will essentially be handed a licence. Also he has a massive step up by being a multimillionaire and being able to invest in the very best trainers etc.

Boxing is very much seen as a rags to riches sport and this just shits all over that idea..

Yes really.

Millionaires get a step up in pretty much every walk of life. Don't know why this one is so bad. He is not taking someone else's place.

Essentially there is a larger philosophical issue here. Mental health is thankfully becoming a more talked about issue. People are interested in finding successful ways to deal with their problems.

Rio has lost his wife and mother in a short space of time. He has also retired from his chosen profession. This is mentally a very difficult thing for anyone to deal with, regardless of wealth.

Rio will talk a lot about these issues and how boxing training has helped him. Leon Mckenzie retired from football after struggling with depression and has found becoming a boxer to be a great help.

We can learn from their experiences but many on the internet don't want to think any deeper. They'd rather just whine about something.
 

rossdapep

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2011
21,904
78,638
Retirement is extremely tough mentally for a lot of people regardless of their wealth.

People want to have an active place in society and a reason to get up in the morning.

Being 38 with no purpose is tough for many retired sportsmen. They are used to competing, working hard and being in the limelight. Then they suddenly have no place.

Lots of boxers fight on well past their prime despite having no financial need to do so. They mentally need to train in order to be happy.

Paolo Malidini is now a professional tennis player. He loves training and playing sport. Should he just quit and do fuck all for the next 50 years.

Rio has lost his wife and mother in a short space of time. He has found boxing training to be a great help in his mentality.

Can't believe people are actually against this. He isn't harming anyone.
Have you seen his boxing skills then?
 

SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
Dont see the problem. He'll get to fight a couple of journeymen that have full time jobs and cant train fulltime. He'll beat them just based on superior fitness levels then that will be it.

He'all beat them based on them knowing they are there to lose and take the payday. People just don't decide to become pro boxers and simply beat journeymen. The only way it happens is in the scenario I described. See Freddie Flintoff for a perfect example. The bloke he fought actually caught Flintoff with a punch and out him on his arse! You could see the shock in the opponents face and he quickly realised he couldn't risk throwing another punch so withdrew further in to his shell as required!

I hate it when people think Boxing is easy and anyone can simply have a go. It really isn't easy at all. Famously, you can't play Boxing. The lowest ranked professional boxer in Britain in Rio's weight division would knock him unconscious within two minutes if it was an even playing field. No doubt at all.
 

Spurrific

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2011
13,501
57,356
It’ll be the same thing as Flintoff. Some scrub that’s been paid off to lose to him. Nobody’s even outraged, they’re saying it’s dumb and flies in the face of kids/striving amateurs that haven’t got their break regardless of how hard they work.
 

Hoddle&Waddle

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2012
8,337
17,565
He'all beat them based on them knowing they are there to lose and take the payday. People just don't decide to become pro boxers and simply beat journeymen. The only way it happens is in the scenario I described. See Freddie Flintoff for a perfect example. The bloke he fought actually caught Flintoff with a punch and out him on his arse! You could see the shock in the opponents face and he quickly realised he couldn't risk throwing another punch so withdrew further in to his shell as required!

I hate it when people think Boxing is easy and anyone can simply have a go. It really isn't easy at all. Famously, you can't play Boxing. The lowest ranked professional boxer in Britain in Rio's weight division would knock him unconscious within two minutes if it was an even playing field. No doubt at all.
It wont be an even playing field, the guy he fights will probably have 2 days notice and has been working a 9 to 5 all week.
 

SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
It wont be an even playing field, the guy he fights will probably have 2 days notice and has been working a 9 to 5 all week.

That still wouldn't be enough for Rio to win. The opponent will have plenty of notice. He'll also be carefully selected in that he knows he's there to lose and will make sure he does nothing to actually win the fight and collect his payday.(y)

Rio would actually be better off signing up for a white collar fight and training for 6 weeks against someone else who's never laced a glove up before. Raise a bit for charity in the process and he can feel like a boxer too.
 

nailsy

SC Supporter
Jul 24, 2005
30,536
46,628
Why don't they put him up against someone else having their first fight?
 

Donki

Has a "Massive Member" Member
May 14, 2007
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Pretty harsh on a guy who has been threw hell, clearly looking for a distraction and something to focus on. No problem with what he is doing, he was a top player no matter what some supporters would have you believe. Fair play to him he's not out partying and getting fat and making a tool out of himself. Haters will always hate.
 
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SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
Pretty harsh on a guy who has been threw hell, clearly looking for a distraction and something to focus on. No problem with what he is doing, he was a top player no matter what some supporters wouldn't have you believe. Fair play to him he's not out partying and getting fat and making a tool out of himself. Haters will always hate.

I agree with some bits in your post and I have always liked Rio, and thought he was a class defender ( who probably didn't fulfil that huge potential he showed early doors ) but my issue isn't me being a hater, it's him and this whole charade disrespecting boxing, which imo, it does.

Being a professional boxer isn't a god given right. The vast, vast majority of people do not have what it takes. He will be granted a licence because of his wealth and profile. No way will he show at age 38 that he should be granted a licence, but he'll get one. I've seen him on the pads and he's diabolical. Much like Flintoff, who was actually denied a licence in his first attempt ( which shows just how poor he was ) No natural ability and far too late to the game to learn enough, let alone refine it. It usually takes a decade bar those who have freak natural ability and toughness.

The likes of McKenzie and Curtis Woodhouse are different. They had trained and sparred at a decent level since kids and were natural fighters who loved the sport.

Boxing shoots itself in the foot enough without this sort of nonsense.

I think he should do what people at his age and level of ability who fancy putting a pair of gloves on and testing themselves do, and that's have a white collar fight. Evenly matched at decent shows and gives the fighters the experience of taking part and feeling like a boxer. Leave the professionals alone
 

SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
Why don't they put him up against someone else having their first fight?

I've got a pal making his pro debut next month.

Someone would be on a police charge if he faced Rio! He'd actually kill him.

White collar is the route for Rio. It's perfect for what he's looking for.
 

Donki

Has a "Massive Member" Member
May 14, 2007
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I agree with some bits in your post and I have always liked Rio, and thought he was a class defender ( who probably didn't fulfil that huge potential he showed early doors ) but my issue isn't me being a hater, it's him and this whole charade disrespecting boxing, which imo, it does.

Being a professional boxer isn't a god given right. The vast, vast majority of people do not have what it takes. He will be granted a licence because of his wealth and profile. No way will he show at age 38 that he should be granted a licence, but he'll get one. I've seen him on the pads and he's diabolical. Much like Flintoff, who was actually denied a licence in his first attempt ( which shows just how poor he was ) No natural ability and far too late to the game to learn enough, let alone refine it. It usually takes a decade bar those who have freak natural ability and toughness.

The likes of McKenzie and Curtis Woodhouse are different. They had trained and sparred at a decent level since kids and were natural fighters who loved the sport.

Boxing shoots itself in the foot enough without this sort of nonsense.

I think he should do what people at his age and level of ability who fancy putting a pair of gloves on and testing themselves do, and that's have a white collar fight. Evenly matched at decent shows and gives the fighters the experience of taking part and feeling like a boxer. Leave the professionals alone

I totally agree where your coming from but that's more a problem with boxing than with Rio, the sport shouldn't be in for it or things like the Mayweather / McGreagor fight. I personally think boxing needs a complete overhaul there are too many belts/associations, and promoters have to much of a say in setting up fights, tocme they are no better than football agents.

Is there any reason there is no 1 association with say different divisions within each one? To me there is no real recognition of who is best just who promoters want to be best. Maybe that's just my lack of understanding but I'm sure I'm not the only one. To me it seems too many boxers get to dodge fights and pick and choose way to much. If someone is the main challenger for a fight he should get his shot as soon as possible, the sport shouldn't be simply about the biggest purse.
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,280
52,488
Pardon my ignorance here, but what do you have to do to qualify for a license?
You basically have to run races on beaches against former champions, drag massive tyres through snowy forests, and punch lots of frozen carcasses in meat wholesalers. Pretty standard, really.
 
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