UK Edition
Rio Ferdinand has admitted boxing will help him channel the “anger” he still feels over the tragic death of his wife.
As well as declaring he missed the “competitive edge” football had given him since retirement, Ferdinand said part of his motivation for stepping into the ring had been his ongoing grief at losing wife Rebecca Ellison to cancer two years ago.
“It’s something for me to focus on after the last couple of years,” said the 38-year-old, who made a BBC documentary in March, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, charting his life as a widower.
“I’ve been through quite a few things in my life and this is a way of trying to channel that aggression, that anger sometimes, into something I can be really focused on.”
Ellison’s death left Ferdinand a single father to three children, Lorenz, Tate and Tia, whom he said supported his potentially risky new venture.
He said: “My kids just said, ‘Dad, don’t get knocked out’. I’ve got to maintain that respect when I walk through the front door so I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure I don’t!
“My two boys do a bit of contact stuff themselves - Thai boxing and boxing along with football and rugby. They are really excited.”
Ferdinand admitted he would need to juggle his existing commitments, which includes regular punditry work for BT Sport.
“My diary revolving around my kids will be my priority,” he said of a project which will be chronicled in a documentary.
“I am going to learn from this but I am hoping they will, too.
“Everyone says, ‘It’s a big step - you’re mad, crazy’. My friends and family said, ‘If you want to do it, why not?’”
Ferdinand, one of the most decorated players in Premier League history, added: “It was mainly about testing myself. Throughout my career, I’ve got used to competition and I’ve fuelled myself on it.
“I’ve probably been searching for that since I retired. I miss that competitive edge.
“Physically and mentally, I’m going to go to places I’ve never been, but I want to meet the challenges head on.
“I know there will be moments when I ask myself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ But that’s part of the test, I miss pressure. I don’t miss playing football, I miss the adrenaline and the competing, and the mental and physical warfare.”
Ferdinand’s personal trainer, former rugby union centre Mel Deane, was confident his client was in the right mental state to fight.
Deane said: “I think it’s actually good he can focus on something. His kids are happy. He’s in a good place. So let him do what he likes.”