Renowned boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed former Everton and England star Wayne Rooney has previously requested to be involved in a bout against other celebrities or YouTube stars.
The 37-year-old, who is currently in the United States as manager of Washington-based side D.C United, is known to be a huge fan of the sport and regularly attends bouts in the United Kingdom.
Speaking on the Peter Crouch Podcast, the Matchroom Boxing promoter, Hearn, revealed he has exchanged text messages with the former Blues forward about the possibility of getting into the ring. However, he admitted the texts come after Rooney has had a drink and later result in the MLS coach airing Hearn's follow-up messages.
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“Rooney can fight, I’ve spoken to Wayne," said Hearn, when asked by Peter Crouch if any ex-Premier League footballers would be decent prospects in the ring. "When Wayne has a drink, he’ll message me and he’ll start going, ‘I’ll fight him and I’ll fight him,’ and I get excited.
“Sometimes I get a message from Wayne saying, ‘Make me vs so and so, make that fight.’ I’ll look at it in the morning and go, ‘This is massive’."
Hearn added: “So I’ll message him back, ‘Few glasses of red or [are you serious?]’. Then he won’t reply and I’ll go, ‘Damn.’ But Wayne can fight.”
Last year, You Tube-personality-turned-boxer KSI claimed the former Manchester United captain had messaged him about the prospect of fighting him on one of the influencer boxing cards, which have become a growing phenomenon in recent years with Jake Paul and Tommy Fury the latest duo to reap the financial rewards after their highly-anticipated bout in Saudi Arabia last month.
Meanwhile, Fury's half-brother and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury discussed plans to involve Rooney in his sparring sessions ahead of a potential contest with Oleksander Usak. However, as it stands, neither Fury nor Usak have been able to agree on terms for a potential title fight.
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