Nimelt ei väljastatud Ferdinandile British Boxing Board of Controli ehk Briti poksinõukogu poolt profipoksija litsentsi.

"Olen saanud British Boxing Board of Controlilt kinnituse, et nad ei kavatse minu avaldust rahuldada," kirjutas nukker Ferdinand Twitteris.

"Ma ei suuda seda sõnadesse panna, kui pettunud ma olen. Seda on raske vastu võtta, et mulle ei antud võimalust oma võimeid BBBoC-le teistega samaväärsetel alustel tõestada."

Ferdinandi sõnul oli ta pühendunult poksikarjääri jaoks treeninud viis kuud. "Tahaksin rõhutada, et ma ei alahinnanud poksi mitte kunagi - teadsin, et see on füüsiliselt raske ja paljunõudev spordiala. Tahtsin lihtsalt inimestele näidata, et on OK võtta endale eesmärk ja selle poole püüelda."

Ferdinand kuulus jalgpallurina Manchester Unitedi ridadesse aastatel 2002 kuni 2014. Seejärel mängis ta enne karjääri lõpetamist veel ühe hooaja Queens Park Rangersis. Karjääri alguses kuulus ta West Ham Unitedi, Bournemouthi ja Leeds Unitedi ridadesse. Inglismaa koondises pidas Ferdinand 81 mängu ja lõi 3 väravat.

Manchester Unitedi koosseisus võitis keskkaitsja kuuel korral Inglismaa meistrivõistlused, kahel korral liigakarika, neljal korral superkarika, korra Meistrite liiga ja korra klubide MM-i.

Having been training 4-5 times a week since announcing the aim of achieving a professional boxing licence and stepping into the ring, it is with a heavy heart that I am hanging up my gloves on @betfair #DefendertoContender challenge. Despite having never felt better physically or mentally, After notifying the British Boxing Board of Control of my intention to apply for a licence, I have received confirmation that they would not be reviewing my application at this point in time. To say I’m disappointed by this decision is an understatement. To not be given the chance to demonstrate my ability to the BBBoC through the standard assessment afforded to others is hard to take, not only for me, but also to @richie_woodhall, @meldeane12 and the countless others who have dedicated their time to my boxing development over the past five months. Boxing is a physically tough, demanding and dangerous sport. I always gave it my utmost respect and never underestimated how difficult it would be. I wanted to show people that it’s OK to have a goal and strive to reach it. It’s important to approach everything with success in mind, and to give it your all, but sometimes things work against you. This sport has given me a new focus and drive and is something I will continue to do as part of my fitness regime. I’d like to say thank you to Betfair, Richie Woodhall, Duke McKenzie, my team at @neweraglobalsports, the guys at @teamgb Boxing and everyone who has supported me so far. It’s been a great journey.

A post shared by Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) on May 3, 2018 at 3:07am PDT

Kuidas see lugu Sind end tundma pani?

Rõõmsana
Üllatunult
Targemana
Ükskõiksena
Kurvana
Vihasena