Former Man United star Ferdinand set to become professional boxer

Rio Ferdinand is set to make the extraordinary move to become a professional boxer.

The staggering development will be confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday, though it is believed to be more likely as a television project rather than as a serious sporting endeavour.

That switch would see him emulate former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff, who beat American novice Richard Dawson in a four-round heavyweight bout in 2012 as part of a documentary series. He suggested he would continue fighting but never returned to the sport, having been trained by Shane McGuigan.

Ferdinand has posted videos on social media of him hitting punch bags since he ended his illustrious football career in 2015 and is a fan of the sport.

But if he is to engage in a professional contest, he will have to apply for a licence, which Flintoff achieved with relative ease.

As a player, Ferdinand typically weighed around 82kg, which would put him in the cruiserweight division, though he has gained muscle mass since leaving football. Anything over 90kg would put him in the heavyweights.