Rio Ferdinand has expressed his dismay after being refused a professional boxing licence.
The former England and Manchester United defender retired from football in 2015 and had planned to launch an assault on the the sport in a career change.
But those plans were canned after the British Boxing Board of Control said they would not be reviewing his application following its rejection.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am hanging up my gloves,” Ferdinand, 39, said in a statement published on his official Facebook page.
“To not be given the chance to demonstrate my ability to the BBBofC through the standard assessment afforded to others is hard to take.”
Ferdinand had aimed, under the tutelage of former WBC world champion Richie Woodhall, to “win a belt”, as part of the ‘Defender To Contender’ challenge hosted by betting company Betfair.
He added: ”Boxing is a physically tough, demanding and dangerous sport. I always gave it my utmost respect and never underestimated how difficult it would be.
“It’s important to approach everything with success in mind, and to give it your all, but sometimes things work against you.”
