Soccer legend Wayne Rooney in talks to fight in KSI’s Misfits Boxing: “Never say never”

By Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2024

Soccer legend Wayne Rooney is reportedly interested in stepping into the Misfits Boxing ring.

Wayne Rooney

The former soccer player is one of the most recognizable UK athletes in the last few decades. Having retired as a player, Wayne Rooney later moved on to managerial roles. A former coach of Derby County and D.C. United, he accepted a job with Birmingham City last year.

However, Wayne Rooney was sacked as Birmingham City’s manager last month. Many quickly figured that the soccer legend would likely just return to coaching duties elsewhere. However, reports have now emerged about the former player fighting in the boxing ring instead.

Wayne Rooney has specifically been linked to a fight in KSI’s Misfits Boxing promotion. ‘The Nightmare’ opened the company in 2022, and has had many high-profile names compete. However, Rooney would be by far the biggest name to fight in the upstart promotion.

Earlier today, the soccer legend was asked about Misfits Boxing in an interview with We Are The Overlap Podcast. There, Wayne Rooney confirmed that the two sides were in discussions and that he was seriously interested. However, he also was non-committal about the idea and added that he was still focusing on coaching right now.

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Soccer legend Wayne Rooney opens up on discussions with Misfits Boxing

“You never know.” Wayne Rooney responded to a question in the interview about potentially competing in KSI’s Misfits Boxing promotion. “They’ve been in touch and asked the question. But, I think at the minute, I want to focus on getting back into management. Not boxing. No [it’s not a charity thing], they’ve just been in touch to fight, yeah.”

He continued, “There’s been a few [opponents discussed]. Obviously, Misfits has been [in touch] and that’s been all over the news. But, listen, I want to focus on getting back into management. That’s my focus, and I’ve seen all of the last couple of days with the headlines.”

“But,” Wayne Rooney concluded, discussing a potential boxing match. “My main focus is getting back into football.”

In the event that Wayne Rooney steps into the boxing ring, it would be the first time that he’s competed in a sanctioned fight. However, the former soccer player has been training for quite a few years now.

Granted, that’s much different than stepping into the ring to fight. As of now, no opponents have been linked to Rooney’s potential debut either. With all of that being the case, it seems unlikely that he’s going to fight in the immediate future.

What do you make of this boxing news? Do you want to see Wayne Rooney step into the ring someday? If so, against whom?