The world of influencer and celebrity boxing has blown up over the last few years, with a Manchester United legend tipped to get in on the action.
Currently at the head of the novelty boxing movement is YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul.
Paul has already got several bouts under his belt, taking on UFC stars and Tommy Fury. However his biggest fight is this weekend against the former undisputed world heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson.
The fight is set for the AT&T Stadium in Texas, however, former Manchester United star Phil Bardsley has named who he would want to see take on Paul in a fight at Wembley Stadium.
Jake Paul should fight Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney
Bardsley believes that former United striker Wayne Rooney should enter the ring against Jake Paul.
Speaking from experience, Bardsley spoke to OLBG about an incident between himself and Rooney which inspired the famous “knockout” celebration.
Back in 2015, Rooney scored a tremendous goal against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, going on to celebrate by shadowboxing before being “knocked out” and falling backwards. However, the celebration was an imitation of Rooney being knocked out by Bardsley in a kitchen.
Reminiscing about the event, Bardsley commented: “We had no idea that the boxing clip would go viral because we didn’t even know it was being filmed. It then got released and sold and it was just one of those things, we’d probably had one too many drinks and then got the gloves out.”
He continued: “People sometimes forget that we are just normal lads from normal backgrounds – and that’s just what lads do sometimes. We had a swing and chinned each other a few times, we both like our boxing and I got the better of him on that occasion.”
Bardsley went on to suggest a fight between Rooney and Paul, saying: “Wayne Rooney vs Jake Paul would definitely sell out Wembley, you can imagine the audience that would bring in, both in person and online, as well.”
He continued: “The younger generation would be mad on all the build-up and the clips on their phones, the influencer boxing scene is huge and they’re filling their pockets now. Would Wayne beat Jake Paul? It’s tricky because Jake Paul has done it for a long time now and Wayne hasn’t done it at that level in front of a huge audience.
“He played football in front of millions before Jake Paul was on the scene but, fair play to him, now he’s doing that on the big stage and getting paid fortunes.” While Bardsley respects Paul’s ‘hustle’, he’s not necessarily a fan of him pitting his wits against Tyson.
“I’m not sure about him fighting Mike Tyson though, a 20-odd-something lad fighting a 58-year-old, it’s bonkers,” he concluded. “You can understand it financially, but I couldn’t fight a 60-year-old man for whatever amount of money. But that’s just me.”
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