Rio Ferdinand: Former Man Utd defender reveals boxing dream is over in shock statement

The former Manchester United defender announced his shock decision to switch sports last year after calling time on his playing career.

Ferdinand has been training hard through Betfair's 'Defender to Contender' campaign which began in February, in the hope of achieving a professional boxing license.

Former WBC super-middleweight champion, Richie Woodhall, has been putting the BT Sport pundit through his paces in recent months.

And the 39-year-old has been spending most of his time at the English Institute of Sport, the base for the Team GB Olympic Boxing set-up.

But it appears Ferdinand's dream is over due to the British Boxing Board of Control refusing to review his license application at this time.

In an emotional post on Facebook, Ferdinand wrote: "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’s Defender to Contender 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, Mel and the countless others who have dedicated their time to my boxing development over the past six months."

Ferdinand will continue to work on BT Sport as a pundit for Champions League fixtures.