DC United could lose Wayne Rooney to another sport

D.C. United may have been held to a 0-0 draw with Chicago Fire in MLS this weekend but their manager Wayne Rooney has been linked with a sensational move to a completely different sport.  

Wayne Rooney’s side is currently 13th in the Eastern Conference with one win, two draws and three defeats this season. However, if he is to take up boxing then he will be hoping for a better record than this.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on the podcast FIVE, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn revealed “I’ve actually spoke to Wayne a few times about the Jake Paul fight.

“Normally, if he has a couple of glasses of red he’ll fire in a message to me at night going, ‘Listen, I wanna fight that geezer. Wayne can fight, he had a couple of amateur fights – but him against Jake Paul at Old Trafford, that’s actually a makeable fight.”

What would Wayne Rooney be like in the boxing ring?

Rooney did box when he was a kid but the only recent footage of him fighting was when he was infamously knocked out by former Stoke City defender Phil Bardsley in his kitchen. Rooney made light of the incident when he did a boxing celebration after scoring for Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur.

The former Red Devils player clearly loves the sport of boxing and is a close friend of Ricky Hatton. Rooney even did the ring walk with Hatton for his fight with Jose Luis Castillo. This was despite Hatton being a supporter of Manchester City.

There have been sportspeople who have switched to boxing in the past but with limited success. Ferdinand attempted to become a professional but was not given a license by the British Boxing Board of Control. Former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff did step into the ring professionally and beat Richard Dawson at the Manchester Arena. Although, that was to be his only fight.

Rooney has also let himself go a bit since retiring from soccer. He would have to go through a serious training schedule if he was to become a professional boxer.

Should Wayne Rooney just stick to soccer?

If Rooney was to fight then it would be a huge story and fans would watch it. However, the former soccer player should stick to what he knows. Even if he was to fight then his managerial reputation would also be on the line. If he wins then he will earn more respect from his players but a defeat could result in the opposite.

Rooney has also a promising career as a coach ahead of him. He did well at Derby County under very difficult circumstances and will likely one day return to England to manage again. D.C. United are struggling at the moment but with the squad he has built which now includes Mateusz Klich, Christian Benteke and Lewis O’Brien there is the expectation that they should at least qualify for the playoffs this year.