Richard Dawson and Former Cricketer Andrew Flintoff to Compete in Boxing Ring Tonight!!!

The former England cricket captain will complete his journey from Lord’s to the ring when he fights Richard Dawson at the Manchester Arena tonight. Flintoff is trained by Shane McGuigan and his father Barry. Some have suggested the fight is a "gimmick" for television but McGuigan believes Flintoff is fully prepared for the challenge.
Flintoff’s journey has been different from other boxers but, as he awaits that first bell, there are no second thoughts. 

Andrew Flintoff

‘I never thought of packing it in but I questioned why once or twice,’ he said. ‘One of the things I’ve learned from the cricket career is that the hardest things are generally the most rewarding. 
‘I’ve done a few things on TV, a series where I jumped off cliffs in Acapulco and rode bulls in Texas; I see Michael (Vaughan) doing Strictly but that’s not for me. 
‘I wanted a real challenge, to get back into professional sport at a time when I thought I was drifting, and this is the one thing that got the juices flowing. 

Richard Dawson

‘If you go in the ring you’re going to get hit. I got hit and here I am.’ 
Dawson was doing his bit to play the pantomime villain. The boy from the hood turned up in a black hoodie, referred to himself menacingly as ‘an attacker’ and his opponent as ‘Mr Freddie’. Whether he is quite so scary in the ring remains to be seen. 
The 23-year-old has been involved in petty crime since the age of five. He is understood to have been an enforcer in the Oklahoma drugs trade but claims to have turned his life around after serving three months in Okmulgee County jail last year for aggravated assault and battery. 

‘We ain’t here to play cricket,’ said Dawson, who has won both his fights as a professional.

‘I looked at some tapes and it don’t mean nothing to me. It looks like a female sport, you know, sissy stuff. 

Richard Dawson and Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff and Richard Dawson

‘I grew up in a real rough neighbourhood close to Tulsa, fighting my whole life. There was drug dealings and shootings happening the whole time. My best friend got shot and killed by drug dealers. 
‘I did the driving and I got shot in the back four times. When I was lying in the hospital I was sure I was going to die. I only stopped fighting on the streets when I went to the gym and learned to box.’ 
For the record, Flintoff weighed in at 15st 6lb with Dawson almost two stones heavier at 17st 3lb.

 Fight format

Heavyweight bout: Four two-minute rounds.

TV: LIVE from Manchester Arena, on BoxNation (Sky channel 437) approx 10pm. 

Watch Live Stream Clicking here