British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that former footballer Wayne Rooney has spoken to him about the possibility of arranging a crossover boxing exhibition match.
Now that is something we’d be willing to pay the PPV for.
Speaking on Gary Neville’s new YouTube series with Sky Bet, Stick to Football, the Matchroom Sport chairman was fielding questions about the likelihood of everything from Joshua vs Fury, taking over from his father as a boxing promoter, to how much money influencer boxing is making the industry.
It was at this point, whilst the panel were watching clips of Neville, Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright sparring for fun and fighting at charity events, that Hearn confessed that the Manchester United legend turned full-time coach has actually got in touch about fighting on multiple occasions.
Could Wayne Rooney step into the boxing ring against Jake Paul? 🤔
I mean, how good/funny/totally daft would this be?
“After every big fight — and he won’t mind me saying this — especially with a YouTuber, sometimes [Wayne] Rooney will fire me a message”, said the 44-year-old.
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“I actually said to Wayne, who had a very limited amateur pedigree but could still fight, imagine the shape you’d get in, I told him. Wayne Rooney against Jake Paul at Old Trafford, imagine that.”
With Neville joking, “Did you see him against Phil Bardsley?” — a reference to an old clip of Rooney getting knocked out after by the fellow ex-pro in his kitchen, which got a huge laugh around the table — Hearn insisted that the retired footballer could get in some serious shape with the right training.
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The 37-year-old recently took the Birmingham City manager’s job after departing MLS club DC United, so while we don’t expect he’ll be taking a sabbatical to get in the ring any time soon, given that coach enjoyed a bit of boxing back in his younger days, you can never say never.
Elsewhere in the interview, Hearn also addressed the age-old question of whether or not Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury will ever come to fruition, to which he simply said it “has to happen”.
Adding that regardless of whether AJ gets a fight and potentially loses against US heavyweight Deontay Wilder or if Fury ultimately loses against Oleksandr Usyk — a fight that now looks to have been signed once again — he insists the interest in this long-awaited match-up is still there.
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Admitting that he’s Anthony Joshua’s “number one fan”, Hearn also went on to insist that not only can he win if he ever gets the chance to fight either of them but that he’d do it “in style”, having told talkSPORT last month that he believes Joshua could “knock out” both Wilder and Fury. Big words.
Whether you back him or not, I think we can all agree on one thing: a Wayne Rooney vs Jake Paul boxing match would genuinely be one of the most watched sporting events in history. You can watch Hearn’s appearance on Stick to Football in full down below:
If Eddie Hearn actually manages to get Wayne Rooney a boxing match against one of the Paul brothers we’ll love him forever.
The route for the 2027 Tour de France Femmes revealed ahead of Manchester debut
Danny Jones
The route for next year’s women’s historic Tour de France has been announced, with some of the best riders in the world set to pass through Greater Manchester and more.
Yet another big coup for the region and our sporting scene.
Speaking with the City Council, now that the full route has been revealed, our very own Dame Sarah Storey joined many in celebrating another huge moment for us; the female Tour de France is not just back up and running, but aiming to become bigger than ever.
🚴♀️ The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester! 🚴♀️
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, with Manchester set to host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July. pic.twitter.com/OMMlhdorqP
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) April 21, 2026
The Stockport-born swimmer turned Team GB cyclist and multi-Olympic gold medallist knows all about what makes this particular sport special, having swapped a previous and highly successful career for an entirely different discipline.
As has now been fully confirmed, the 2027 Grand Départ will be getting underway with our friends in Leeds, before heading through Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Upon entering our neck of the woods, the course will pass through the likes of Rochdale and Oldham into Manchester city centre, before heading into Stockport and neighbouring North West county, Derbyshire, and finally heading back through the Peaks.
Spread across two incredible days, the race itself will finish in Sheffield, with another UK first happening down in London, as the capital will also host the inaugural team time trial held in this country.
You can see the official event’s breakdown of what locations feature in which stages of ‘The Big Loop’ in more detail below.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, went on to add: “Being able to watch the world’s best cyclists in action and in such an iconic event, taking place right here on our doorstep in the heart of Manchester next summer, is going to be epic on so many levels.
“Championing women and girls to participate in and enjoy sports – including cycling – at all levels from entry through to elite, is really important to us and next year’s Tour de France Femmes is set to play a huge part in helping inspire the next generation of sporting talent from our city.
“With millions of spectators expected to line the routes, including here in the city centre, we’ll be going all out to help ensure the event’s success with what is set to be a ‘Tour takeover’ of the city to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses to get involved, to grow their own sporting skills, and to take part in the many community activities being planned.”
Having hosted everything from the BRITs and the MOBO Awards to another Super League Grand Finals in both netball and rugby, not to mention numerous other huge events over the past couple of years, it truly is a great time to be living in Greater Manchester.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Manchester City Council)
Sport
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to reward themselves with free Nell’s pizza this weekend, thanks to a collaboration with adidas and JD.
The sportswear giants will be teaming up with one of the city’s top pizza spots to hand out the ultimate post-race reward at Kampus this Sunday.
It’s all to celebrate the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, a shoe that’s built with running miles in mind.
And there’ll be a chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt too, and have your official marathon finish time branded on-site.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal / Credit: Supplied
As well as a free slice of Nell’s famous New York-style pizza and a drink, Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to enter into a range of giveaways, with prizes including the EVO SL ART, adidas merch, and range of other prizes.
And you’ll be recovering with a slice in hand and a live DJ keeping the post-race energy high
All you need to do is show your Manchester Marathon medal at Nell’s at Kampus, to grab your free slice, and check out adidas and JD’s latest drop.
Friends and family are encouraged to join too – after all, all runners know a marathon isn’t possible without that support crew.
There are also a bunch of giveaways and more to look forward to / Credit: Supplied
Pizza slices will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make sure your sprint to Nell’s is your fastest yet.
Thankfully, the adidas EVO SL’s are built for speed…
adidas x JD x Nell’s – Manchester Marathon event
Taking place on Sunday 19 April, from 12pm to 8pm
Free pizza slice and a drink when you show your Manchester Marathon medal (while stocks last)
Exclusive merch and great prize giveaways from adidas and JD
Plus photo moments, live DJs, and more
Find it at The Bungalow, Kampus, M1 3GL (next to Nell’s)
Danny Jones -
19th October 2023 
