WAYNE ROONEY’S proposed boxing debut could compete with Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk – if all goes to plan.
The Mirror, were the first to report that Rooney was in shock talks with Misfits Boxing for a stunning celebrity-style fight.
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Misfits – co-founded by YouTuber-turned prizefighter KSI – hosts crossover bouts between stars of the social media, MMA and boxing world.
And SunSport understands Misfits initiated talks with Rooney and a proposal has been with the Manchester United legend for a few weeks.
No opponent is believed to have been discussed but the timeframe in which to get the England icon in the ring has.
Interestingly, the plan in place would be to have Rooney fight around May.
But that would be the same month that Fury and Usyk are set to contest for the undisputed heavyweight crown in Saudi Arabia.
The superstar pair had to reschedule from February 17 to May 18 after Fury sustained a horror cut in sparring.
But Misfits and broadcast partner DAZN are on the search for new pay-per-view headliners having so far relied on KSI.
The British internet sensation, 30, has headlined three PPV events, most recently against Tommy Fury, 24, last October.
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And promoters boasted of selling over 1MILLION box office buys.
But KSI has also admitted he does not know how much longer he will continue boxing for.
It has left his manager and business partner Mams Taylor on the scout for PPV stars outside of just KSI.
And Taylor previously told SunSport that he is in talks with footballers to make the switch over to boxing.
He said in December 2022: “I’ve got a couple footballers in mind that I won’t name because it’s actually very possible.”
Rooney, infamously knocked out in his kitchen by Phil Bardsley, retired in 2021 and went into coaching.
But he was sacked in the new year by Birmingham and is currently without a job.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed how Rooney has reached out to him about fighting in the past.
And Hearn even talked up a return to Old Trafford to face Jake Paul.
KSI himself has also been contacted by Rooney, who wanted to set up a fight with the celebrity.
He said: “It’s funny – I hope he doesn’t get annoyed that I said this – but Wayne Rooney hit me up being like, ‘Oh, we should fight.’
“And I said no. I just don’t want to do that. If Wayne Rooney is down, of course I think it would be good to have him in this space.”