Jermaine Pennant is keen on entering the world of influencer boxing - but he would refuse to fight Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.
Pennant, 41, revealed he has previously been offered the opportunity to throw hands with another celebrity in the squared circle. The former Liverpool midfielder played in the 2007 Champions League final, while he has also made a name for himself outside of the beautiful game.
He is known for his controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, where he was the fourth housemate to be evicted. Nowadays, celebrity boxing is very much in vogue, particularly when it comes to promotions such as Misfits.
Pennant claimed he would be willing to have a go, providing he is not fighting Rooney, who said he was approached by celebrity boxing promotions not long after he was sacked by Birmingham City.
"I’ve been asked to do a celebrity boxing bout in the past but I’m more of a lover than a fighter, I’d have to think about it," Pennant said while speaking on behalf of FastestPayoutOnlineCasino.com.
"I’ve rejected one in the past and it depends who I’m fighting. If I’m fighting an absolute lunatic then absolutely not!
"No, I don't think I'd fight Wayne Rooney, he likes his boxing and I’d want to fight someone on my level who has never done it before. He’d have that advantage. I’ve got no one in mind and I’m not a fighter but we’ll see!"
Rooney has never stepped into the boxing ring before but was knocked out by ex-Stoke City star Phil Bardsley in his living room. A matter of days before Manchester United faced Tottenham Hotspur in 2015, a video of Bardsley catching the ex-England skipper on the chin with a huge hook went viral.
The force of the punch knocked the forward down onto his living room floor, where he lied motionless. In a direct nod to that clip, Rooney celebrated his goal in a 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur by doing some shadow boxing before falling onto his back.
It's still considered to be one of the most iconic Premier League celebrations in recent history. And, Rooney recently hinted he would consider stepping into the world of celebrity boxing.
While speaking on Gary Neville's 'Stick to Football ' podcast, Rooney said: “[You] Never know. They’ve been in touch and asked the question but at the minute I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing.”
He added: “They’ve just been in touch to fight. There’s been a few, that Misfits has been in and that’s been all over the news or whatever. My focus is getting back into management. I’ve seen over the last few days about the headlines but main focus is getting back into football.”