The chairman of the British Boxing board should be sacked for
granting former English cricket captain Andrew Flintoff a
professional licence to fight, claims a high-profile
promoter.
Frank Maloney said 34-year-old Flintoff's maiden bout on
November 30 is an insult to the sport.
"Giving Flintoff a professional licence with no experience of
boxing is a joke. It gives our sport a bad name," Maloney
told reporters.
The promoter of British heavyweight champion David Price said
Flintoff's foray into the world of pro heavyweight fighting
is reminiscent of countryman and Olympic rower James
Cracknell who was knocked out seconds after he stepped into
the ring for the first time.
"They haven't named an opponent for Flintoff yet but even if
they find some guy who's lost his first four pro fights, he
will still be in against someone with amateur experience,"
Maloney said.
"It will be a terrible shock when he gets hit on the chin by
a heavyweight.
"It is a disgrace (the board) have given Flintoff a licence.
I told the chairman, Charles Giles, that he should be sacked
for approving this scandal."
Trained by Barry McGuigan, who became world featherweight
champion in 1985, Flintoff will step into the ring at
Manchester for the climax of a TV reality show, The Gloves
Are Off, which has documented the former cricketer's
preparations to fight.
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