Andrew Flintoff to turn a BOXING PRO!

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – MAY 26: Andrew Flintoff carries the belt to the ring during the Vacant IBF Inter-Continental Super Bantam Weight Championship bout between Carl Frampton and Raul Hirales at Nottingham Capital FM Arena on May 26, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

News has today emerged that Andrew Flintoff has been secretly preparing himself for his PRO In-Ring debut with help from ring legend Barry McGuigan.

Flintoff will get into the ring for the Sky1 series The Gloves Are Off, in which he will make his boxing debut in front of thousands of fans at the Manchester Arena to be screened live on boxing channel, BoxNation. Sky has dubbed this as Flintoff’s last chance to get back into the professional sporting arena.

His opponent is not yet known, but Sky have confirmed that he will be someone “credible”. The First show will be a two hour episode where they will first showcase his preparations for the match, and then the Match itself. A follow up episode will be aired later showcasing the aftermath of the match and Flintoff’s reactions.

Flintoff described it as: “An amazing opportunity to try a sport that I love, to be tutored by a man I respect and admire and, at the age of 34, the chance to be a professional sportsman again.”

He said: “It’s a huge challenge – probably the biggest I have ever undertaken, especially in such a short time frame. I have a long road ahead and a lot of work in front of me. The stakes are high.”

Flintoff though will first need to receive a professional license for the fight which he does not have as of now. British Board of Boxing Control has said that they are still to receive any application or hold any interview with him.

Flintoff quit the cricket scene in the year 2009 due to the amount of injuries. He was one of the best all rounders in the game at one point, and was also loved massively by the English Fans.

Lets hope he can succeed in his next venture as a Boxing Pro, but nothing he has ever done in cricket would have prepared him for this.