Diego Maradona stepped into the boxing ring to face professional boxer in incredibly rare fight

Argentina legend Diego Maradona once took part in a fight against a professional boxer, and the footage of the bout is wild.

Maradona, who died in 2020 aged 60, is arguably the most popular Argentine footballer of all time alongside Lionel Messi.

Whether it be in his hometown of Lanus, the Italian city of Naples, or Barcelona, Maradona’s legacy lives on.

The 1986 World Cup winner often had fans on the edge of their seats in his turbulent but ultimately successful career, during which he won Serie A twice with Napoli, as well as securing La Liga with Barca.

Arguably, his most controversial moment came in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup against England when he used his hand to score a goal, which was later dubbed the ‘Hand of God’.

But on one occasion, he used his hands for boxing and fought against a professional in a one-off bout.

Diego Maradona took part in a boxing match (Credit:Getty)

Back in April 1996, a 35-year-old Maradona, then playing for Boca Juniors, stepped into the ring against his friend Santos 'Falucho' Lacier, a former WBA and WBC super flyweight and flyweight world champion.

Maradona wore a head guard, black gloves and yellow and blue shorts during the three-round exhibition bout.

The proceeds of the bout were donated to General Paz Junior's Club in Cordoba, Argentina, after what was a largely entertaining contest.

At one point, the pair stopped hitting each other and instead began jokingly punching the referee to the amusement of the crowd.

The bout was scored a draw, but the entertainment did not stop upon the completion of the bout as the great Argentinian continued to woo fans by doing keepie uppies while standing in the ring.

Maradona was vocal about his admiration for boxing and most of all former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, whom he chatted to on his talk show ‘La Noche del Diez’ in Argentina back in 2005.

The pair got along well, with Tyson saying: "I admire you and respect you very much, because you have been the king of your sport,” during his appearance.

Maradona replied: "Tyson is a legend. The greatest boxer there ever was. That's why we worship you so much.”

The former footballer then gave Tyson a shirt emblazoned with autographs from the Argentina squad before the former heavyweight put Maradona through his paces on a punching bag.