Wayne Rooney didn't hesitate when naming the one celebrity he'd want to fight in boxing match

Wayne Rooney is no stranger to boxing, as he has been a fan since childhood, even training in the sport while he was a youth at Everton.

The former Manchester United star often spoke about his love of boxing while he was a player, even carrying Ricky Hatton's World Boxing Council light-welterweight belt into the ring on his ring walk when he fought Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in 2007.

Football fans will also remember his boxing celebration, which was a call back to his infamous kitchen knockout by his former teammate, Phil Bardsley, at his Cheshire home in February 2015.

Now, Rooney has made it clear that if he were to square off against any celebrity in the ring, it would be Jonathan Ross.

The English television personality and chat show host does not have the best relationship with United’s all-time top-scorer, which would mean not many would be surprised Rooney would love to spar against Ross.

In 2022, the former England international told the Daily Mail that he wanted to hit the chat show host after alleged comments made by Ross in 2003 poking fun at an image of Rooney and his parents on the beach during a 2003 holiday.

During a chat with English rapper Aitch, Rooney was asked to name one personality he would like to fight in a boxing match, and the United legend named Ross as the perfect opponent without giving an explanation for this choice.

The only surprise about his decision to name Ross is that he would not want a rematch with Bardsley after the former Stoke City defender won their 2015 ‘bout’ by kitchen knockout.

This sparring session between the pair in Cheshire in 2015 was only a joke between two friends; however, a video of the event was leaked, and a media storm erupted.

Rooney would take aim at the media attention on the event when he celebrated his next goal following the incident when he scored against Tottenham Hotspur by shadowboxing and mocking his fall from the viral video.