Don’t bet against Betfair and Ferdinand

Betfair and Rio Ferdinand have announced a link-up with the hope that will see the former England international defender become a professional boxer.

Ferdinand, who retired from football in 2015, has revealed that he is taking up boxing and fully intends on becoming a pro in a project called ‘Defender to Contender’.

It is not the first time Betfair have taken on such a project having helped Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton become a jockey and rode at the Cheltenham Festival in their ‘Switching Saddles’ challenge in 2016.

“Betfair themselves are offering odds of 5/1 that Ferdinand will become an English title holder, that could be generous if the commitment is there on his behalf,” OddsMonkey spokesman Peter Watton said.

“Betfair have got a very good history in this sort of project, people laughed at the thought of Victoria Pendleton riding at Cheltenham – and look at what she did, that was a huge success.

“Time will tell, but it is going to be an interesting one to watch.”

Ferdinand odds:
2/1 to win regional title
5/1 to win English title