Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff came off the canvas to mark his professional boxing debut with a points win over American heavyweight Richard Dawson on Friday, says a report in Deccan Chronicle, adding that the 34-year-old was floored in the second round of a lively affair but after dominating the other three rounds had his hand rightly raised in victory on a score of 39-38 on the referee's scorecard.
“It was a deserved win for the former England and Lancashire fast-bowling all-rounder who dropped three-and-a-half stone to weigh in at 15st 6lb for his first foray into boxing after a five-month training camp with former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan,” says the report.
"As a personal achievement, this tops the lot," said Flintoff, who won two Ashes series during his cricket career, adding "The crowd made a massive difference tonight. I'll appreciate I was sloppy at times, but it was a humbling moment."
Flintoff, who was perceived as overweight during his days playing cricket, certainly took the training seriously for this as he looked in much better shape than his American opponent in the four-round clash.
Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that Andrew Flintoff will take his time before deciding if he will continue boxing after his successful heavyweight debut against American Richard Dawson.
The former England cricket captain beat Dawson 39-38 on points after a lively affair in front of 5,000 raucous fans at the Manchester Arena, but only after being knocked down in the second round of the four-round contest.
The 34-year-old said he will wait until after Christmas before deciding if he will continue his foray into the paid-ranks of boxing. "I really enjoyed it. I said at the start that I knew I was starting at a novice level," said the former England all-rounder, who sported a black eye in his post-fight news conference.
"I want some time off, have a nice Christmas. After Christmas I will start to decide what to do. It is quite fresh, still quite raw what happened."