Former England star Rio Ferdinand is set to announce on Tuesday he is going to try to become a professional boxer just two months away from his 39th birthday, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Ferdinand, who won 81 caps and made over 300 appearances for Manchester United, is an avid boxing fan and has admitted spending time boxing in the gym has helped clear his head a bit after losing his wife and the mother of his three children Rebecca Ellison to breast cancer in 2015.

Ferdinand, who has become a respected television pundit since hanging up his boots in 2015, is set to make what has been termed “a major news announcement” on Tuesday but will need to convince the British Boxing Board of Control he merits a licence.