Rooney KO’d in kitchen boxing bout
WORLD EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Watch amazing moment Prem superstar Wayne is knocked out sparko
WAYNE Rooney lies unconscious on his kitchen floor after being decked in a
bizarre boxing bout.
The Man United and England captain was knocked out by pal Phil Bardsley of
Stoke City as friends filmed the wild lads’ night in.
The footage will enrage Rooney’s bosses — and wife Coleen.
Video from the bout shows Rooney and Bardsley trading heavy punches — before
one blow sends the England and Manchester United captain crashing to the
floor with a sickening thud.
Rooney’s arms flop by his sides as he lands on his back with his head
partially under a chair.
The striker remains motionless for several seconds before worried friends rush
over and the video ends.
A source said: “Wayne had everybody worried when he hit the floor like that.
"He made such a thud when he went down and he was just on his back with
his eyes closed, not moving.
“People were scared he had really banged his head and done some lasting
damage.
"Everyone realised it was a stupid thing to do, but they just got carried
away.”
The incident, which could have ended Rooney’s career, will infuriate United’s
strict Dutch boss Louis van Gaal and England manager Roy Hodgson — as well
as Rooney’s wife Coleen who was on holiday when it happened.
The source revealed the friendly fight broke out during a wild lads’ night in
at Rooney’s £3.5million mansion in Cheshire.
It happened on February 22, the day after United lost at Swansea, while Coleen
and the couple’s kids were enjoying a sunshine break in Barbados.
Rooney, who had not been drinking, is understood to have been enjoying a
couple of days off.
The video, which lasts for one minute and four seconds, shows bottles of beer
in the background as the footballers’ pals laugh and joke.
Rooney and Bardsley, both 29, put on boxing gloves then bump fists as someone
shouts “ding ding” to imitate the bell at a boxing ring.
About six or seven punches are thrown before the two men grapple next to the
dining table as someone starts shouting “Whoa!”
Another yells “Lads!” as the footballers shove each other, with Bardsley
landing a heavy uppercut while in a clinch.
The thud of boxing gloves is clearly heard as Rooney lands a left hook and the
fight intensifies.
Rooney, wearing white socks and no shoes, then throws a wild right hook which
Bardsley ducks, before the pair start grappling over a cabinet packed with
glasses and crockery.
The two then separate and size each other up before Bardsley unleashes the
knockout blow. The source added: “Wayne and Phil are good mates and were
just messing about like lads do, but it looks like things got well out of
hand.
“They are both streetwise and know how to look after themselves and one of
them challenged the other to a quick sparring session.
“So they put on some proper boxing gloves and started sparring.
“But then the competitive juices started to flow and they both wanted to outdo
each other.
“They went from tapping each other to putting a bit more power into the
punches, then Wayne walked on to one of Phil’s shots.
“It caught him flush and he went down. Phil was horrified and everyone held
their breath. It put an end to the boxing.
“Wayne’s a good sport and knows enough about boxing to realise that anyone can
get caught and end up on the seat of their pants.
“He’s been worried about the footage leaking out.”
Appointing him United captain, Van Gaal stressed to Rooney the importance of
acting responsibly both on and off the pitch.
Van Gaal said: “I have explained to him that outside the pitch is also very
important to me. He accepted the responsibility.”
Boxing fan Rooney, paid £300,000 a week, said at the time: “It will be
different now with new responsibilities, but the time is right for me to be
captain and I am ready for the responsibility.”
Hodgson told Rooney and the England squad that he expects them to “behave as
adults”, saying: “If you do anything you shouldn’t, you’re letting us all
down because the criticism will pile upon us all.’”
United’s billionaire American owners, the Glazer family, will also take a dim
view of Rooney’s behaviour.
The club operates as a PLC, and risky behaviour by its top players could
affect the share price.
Doctors warn that anyone taking part in sparring sessions like Rooney’s risks
serious brain injury. The British Medical Association said last night:
“Boxing poses a serious risk to health.
“Blows received can cause brain injury and, in extreme cases, acute brain
haemorrhage which can lead to death. Even using protective equipment may not
guard against brain damage.”
Clips of the sparring session are now being circulated, and the source added:
“All the lads who have been sent the footage have been asked to stop sharing
it and delete it.
“They’ve been told Wayne isn’t happy that it is being passed around.”
Footballers have clauses in their contracts which ban them from taking part in
risky activities like boxing, skiing and horse riding.
Insurance expert Alan Winch said: “Elite sports people rely 100 per cent on
their bodies to earn a living and an injury that occurs in a fraction of a
second can finish careers.
“If a Premier League player earning £300,000 a week sustained an injury that
kept him out for ten weeks, his club would have to pay £3million in wages
despite the fact that he could contribute nothing on the pitch.”
The Premier League last year announced new medical rules giving doctors the
power to order a player out of a match or training session after a serious
head injury.
The FA is also planning to introduce new rules on head injuries to amateur
football.
Rooney became pals with Bardsley when the Scotland international was at Old
Trafford from 2003 to 2008.
Bardsley played just eight first-team games before being sold to Sunderland.
He moved to Stoke last year, but his football fame has recently been
overshadowed by the TV career of wife Tanya, one of the stars of ITV’s Real
Housewives of Cheshire.
Rooney showed he had recovered from the fight when he scored two goals — one a
header — as United won at Sunderland the following Saturday. Last night a
spokesman for Rooney declined to comment.
Hooked on ring wars
FIGHT fan Rooney is keen to share his love of boxing with his 10.9million
Twitter followers and almost 26million Facebook fans.
His Facebook page has included the picture (above) of him in boxing gear
during an ad campaign for Samsung Galaxy.
Last month he shared a snap of himself and boxer pal Paul Smith Jnr on
Facebook called “Throwback Thursday”. He wrote: “Sharing a ring with my mate
Paul Smith who fought for world title last week.”
Last Thursday Rooney posted another old boxing picture, saying: “Throwback
Thursday — Enjoying a chat with Coleen Rooney, Lennox Lewis and Amir Khan!”
He posted a string of boxing-related tweets last month after pal Martin Murray
lost a world title fight against Gennady Golovkin.
Every clip a danger
By PETER McCABE of charity Headway
WAYNE Rooney’s fans will be seriously concerned about his behaviour.
Boxing like this could well have an impact on his ability to perform at the
highest level.
At Headway we see the devastating effects head injuries can have on every
aspect of a person’s life.
Even a minor blow to the head can result in significant short and long-term
brain injury.
It can affect a person’s physical abilities as well as impacting upon thought
processes, memory and even personality.
It is hard to understand why someone who relies upon their physical attributes
— and who is a role model to millions — should want to risk their career and
wellbeing in this manner.
Punch up with best
By PAT SHEEHAN, Boxing Correspondent
I’VE seen hundreds of knockouts in top fights across the world.
And this KO of Man United star Wayne Rooney by his pal Phil Bardsley is
dramatic in its own right.
When Bardsley caught Rooney on the chin with a decent left hand shot, Wazza
reeled backwards and was out cold before he even hit the deck.
The fight seemed initially playful but hotted up when Rooney — who carried
Ricky Hatton’s world championship belt against Jose Luis Castillo in 2007 —
let go with a left in Bardsley’s face.
Bardsley came roaring back and his surprise, flashing left hand did the
damage.