'Wayne can fight!' - Man Utd & England legend Rooney punched legendary boxer Joe Calzaghe after 'offering out' Welsh icon at a WEDDING

In a discussion on the BBC’s 'The Wayne Rooney Show', the former footballer was joined by his agent Paul Stretford and boxing great Tony Bellew to discuss Rooney’s interest in fighting. Bellew, who like the footballer comes from Liverpool and is a massive Everton fan, even claimed that Rooney could have become a professional fighter had he picked up a pair of gloves, rather than boots.

Rooney’s interest in professional fighting is well-documented, as is his passion for the slightly less professional. While playing for United in 2015, the star of his club and country had a spar in his kitchen with ex-United academy player Phil Bardsley. The defender famously knocked Rooney out, leading to an iconic celebration when the striker scored at Old Trafford in his next game.

Then, when Rooney was plying his trade in MLS with Chicago Fire, he was in touch with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn about a potential charity fight. The head of Matchroom Boxing said: “I’ve got a podcast, he [Rooney] was on there recently, he loves it. He’s been boxing in amateur clubs. Wayne would love to do a charity fight. All these guys, they love boxing.”

Rooney loved boxing so much that he almost found himself in a spot of bother with Calzaghe. The forward, who had had a few drinks at his agent’s wedding, turned to the man with 46 wins from 46 professional fights and 'offered him out'.

Speaking on the show, Stretford explained: “So I was looking after Joe at the time. So, Joe came to the wedding, Wayne's there of course. And we've had a few drinks and he offers Joe Calzaghe out. I'm stood there talking to them both and he goes, ‘Alright Joe’, ‘Alright Wayne?’ ‘I could have you’.

“I'm looking and I'm thinking, ‘You're joking me’. He's going, ‘No, just calm down...I just want to do a bit of shadow boxing with him’. So we go out and we go onto the green outside where we were - middle of my wedding.

“We go out and Joe's going, ‘Don't worry, it's nothing’. First thing, Joe's just sort of stood there and [Rooney’s gone] into the ribs.”

Remembering the moment, Rooney joked: “I seen him, he was a bit vulnerable, he'd had a few drinks. Might give him his first defeat.”

Bellew added: “As a fighter, we never react to stuff like that. But he's [Rooney’s] only just challenged the greatest fighter Britain's ever produced. Fantastic.”

Rooney is now a full-time pundit, having been shown the exit door after terrible spells as a coach in charge of both Birmingham and Plymouth. Under his stewardship, both clubs were relegated from the Championship and have had to repair ever since.

Birmingham, owned by an American consortium fronted by NFL legend Tom Brady, have since bounced back to England’s second division and their heavy spending may even take them up to the Premier League. They sit just four points off of the play-off spots.

The fortunes down in Plymouth could not be any more disparate. Argyle are currently in the relegation zone in League One following a 2-0 defeat to their Devon rivals Exeter City and are under threat of tumbling into the league below should they not start to halt their descent.

As for Rooney’s former teams as a player, Everton and Manchester United will look to improve their positions in the table against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, respectively, this weekend. Both sides sit in mid-table, but will have dreams of pushing into European qualification contention.