Rio Ferdinand has announced his retirement from boxing, with a professional record of 0-0.

The Manchester United legend has decided to call time on his short-lived boxing career without having a single professional bout.

The former England defender revealed back in September his plans to step into the ring following a highly successful career in football.

Ferdinand took to Facebook earlier with a short message to his followers.

“Despite having never felt better physically or mentally, after notifying the British Boxing Board of Control of my intention to apply for a licence, I have received confirmation that they would not be reviewing my application at this point.”

Ferdinand is of course bitterly disappointed by the BBBofC’s decision and was keen to express this to his loyal fans.

“To not be given the chance to demonstrate my ability to the BBoC through the standard assessment afforded to others is hard to take.

“It’s important to approach everything with success in mind, and to give it your all, but sometimes things work against you.”

It is safe to say that Ferdinand had done everything he could to make a go at this new sporting venture. He hired former WBC super-middleweight champion Richie Woodhall and had a solid financial backer in the betting firm Betfair.

The challenge was titled ‘Defender to Contender’ and it had been the aim of the six-time Premier League champion “to win a belt”.

Ferdinand concluded: “Boxing is a physically tough, demanding and dangerous sport. I always gave it my utmost respect and never underestimated how difficult it would be. I wanted to show people that it’s OK to have a goal and strive to reach it.”

Ferdinand has been thriving in his role as a presenter for BT Sport, providing analysis on some of the largest Premier League and Champions League matches.

Although some may be disappointed that we never got to see the mercurial defender in the ring, it might be a blessing in disguise, as sporting fans will remember the laughable and almost circus like boxing career of cricket legend Andrew Flintoff.