By JON NEWCOMBE
FORMER Newcastle hooker Matt Thompson has something in common with Rio Ferdinand – their professional boxing careers have been KO’d before they’ve even stepped foot in the ring for real.
Like former England football star Ferdinand, Thompson had hoped to reinvent himself as a heavyweight boxer in his mid-30s.
At 6’2 and 18 stone and no stranger to a fight in the front row, entering the hard-knocks school of boxing did not faze Thompson one bit. “I’ve always had that streak of bravery – or stupidity if you like,” he said.
Thompso...