'I'm going to knock you out Flintoff'

NORTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 07: Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff is seen in the paddock during previews to the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2011 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

NORTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 07: Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff is seen in the paddock during previews to the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2011 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Published Nov 29, 2012

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London - Richard Dawson has promised that Andrew Flintoff’s venture into professional boxing will be brutal and short.

The undefeated American, 23, has been hand-picked to take on the former England cricket captain at the Manchester Arena tomorrow night.

But Dawson believes the fight could be won as early as Thursday’s weigh-in.

‘I definitely want to knock him out,’ he said. ‘My dad taught me to win the fight at the weigh-in and that’s what I’ll do. If he turns away when I look into his eyes, that’s it, it’s over.’

Dawson from Oklahoma, took up the sport only two years ago. ‘I had a pretty rough life,’ he said. ‘My mum and dad did jail time and my sister and brother-in-law raised me until I was 18. A lot of my friends are either dead or in jail and my brother is crippled after being shot in front of our house.’

Dawson, who has a nine-month-old son, also spent time in prison for assault. He said he was trying to break up a fight ‘when a guy on pills pushed me and something just clicked in my head’.

He had one amateur bout before turning pro last year. Dawson knocked his first opponent out in 19 seconds while his second retired with broken ribs after the first round.

He said: ‘I didn’t know what cricket was before now. When I Googled it, I thought it was baseball.’

Daily Mail

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