Wayne Bridge insisted comments from KSI “crossed a line” as the former Premier League star pulled out of his fight with the YouTube sensation.
Former England, Chelsea and Manchester City defender Bridge had signed up to fight KSI in Manchester on March 29. And he stepped into the ring at a Misfits Boxing night over the weekend as KSI cut a promo in the ring for a face off.
But KSI promptly taunted Bridge about his ex-girlfriend, Veronica Perroncell, and her alleged affair with former teammate John Terry – something Ms. Perroncell has always denied.
KSI said: “Aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex?”, before Bridge retorted: “You want to go there straightaway do you?” KSI continued: “I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re known for.” He then started a chant of ‘Vanessa woah, Vanessa woah’.
After the Sidemen member shoved Bridge, security got involved to keep the two men apart. And now Bridge has pulled out of the bout, taking to social media to explain his decision.
In a statement, he wrote: “I’m sure a lot of you have seen what happened on Saturday night at the Misfits Boxing event. Firstly, I think it’s important that I explain my reason for accepting the fight. I always like to challenge myself. This felt like a good opportunity to go up against an interesting opponent on a big stage.
“I have always loved boxing as part of my everyday training routine. I was fully prepared to train hard and have some fun. Of course, I expected to face some criticism, but I feel like what was said on Saturday crossed a line. These are deeply personal comments that affect mine and other families involved in the situation. I’m a family man first and my priority is protecting them.
“My opponent is someone that many children look up to around the world, including my kids. I hope one day he will look back on this differently. I personally don’t want to be involved in these exchanges. I will no longer be fighting on March 29.
“I’m still looking out for my next big challenge and have some exciting things coming up in 2025. Thanks for all the love. The support has been overwhelming. I want my friends and family to know how special they are. Deep down I know this is the right thing to do.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.