الاثنين، 30 سبتمبر 2019
Puneri Paltan
Puneri Paltan is a kabaddi team which represents the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India in the Pro Kabaddi League. The team, coached by Anup Kumar, plays at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. Puneri Paltan, a founding member of the Pro Kabaddi League, has been relatively unsuccessful after finishing last during its first two seasons (2014 and 2015). The Paltans did learn from their mistakes during the 2016(January) season, making the playoffs for the first time and eventually finishing third. After narrowly missing the playoffs in the 2016 (June)season, they earned a playoff spot in 2017 season. In the 2018-19 season, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs. Inconsistency has been the major reason that has hampered Pune's success throughout the Pro Kabaddi League
Overview
The Pro Kabaddi League's first season was in 2014, with eight teams. Four teams were added for the league's fifth season, bringing the total to 12. Puneri Paltan's team colors are orange and vermilion, traditional colors in Maratha culture. Its log includes a lion, the team mascot.They have won the pkl trophy 2 times
Overview
The Pro Kabaddi League's first season was in 2014, with eight teams. Four teams were added for the league's fifth season, bringing the total to 12. Puneri Paltan's team colors are orange and vermilion, traditional colors in Maratha culture. Its log includes a lion, the team mascot.They have won the pkl trophy 2 times
Viju Khote died
Viju Khote (17 December 1941 – 30 September 2019) was an Indian actor who was known for his work in more than 440 films in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He was famous as the dacoit Kalia in the film Sholay and the dialogue, "Sardar maine aapka namak khaya hai"[2][3] and Robert in movie Andaz Apna Apna with the dialogue "galti se mistake hogaya". On television he was most remembered for his role in Zabaan Sambhalke (1993).[4][5] He had also acted in Marathi theatre over the years
Kabir Singh
Kabir Singh is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written and directed by Sandeep Vanga. It is a remake of his own Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017). Jointly produced by Cine1 Studios and T-Series, the film stars Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. It focuses on the title character, an alcoholic surgeon with an explosive temper who goes on a self-destructive path after his girlfriend is forced to marry someone else.
Principal photography began in October 2018 and ended in March 2019. The film was theatrically released in India on 21 June 2019 and received mixed reviews, with criticism directed at it for glamorising misogyny and toxic masculinity, though Kapoor's performance was praised. At the box office, it became Kapoor's highest-grossing film as a sole male star and emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019.
The film became available on Netflix for exclusive streaming on September 19, 2019.
Plot
Kabir Rajdheer Singh is a house surgeon at Delhi Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. Despite being a brilliant student, he has severe anger management problems that earn the wrath of the dean of the college. Kabir's aggressive nature also earns him a reputation among his juniors as a college bully. After having a brawl alongside his friend Kamal against members of the opposing team who made fun of them during an inter-college football match, the dean asks Kabir to either apologise or leave the college. Kabir initially chooses the latter but stays back after meeting and falling in love with first-year student Preeti Sikka.
Kabir and his friend Shiva enter a third-year classroom and announce that Kabir is in love with Preeti and asserts that she is exclusive to him. Initially afraid, Preeti starts adjusting herself to Kabir's overbearing attitude.She eventually reciprocates his feelings and they develop an intimate relationship. Kabir graduates with an MBBS degree and leaves for Mussoorie to pursue a Master's degree in orthopedic surgery. Over the course of three years both come back to Mumbai to their respective homes but Kabir's and Preeti's relationship becomes stronger. Months later, Kabir visits Preeti's house in Mumbai, where her father, Harpal, sees them kissing and throws Kabir out.
Harpal opposes Preeti and Kabir's relationship since he dislikes Kabir's personality. Kabir demands that Preeti must make a decision within six hours otherwise he will end their relationship. By the time she manages to visit Kabir's house, he is drunk, injects morphine into himself, and becomes unconscious for two days. Preeti is then forcibly married to another man named Jatinder from her caste. Kabir learns about the marriage from Shiva and goes to her house in protest. He is assaulted and gets arrested for making a scene. Kabir's father, Rajdheer, ostracises him from the family home for damaging his reputation.
With Shiva's help, Kabir finds a rented apartment and joins a private hospital as a surgeon. To cope with his emotions, he starts taking drugs, attempts one-night stands, buys a pet dog and names it after Preeti and drinks alcohol; all of which are unsuccessful. Within months, he becomes a successful surgeon and a high-functioning alcoholic who is feared by the hospital's staff members, one of the reasons being his high surgery count. Kabir's self-destructing behaviour and refusal to move on worries Shiva and Kamal. He persuades one of his patients, Jia Sharma, a leading film star, to have a no-strings relationship with him, which he ends when she falls in love with him.
On a day off, Kabir unwillingly agrees to perform a life-saving surgery and collapses with dehydration. The hospital staff examine his blood samples, which show traces of alcohol and cocaine. The hospital chief files a case against Kabir, who accepts the truth on the grounds of violating his professional ethics during an in-house court hearing, despite Shiva and Karan making arrangements to bail him out. Kabir's medical license is cancelled for five years and he is evicted from the flat. The next morning, Shiva manages to reach Kabir to convey his grandmother Sadhna Kaur's death; he meets his father, and they reconcile. Kabir gives up his self-destructive habits soon after.
While leaving for a vacation, Kabir sees a pregnant Preeti sitting in a park. Convinced that she is unhappy with her marriage, Kabir meets her after returning from his vacation. Preeti reveals that she left Jatinder days after their marriage and continued to work in a clinic. She tells Kabir that he is the child's father, and they reunite. The pair marries, and Harpal apologises for misunderstanding their love for each other. The movie ends off with the couple on the beach with their baby.
Cast
Shahid Kapoor as Dr Kabir Rajdheer Singh
Kiara Advani as Dr Preeti Sikka[4]
Soham Majumdar as Dr Shiva[5]
Arjan Bajwa as Karan Rajdheer Singh
Suresh Oberoi as Rajdheer Singh
Kamini Kaushal as Sadhna Kaur "Dadi"[5]
Adil Hussain as the college dean[5]
Nikita Dutta as Jia Sharma[6]
Kunal Thakur as Dr Kamal[5]
Anusha Sampath as Dr Keerti[7]
Swati Seth as Dr Vidya[7]
Anurag Arora as Harpal Sikka[5]
Vinay Sharma as Dr Kalyan "Sir"[5]
Amit Sharma as Amit[5]
Geetika as Preeti's roommate[5]
Suparna Marwah as Bhavna Sikka[5]
Dolly Mattoo as Kabir's mother[5]
Harsh A. Singh as Kabir's lawyer[5]
Vanita Kharat as Kabir's maid[5]
Urvashi Panchal as nurse Durga[5]
Siya Mahajan as nurse Rani[5]
Vipul Deshpande as a hospital doctor[5]
Parakh Madan as Preeti's sister[5]
Mitansh Lulla as Preeti's brother[5]
Ankush Deshmukh as Lakshman[5]
Ramakant Dayma as Shiva's father[5]
Gagandeep Singh as Jatinder[5]
Meneka Kurup Arora as a lady judge[5]
Abhay Raj Singh as Preeti's brother-in-law[5]
Aanchal Chauhan as Karan's wife[8]
Komal Singh as senior student ragging
Monu Bisht as senior student ragging
Ridhi Gupta as senior student
Teena Singh as a fractured patient's fiance[5]
Rajat Aroraa as the fractured patient[5]
Priya Roniyar as Shiva's sister
Prashanth as auto driver
SP Mishra as old patient
Dhiren as Kabir's landlord
Danish as Shiva's future brother-in-law[5]
Anagha Joshi as the lady on the roof[5]
Production
Development
After the success of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017), its writer and director Sandeep Vanga wanted to remake it in Hindi with Ranveer Singh. When it did not work out, he approached Shahid Kapoor. However, producers Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde of Cine1 Studios, who acquired the remake rights for Hindi, wanted Arjun Kapoor to play the male lead. Disappointed, Vanga said,"I've come to know that the remake rights of Arjun Reddy have been sold and it would star Arjun Kapoor. I am caught in a dilemma, as I've already locked Shahid for the role. It's a very embarrassing situation for me. I don't know how I'll face Shahid."[9] In April 2018, however, it was officially announced that Shahid Kapoor would star, with Vanga returning as director.[10]
Bhushan and Krishan Kumar of T-Series also produced the film,[11] while Vinod Bhanushali received a co-producer credit.[12] The dialogue was written by Siddharth–Garima. Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran was selected as the cinematographer, and Aarif Sheikh as editor.[5] Vanga was confident that the remake would be even more hard hitting than the original: "When I made Arjun Reddy, I wasn't sure where to draw the line in terms of representation of certain things. I don't think I'd have to restrict myself when it comes to the Hindi version. I believe I'll have more freedom in Bollywood."[10] The film's title Kabir Singh was announced on 25 October 2018.[13]
Writing
Like the Telugu original, Kabir Singh too begins with a voiceover from the hero's paternal grandmother, but this time she is reciting a Kabir Doha. There are also geographical changes; the remake is set primarily in Delhi and Mumbai. Instead of caste conflict as in Arjun Reddy, the heroine's father takes offence to Kabir's smoking and not being a turban-wearing Sikh. For the remake, Vanga said he deployed less English than the original. "I've also tried to retain the colloquial quality in the Hindi dialogue." About the name Kabir Singh, he said, "There's a lot of melancholy in the name Kabir and a poetic side too."[14] Vanga explained his reasons for choosing this as the film's title: "When we started work on the Hindi script, it was a very exciting journey. Kabir Singh, as the protagonist's name, came naturally, considering the character's graph. Kabir Singh has the same punch and madness of Arjun Reddy."[15]
Casting
Shahid Kapoor portrays the title character, Kabir Rajdheer Singh.[16] Although Kiara Advani was Vanga's first choice for the female lead character Preeti, things failed to materialise.[17] Tara Sutaria was then announced,[18] but left when a delay in the production of her debut film Student of the Year 2 (2019) caused scheduling conflicts.[19] The makers then went back to Advani to play the role of Preeti,[20] Vanga cited her performance in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) as one of the reasons.[21] According to Vanga, "Kiara epitomises the female character in the film to the T. She has the perfect combination of innocence (in terms of looks) and maturity (in terms of performance) that's so important for the character".[22] Arjan Bajwa was initially unwilling to play Kabir's elder brother Karan Singh,[23] but accepted at the insistence of Vanga, for whom he was the only choice to play the character.[24] Suresh Oberoi portrays Kabir and Karan's father Rajdheer Singh.[25] Amit Sharma, who appeared as Amit in the Telugu original, was chosen to reprise his role.[5][26]
Filming
The makers considered beginning the shoot in August, but it was delayed to September as Vanga wanted Kapoor to grow his beard more for the role.[27] Principal photography eventually began on 21 October 2018 at Mumbai,[28] four days before the announcement of the title.[13] Filming also took place at Delhi and Mussoorie.[5] Kapoor dons three different looks for the film. Regarding this he said, "There's a certain mind space and the present which the character is in and there's also the past which he has been part of. Along with this, there's the culmination. So, there are three distinct energies that the film needs."[29] He went through substantial workouts to portray Kabir Singh in two time periods; to achieve the character's "college boy" look, he shed 14 kilos of weight, and for the "puffy, groggy alcoholic" look, he worked out in a way that he would look "bigger but not muscular".[30] Principal photography wrapped on 29 March 2019.[31]
Soundtrack
Marketing
The official teaser of the film was released on 8 April 2019 by T-Series.[34] In a first-of-its-kind marketing deal, Kabir Singh became the first Bollywood film to have its very own theatre. As many as 15 PVR theatres in 15 cities across India would be renamed as "Kabir Singh Ka Theatre", with auditoriums reflecting the characteristics of the title character played by Kapoor.[35] The film's official trailer was released on 13 May 2019. It has been viewed 55 million times since its release.[12]
Release
Kabir Singh was released on 21 June 2019, worldwide on 3616 screens including 3123 screens in India.[36] It is distributed by AA Films within India.[37] Khetani chose not to release the film in Pakistan, following the 2019 Pulwama attack.[38] The film received an 'A' (adults only) certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with the board asking the makers to modify a scene where a character is seen snorting drugs, and also asked for insertion of static warning messages against drug abuse in all such scenes.[39]
Reception
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews, with criticism directed at it for glamorising misogyny and toxic masculinity.[40][41] Nitya Prakash writing for Bombay Weekly rated the film with four out of five stars and finds it "visually compelling" having "haunting performances" and "nuanced writing". Praising cinematography, Kapoor's acting and score, he said, "Kabir Singh" is not a film; it's an experience that’ll stay with you."[42] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying,"While Kabir Singh is a welcome change from stereotypical love stories, this kind of love affair needs some getting used to. Through his protagonist, Sandeep bets all his cards on his leading man, making sure you either love him or hate him, but you can't ignore him."[43] Trade analyst and critic Taran Adarsh concurred with Kotecha on the film being an unconventional story and rated it three and half stars out of five. Declaring it "powerful", he praised Vanga's storytelling and Kapoor's performance. He felt that the film was a newfangled romantic tale.[44]
Priyanka Sinha Jha of CNN-News18, praising Kapoor's performance, Vanga's story and direction, rated the film with three and a half stars out of five. She found editing and soulful music of the film appealing. She felt that the film was a rare story of star-crossed lovers which moves the audience. In the end, She says, "Reddy despite a brooding despairing protagonist takes things many notches higher and makes it one helluva trippy ride."[45] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare said, "At 172 minutes, the film is too long by modern standards. Thankfully, Vanga has gone for a non-linear mode of storytelling and going back and forth in the timeline does keep the viewer engrossed."[46]
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express giving the film one-and-a-half stars out of five, opined, "Kabir Singh (protagonist) is all flourish, mostly surface. You see him going through the motions, but you never really feel for him. And that, right there, is the problem: not enough pay off for three hours of pain.".[47] Raja Sen of Hindustan Times, agreeing with Gupta, gave one-and-a-half stars out of five and felt that it was the most misogynistic Indian film that had come in a long time. He praised the cinematography of Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran but criticised the other aspects of the film. He said, "Kabir Singh actually applauds its pathetic protagonist, and ends up an obnoxious celebration of toxic masculinity."[48] Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror rated the film two-and-a-half stars out of five, feeling that trimming the script by forty minutes would have helped.[49]
Sandipan Sharma, writing for Firstpost, praised and defended the film, saying, "filmmakers should have the right to explore the mind of a flawed person." He slammed the critics for their orthodox remarks and terming the film as "glorifying misogyny, portraying toxic masculinity, obsessive love, celebrating alcoholism, etc." He further added "If Kabir Singh were to inspire Indian men to turn into alcoholics, raging maniacs, would it be safe to assume that in a few years we’d see a full generation of youngsters inspired by biopics and our prime minister? [...] his tragi-comic story is so entertaining. Somewhere deep down it also reminds us of our own struggles, failures and flaws."[50]
In response to criticism of Kabir being portrayed as a misogynist, Kapoor defended the character, saying, "There are all kinds of people in real life, including alpha-males who feel territorial entitlement, and I have played this character truthfully".[4]
Box office
Kabir Singh's opening day domestic collection was ₹20.21 crore. This is the highest opening day collection for a Shahid Kapoor film. On the second day, the film collected ₹22.71 crore.[51] On the third day, the film collected ₹27.91 crore.[52]
As of 8 August 2019, with a gross of ₹331.24 crore in India and ₹41.06 crore overseas, the film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹372.30 crore.[3]
Kabir Singh is the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2019.[53] Going by domestic net collection, the film has made it to 9th position in the list of Hindi films with highest domestic net collection. It also became the first A-certified Indian film to gross over ₹ 200 crore in India
Principal photography began in October 2018 and ended in March 2019. The film was theatrically released in India on 21 June 2019 and received mixed reviews, with criticism directed at it for glamorising misogyny and toxic masculinity, though Kapoor's performance was praised. At the box office, it became Kapoor's highest-grossing film as a sole male star and emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019.
The film became available on Netflix for exclusive streaming on September 19, 2019.
Plot
Kabir Rajdheer Singh is a house surgeon at Delhi Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. Despite being a brilliant student, he has severe anger management problems that earn the wrath of the dean of the college. Kabir's aggressive nature also earns him a reputation among his juniors as a college bully. After having a brawl alongside his friend Kamal against members of the opposing team who made fun of them during an inter-college football match, the dean asks Kabir to either apologise or leave the college. Kabir initially chooses the latter but stays back after meeting and falling in love with first-year student Preeti Sikka.
Kabir and his friend Shiva enter a third-year classroom and announce that Kabir is in love with Preeti and asserts that she is exclusive to him. Initially afraid, Preeti starts adjusting herself to Kabir's overbearing attitude.She eventually reciprocates his feelings and they develop an intimate relationship. Kabir graduates with an MBBS degree and leaves for Mussoorie to pursue a Master's degree in orthopedic surgery. Over the course of three years both come back to Mumbai to their respective homes but Kabir's and Preeti's relationship becomes stronger. Months later, Kabir visits Preeti's house in Mumbai, where her father, Harpal, sees them kissing and throws Kabir out.
Harpal opposes Preeti and Kabir's relationship since he dislikes Kabir's personality. Kabir demands that Preeti must make a decision within six hours otherwise he will end their relationship. By the time she manages to visit Kabir's house, he is drunk, injects morphine into himself, and becomes unconscious for two days. Preeti is then forcibly married to another man named Jatinder from her caste. Kabir learns about the marriage from Shiva and goes to her house in protest. He is assaulted and gets arrested for making a scene. Kabir's father, Rajdheer, ostracises him from the family home for damaging his reputation.
With Shiva's help, Kabir finds a rented apartment and joins a private hospital as a surgeon. To cope with his emotions, he starts taking drugs, attempts one-night stands, buys a pet dog and names it after Preeti and drinks alcohol; all of which are unsuccessful. Within months, he becomes a successful surgeon and a high-functioning alcoholic who is feared by the hospital's staff members, one of the reasons being his high surgery count. Kabir's self-destructing behaviour and refusal to move on worries Shiva and Kamal. He persuades one of his patients, Jia Sharma, a leading film star, to have a no-strings relationship with him, which he ends when she falls in love with him.
On a day off, Kabir unwillingly agrees to perform a life-saving surgery and collapses with dehydration. The hospital staff examine his blood samples, which show traces of alcohol and cocaine. The hospital chief files a case against Kabir, who accepts the truth on the grounds of violating his professional ethics during an in-house court hearing, despite Shiva and Karan making arrangements to bail him out. Kabir's medical license is cancelled for five years and he is evicted from the flat. The next morning, Shiva manages to reach Kabir to convey his grandmother Sadhna Kaur's death; he meets his father, and they reconcile. Kabir gives up his self-destructive habits soon after.
While leaving for a vacation, Kabir sees a pregnant Preeti sitting in a park. Convinced that she is unhappy with her marriage, Kabir meets her after returning from his vacation. Preeti reveals that she left Jatinder days after their marriage and continued to work in a clinic. She tells Kabir that he is the child's father, and they reunite. The pair marries, and Harpal apologises for misunderstanding their love for each other. The movie ends off with the couple on the beach with their baby.
Cast
Shahid Kapoor as Dr Kabir Rajdheer Singh
Kiara Advani as Dr Preeti Sikka[4]
Soham Majumdar as Dr Shiva[5]
Arjan Bajwa as Karan Rajdheer Singh
Suresh Oberoi as Rajdheer Singh
Kamini Kaushal as Sadhna Kaur "Dadi"[5]
Adil Hussain as the college dean[5]
Nikita Dutta as Jia Sharma[6]
Kunal Thakur as Dr Kamal[5]
Anusha Sampath as Dr Keerti[7]
Swati Seth as Dr Vidya[7]
Anurag Arora as Harpal Sikka[5]
Vinay Sharma as Dr Kalyan "Sir"[5]
Amit Sharma as Amit[5]
Geetika as Preeti's roommate[5]
Suparna Marwah as Bhavna Sikka[5]
Dolly Mattoo as Kabir's mother[5]
Harsh A. Singh as Kabir's lawyer[5]
Vanita Kharat as Kabir's maid[5]
Urvashi Panchal as nurse Durga[5]
Siya Mahajan as nurse Rani[5]
Vipul Deshpande as a hospital doctor[5]
Parakh Madan as Preeti's sister[5]
Mitansh Lulla as Preeti's brother[5]
Ankush Deshmukh as Lakshman[5]
Ramakant Dayma as Shiva's father[5]
Gagandeep Singh as Jatinder[5]
Meneka Kurup Arora as a lady judge[5]
Abhay Raj Singh as Preeti's brother-in-law[5]
Aanchal Chauhan as Karan's wife[8]
Komal Singh as senior student ragging
Monu Bisht as senior student ragging
Ridhi Gupta as senior student
Teena Singh as a fractured patient's fiance[5]
Rajat Aroraa as the fractured patient[5]
Priya Roniyar as Shiva's sister
Prashanth as auto driver
SP Mishra as old patient
Dhiren as Kabir's landlord
Danish as Shiva's future brother-in-law[5]
Anagha Joshi as the lady on the roof[5]
Production
Development
After the success of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017), its writer and director Sandeep Vanga wanted to remake it in Hindi with Ranveer Singh. When it did not work out, he approached Shahid Kapoor. However, producers Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde of Cine1 Studios, who acquired the remake rights for Hindi, wanted Arjun Kapoor to play the male lead. Disappointed, Vanga said,"I've come to know that the remake rights of Arjun Reddy have been sold and it would star Arjun Kapoor. I am caught in a dilemma, as I've already locked Shahid for the role. It's a very embarrassing situation for me. I don't know how I'll face Shahid."[9] In April 2018, however, it was officially announced that Shahid Kapoor would star, with Vanga returning as director.[10]
Bhushan and Krishan Kumar of T-Series also produced the film,[11] while Vinod Bhanushali received a co-producer credit.[12] The dialogue was written by Siddharth–Garima. Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran was selected as the cinematographer, and Aarif Sheikh as editor.[5] Vanga was confident that the remake would be even more hard hitting than the original: "When I made Arjun Reddy, I wasn't sure where to draw the line in terms of representation of certain things. I don't think I'd have to restrict myself when it comes to the Hindi version. I believe I'll have more freedom in Bollywood."[10] The film's title Kabir Singh was announced on 25 October 2018.[13]
Writing
Like the Telugu original, Kabir Singh too begins with a voiceover from the hero's paternal grandmother, but this time she is reciting a Kabir Doha. There are also geographical changes; the remake is set primarily in Delhi and Mumbai. Instead of caste conflict as in Arjun Reddy, the heroine's father takes offence to Kabir's smoking and not being a turban-wearing Sikh. For the remake, Vanga said he deployed less English than the original. "I've also tried to retain the colloquial quality in the Hindi dialogue." About the name Kabir Singh, he said, "There's a lot of melancholy in the name Kabir and a poetic side too."[14] Vanga explained his reasons for choosing this as the film's title: "When we started work on the Hindi script, it was a very exciting journey. Kabir Singh, as the protagonist's name, came naturally, considering the character's graph. Kabir Singh has the same punch and madness of Arjun Reddy."[15]
Casting
Shahid Kapoor portrays the title character, Kabir Rajdheer Singh.[16] Although Kiara Advani was Vanga's first choice for the female lead character Preeti, things failed to materialise.[17] Tara Sutaria was then announced,[18] but left when a delay in the production of her debut film Student of the Year 2 (2019) caused scheduling conflicts.[19] The makers then went back to Advani to play the role of Preeti,[20] Vanga cited her performance in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) as one of the reasons.[21] According to Vanga, "Kiara epitomises the female character in the film to the T. She has the perfect combination of innocence (in terms of looks) and maturity (in terms of performance) that's so important for the character".[22] Arjan Bajwa was initially unwilling to play Kabir's elder brother Karan Singh,[23] but accepted at the insistence of Vanga, for whom he was the only choice to play the character.[24] Suresh Oberoi portrays Kabir and Karan's father Rajdheer Singh.[25] Amit Sharma, who appeared as Amit in the Telugu original, was chosen to reprise his role.[5][26]
Filming
The makers considered beginning the shoot in August, but it was delayed to September as Vanga wanted Kapoor to grow his beard more for the role.[27] Principal photography eventually began on 21 October 2018 at Mumbai,[28] four days before the announcement of the title.[13] Filming also took place at Delhi and Mussoorie.[5] Kapoor dons three different looks for the film. Regarding this he said, "There's a certain mind space and the present which the character is in and there's also the past which he has been part of. Along with this, there's the culmination. So, there are three distinct energies that the film needs."[29] He went through substantial workouts to portray Kabir Singh in two time periods; to achieve the character's "college boy" look, he shed 14 kilos of weight, and for the "puffy, groggy alcoholic" look, he worked out in a way that he would look "bigger but not muscular".[30] Principal photography wrapped on 29 March 2019.[31]
Soundtrack
Marketing
The official teaser of the film was released on 8 April 2019 by T-Series.[34] In a first-of-its-kind marketing deal, Kabir Singh became the first Bollywood film to have its very own theatre. As many as 15 PVR theatres in 15 cities across India would be renamed as "Kabir Singh Ka Theatre", with auditoriums reflecting the characteristics of the title character played by Kapoor.[35] The film's official trailer was released on 13 May 2019. It has been viewed 55 million times since its release.[12]
Release
Kabir Singh was released on 21 June 2019, worldwide on 3616 screens including 3123 screens in India.[36] It is distributed by AA Films within India.[37] Khetani chose not to release the film in Pakistan, following the 2019 Pulwama attack.[38] The film received an 'A' (adults only) certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with the board asking the makers to modify a scene where a character is seen snorting drugs, and also asked for insertion of static warning messages against drug abuse in all such scenes.[39]
Reception
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews, with criticism directed at it for glamorising misogyny and toxic masculinity.[40][41] Nitya Prakash writing for Bombay Weekly rated the film with four out of five stars and finds it "visually compelling" having "haunting performances" and "nuanced writing". Praising cinematography, Kapoor's acting and score, he said, "Kabir Singh" is not a film; it's an experience that’ll stay with you."[42] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying,"While Kabir Singh is a welcome change from stereotypical love stories, this kind of love affair needs some getting used to. Through his protagonist, Sandeep bets all his cards on his leading man, making sure you either love him or hate him, but you can't ignore him."[43] Trade analyst and critic Taran Adarsh concurred with Kotecha on the film being an unconventional story and rated it three and half stars out of five. Declaring it "powerful", he praised Vanga's storytelling and Kapoor's performance. He felt that the film was a newfangled romantic tale.[44]
Priyanka Sinha Jha of CNN-News18, praising Kapoor's performance, Vanga's story and direction, rated the film with three and a half stars out of five. She found editing and soulful music of the film appealing. She felt that the film was a rare story of star-crossed lovers which moves the audience. In the end, She says, "Reddy despite a brooding despairing protagonist takes things many notches higher and makes it one helluva trippy ride."[45] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare said, "At 172 minutes, the film is too long by modern standards. Thankfully, Vanga has gone for a non-linear mode of storytelling and going back and forth in the timeline does keep the viewer engrossed."[46]
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express giving the film one-and-a-half stars out of five, opined, "Kabir Singh (protagonist) is all flourish, mostly surface. You see him going through the motions, but you never really feel for him. And that, right there, is the problem: not enough pay off for three hours of pain.".[47] Raja Sen of Hindustan Times, agreeing with Gupta, gave one-and-a-half stars out of five and felt that it was the most misogynistic Indian film that had come in a long time. He praised the cinematography of Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran but criticised the other aspects of the film. He said, "Kabir Singh actually applauds its pathetic protagonist, and ends up an obnoxious celebration of toxic masculinity."[48] Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror rated the film two-and-a-half stars out of five, feeling that trimming the script by forty minutes would have helped.[49]
Sandipan Sharma, writing for Firstpost, praised and defended the film, saying, "filmmakers should have the right to explore the mind of a flawed person." He slammed the critics for their orthodox remarks and terming the film as "glorifying misogyny, portraying toxic masculinity, obsessive love, celebrating alcoholism, etc." He further added "If Kabir Singh were to inspire Indian men to turn into alcoholics, raging maniacs, would it be safe to assume that in a few years we’d see a full generation of youngsters inspired by biopics and our prime minister? [...] his tragi-comic story is so entertaining. Somewhere deep down it also reminds us of our own struggles, failures and flaws."[50]
In response to criticism of Kabir being portrayed as a misogynist, Kapoor defended the character, saying, "There are all kinds of people in real life, including alpha-males who feel territorial entitlement, and I have played this character truthfully".[4]
Box office
Kabir Singh's opening day domestic collection was ₹20.21 crore. This is the highest opening day collection for a Shahid Kapoor film. On the second day, the film collected ₹22.71 crore.[51] On the third day, the film collected ₹27.91 crore.[52]
As of 8 August 2019, with a gross of ₹331.24 crore in India and ₹41.06 crore overseas, the film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹372.30 crore.[3]
Kabir Singh is the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2019.[53] Going by domestic net collection, the film has made it to 9th position in the list of Hindi films with highest domestic net collection. It also became the first A-certified Indian film to gross over ₹ 200 crore in India
ريو فرديناند
ريو غافن فرديناند (بالإنجليزية: Rio Gavin Ferdinand)، (مواليد 7 نوفمبر 1978)، هو لاعب كرة قدم إنجليزي معتزل. كان يلعب في مركز قلب الدفاع. ومثّل منتخب إنجلترا بين عامي 1997–2011 كما مثّل المنتخب في ثلاث كؤوس عالم. ويعتبره الكثيرون واحداً من أعظم اللاعبين في تاريخ إنجلترا، وهو واحد من أكثر لاعبي كرة القدم الإنجليزية حصولاً على الألقاب عبر التاريخ.
مسيرته الكروية
وست هام يونايتد
صقل موهبته الكروية مع عدة فرق للشباب, قبل أن يصبو به المطاف إلى نادي وست هام يونايتد حيث تمكن من الصعود من خلال الرتب الشبابية إلى الفريق الأول. في عام 1996 ظهر لأول مرة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز في أول مباراة احترافية له. في الموسم التالي أصبح من معشوقي جمهور وست هام يونايتد, إذ تمكن من الحصول على جائزة "مطرقة السنة" لأفضل لاعب لنادي وست هام يونايتد للموسم. في عام 1997 حطم الرقم القياسي لأصغر مدافع يمثل المنتخب الإنجليزي في ذلك الوقت عندما شارك في أول مباراة دولية له ضد منتخب الكاميرون.
ليدز يونايتد
كل تلك الإنجازات و مستقبله الكروي الواعد دفعت بنادي ليدز يونايتد لأن يتعاقد معه في صفقة قياسية حيث قد كلفت 28.38 مليون دولار أمريكي. بعد ذلك قضى موسمين في النادي, و أصبح كابتن النادي سنة 2001.
فرديناند استقر بشكل جيد، وأصبح جزءا لا يتجزأ من فريق ليدز الذي وصل إلى الدور نصف النهائي من دوري أبطال أوروبا، و أحرز هدفا من ضربة رأسية في الدور ربع النهائي ضد إسبانيا ديبورتيفو لا كورونيا.
وشملت أبرز أهدافه خلال فترة وجوده في ليدزأهداف ضد ليفربول على ملعب انفيلد و هدفا لابتون بارك.
مانشستر يونايتد
بعد أدائه الممتاز للمنتخب الإنجليزي في كأس العالم يونيو 2002, انضم لنادي مانشستر يونايتد في يوليو 2002 في صفقة كلفت 47.29 مليون دولار أمريكي تقريبا, محطما الرقم القياسي لأغلى صفقة انتقال كروية للمرة الثانية. تكلل أول موسم له في النادي بنجاح حيث توج بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لأول مرة في مشواره. لم يشهد موسمه الثاني نفس النجاح إذ تم إيقافه في شهر يناير لسنة 2004 لمدة 8 أشهر بسبب تخلفه عن فحص منشطات عشوائي في بداية الموسم, رغم أنه خاضه لاحقه و تبين عدم تعاطيه لأي منشطات إطلاقا. نتيجة لذلك الإيقاف لم يتمكن ناديه من الاستعانة بخدماته في النصف الثاني من الموسم و كذلك لم يتمكن المنتخب الإنجليزي من استدعائه للمشاركة في بطولة أمم أوروبا في يونيو 2004 في البرتغال.
بعد انتهاء مدة إيقافه, استطاع أن يرسخ مكانه في قلب دفاع مانشستر يونايتد و أن يلفت الأنظار و الإعجاب بسبب أدائه المتميز, حيث اختير من ضمن تشكيلة أفضل فريق للسنة ثلاث مرات خلال 4 سنوات من قبل زملاءه في الاتحاد الإنجليزي لمحترفي كرة القدم. حقق العديد من الإنجازات مع ناديه لاحقا إذ استطاع مانشستر يونايتد أن يهيمن على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي لمدة ثلاث سنوات على التوالي (2007, 2008, 2009), و حقق كذلك الثنائية سنة 2008 حينما أحرز لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا بالإضافة إلى لقب الدوري. اختير في تشكيلة أفضل فريق في العالم لتلك السنة من قبل الاتحاد الدولي لمحترفي كرة القدم.
في 21 مايو 2008، كان فرديناند قائدا لمانشستر يونايتد للفوز في نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام تشيلسي. حمل الكأس مع ريان غيغز، حيث كان غيغز قائد الفريق الميداني لمعظم المباريات خلال هذا الموسم أثناء غياب غاري نيفيل بسبب الاصابة.
يوم 12 مايو عام 2013، سجل فرديناند الهدف الأخير في عهد السير أليكس فيرجسون في أولد ترافورد في الفوز 2-1 على سوانسي سيتي.
مسيرته الدولية
لعب فرديناند 81 مباراة مع منتخب إنجلترا. كان فرديناند ضمن تشكيلة المنتخب في أربعة نهائيات كأس العالم (ولو من دون اللعب في عام 1998 واستبعاده عام 2010 بسبب الإصابة).
سجل فرديناند ثلاثة أهداف لمنتخب إنجلترا، الأول فيكأس العالم 2002 في مباراة الدور الثاني ضد الدنمارك. والثاني بغد أن تغلب على الحارس الروسي فياتشيسلاف مالافيف في تصفيات بطولة أمم أوروبا 2008 ضد روسيا في 12 سبتمبر 2007 في ملعب ويمبلي. الثالث في 11 نوفمبر عام 2008 في التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2010 على أرضه أمام كازاخستان. فازت إنجلترا 5-1.
في 25 مارس 2008 أعلن أن فرديناند سيرتدي شارة الكابتن من قبل فابيو كابيلو في مبارته الثانية مع المنتخب الإنجليزي، متقدما على جون تيري وستيفن جيرارد وديفيد بيكهام. أعلن الاتحاد الإنجليزي في بيان أن قرار تسمية فرديناند قائدا كان جزءا من خطط كابيلو لتناوب شارة الكابتن قبل تسميته الكاتبن الرسمي في تصفيات كأس العالم في سبتمبر. في 19 أغسطس، ومع ذلك، فقد فرديناند شارة الكابتن إلى جون تيري.
يوم 5 فبراير 2010، تم أختيار فرديناند ليكون قائدا لإنجلترا بدلا من جون تيري.
على الرغم من أن اصابة الفخذ و مشاكل الظهر اضطرته إلى عدم المشاركة كثيرا موسم 2009–10، تم اختيار فرديناند كقائد لمنتخب إنجلترا في نهائيات كأس العالم 2010. ومع ذلك، تعرض لاصابة في اربطة الركبة خلال أول دورة تدريبية للفريق في جنوب أفريقيا يوم 4 يونيو و استبعد في وقت لاحق من البطولة.
في مايو عام 2013، أعلن فرديناند اعتزاله اللعب الدولي، قائلا "أنه الوقت المناسب لإفساح المجال للاعبين الشباب والتركيز على مهنة النادي".
مسيرته الكروية
وست هام يونايتد
صقل موهبته الكروية مع عدة فرق للشباب, قبل أن يصبو به المطاف إلى نادي وست هام يونايتد حيث تمكن من الصعود من خلال الرتب الشبابية إلى الفريق الأول. في عام 1996 ظهر لأول مرة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز في أول مباراة احترافية له. في الموسم التالي أصبح من معشوقي جمهور وست هام يونايتد, إذ تمكن من الحصول على جائزة "مطرقة السنة" لأفضل لاعب لنادي وست هام يونايتد للموسم. في عام 1997 حطم الرقم القياسي لأصغر مدافع يمثل المنتخب الإنجليزي في ذلك الوقت عندما شارك في أول مباراة دولية له ضد منتخب الكاميرون.
ليدز يونايتد
كل تلك الإنجازات و مستقبله الكروي الواعد دفعت بنادي ليدز يونايتد لأن يتعاقد معه في صفقة قياسية حيث قد كلفت 28.38 مليون دولار أمريكي. بعد ذلك قضى موسمين في النادي, و أصبح كابتن النادي سنة 2001.
فرديناند استقر بشكل جيد، وأصبح جزءا لا يتجزأ من فريق ليدز الذي وصل إلى الدور نصف النهائي من دوري أبطال أوروبا، و أحرز هدفا من ضربة رأسية في الدور ربع النهائي ضد إسبانيا ديبورتيفو لا كورونيا.
وشملت أبرز أهدافه خلال فترة وجوده في ليدزأهداف ضد ليفربول على ملعب انفيلد و هدفا لابتون بارك.
مانشستر يونايتد
بعد أدائه الممتاز للمنتخب الإنجليزي في كأس العالم يونيو 2002, انضم لنادي مانشستر يونايتد في يوليو 2002 في صفقة كلفت 47.29 مليون دولار أمريكي تقريبا, محطما الرقم القياسي لأغلى صفقة انتقال كروية للمرة الثانية. تكلل أول موسم له في النادي بنجاح حيث توج بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لأول مرة في مشواره. لم يشهد موسمه الثاني نفس النجاح إذ تم إيقافه في شهر يناير لسنة 2004 لمدة 8 أشهر بسبب تخلفه عن فحص منشطات عشوائي في بداية الموسم, رغم أنه خاضه لاحقه و تبين عدم تعاطيه لأي منشطات إطلاقا. نتيجة لذلك الإيقاف لم يتمكن ناديه من الاستعانة بخدماته في النصف الثاني من الموسم و كذلك لم يتمكن المنتخب الإنجليزي من استدعائه للمشاركة في بطولة أمم أوروبا في يونيو 2004 في البرتغال.
بعد انتهاء مدة إيقافه, استطاع أن يرسخ مكانه في قلب دفاع مانشستر يونايتد و أن يلفت الأنظار و الإعجاب بسبب أدائه المتميز, حيث اختير من ضمن تشكيلة أفضل فريق للسنة ثلاث مرات خلال 4 سنوات من قبل زملاءه في الاتحاد الإنجليزي لمحترفي كرة القدم. حقق العديد من الإنجازات مع ناديه لاحقا إذ استطاع مانشستر يونايتد أن يهيمن على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي لمدة ثلاث سنوات على التوالي (2007, 2008, 2009), و حقق كذلك الثنائية سنة 2008 حينما أحرز لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا بالإضافة إلى لقب الدوري. اختير في تشكيلة أفضل فريق في العالم لتلك السنة من قبل الاتحاد الدولي لمحترفي كرة القدم.
في 21 مايو 2008، كان فرديناند قائدا لمانشستر يونايتد للفوز في نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام تشيلسي. حمل الكأس مع ريان غيغز، حيث كان غيغز قائد الفريق الميداني لمعظم المباريات خلال هذا الموسم أثناء غياب غاري نيفيل بسبب الاصابة.
يوم 12 مايو عام 2013، سجل فرديناند الهدف الأخير في عهد السير أليكس فيرجسون في أولد ترافورد في الفوز 2-1 على سوانسي سيتي.
مسيرته الدولية
لعب فرديناند 81 مباراة مع منتخب إنجلترا. كان فرديناند ضمن تشكيلة المنتخب في أربعة نهائيات كأس العالم (ولو من دون اللعب في عام 1998 واستبعاده عام 2010 بسبب الإصابة).
سجل فرديناند ثلاثة أهداف لمنتخب إنجلترا، الأول فيكأس العالم 2002 في مباراة الدور الثاني ضد الدنمارك. والثاني بغد أن تغلب على الحارس الروسي فياتشيسلاف مالافيف في تصفيات بطولة أمم أوروبا 2008 ضد روسيا في 12 سبتمبر 2007 في ملعب ويمبلي. الثالث في 11 نوفمبر عام 2008 في التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2010 على أرضه أمام كازاخستان. فازت إنجلترا 5-1.
في 25 مارس 2008 أعلن أن فرديناند سيرتدي شارة الكابتن من قبل فابيو كابيلو في مبارته الثانية مع المنتخب الإنجليزي، متقدما على جون تيري وستيفن جيرارد وديفيد بيكهام. أعلن الاتحاد الإنجليزي في بيان أن قرار تسمية فرديناند قائدا كان جزءا من خطط كابيلو لتناوب شارة الكابتن قبل تسميته الكاتبن الرسمي في تصفيات كأس العالم في سبتمبر. في 19 أغسطس، ومع ذلك، فقد فرديناند شارة الكابتن إلى جون تيري.
يوم 5 فبراير 2010، تم أختيار فرديناند ليكون قائدا لإنجلترا بدلا من جون تيري.
على الرغم من أن اصابة الفخذ و مشاكل الظهر اضطرته إلى عدم المشاركة كثيرا موسم 2009–10، تم اختيار فرديناند كقائد لمنتخب إنجلترا في نهائيات كأس العالم 2010. ومع ذلك، تعرض لاصابة في اربطة الركبة خلال أول دورة تدريبية للفريق في جنوب أفريقيا يوم 4 يونيو و استبعد في وقت لاحق من البطولة.
في مايو عام 2013، أعلن فرديناند اعتزاله اللعب الدولي، قائلا "أنه الوقت المناسب لإفساح المجال للاعبين الشباب والتركيز على مهنة النادي".
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back, and current television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads.[4] He is regarded by many to be one of England's greatest ever players and he is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time.[5][6][7][8]
Ferdinand began his football career playing for various youth teams, finally settling at West Ham United where he progressed through the youth ranks and made his professional Premier League debut in 1996. He became a fan favourite, winning the Hammer of the Year award the following season. He earned his first senior international cap in a match against Cameroon in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. His achievements and footballing potential attracted Leeds United and he transferred to the club for a record-breaking fee of £18 million. He spent two seasons at the club, becoming the team captain in 2001.
He joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more. He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. In September 2003, he missed a drugs test and was banned from competition for eight months from January until September 2004, causing him to miss half a Premier League season, Manchester United's FA Cup triumph, and the Euro 2004 international competition. Upon his return, he established himself in the Manchester United first team and received plaudits for his performances, featuring in the PFA Team of the Year four times in five years. More club success followed with another Premier League win in the 2006–07 season and a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double the following year. His career at United, in which he won six Premier League titles and 14 trophies,[9] ended when his contract expired in 2014, and he subsequently joined Queens Park Rangers where he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. He announced his retirement from professional football on 30 May 2015.
In September 2017, Ferdinand announced his intention to become a professional boxer, partly to help him cope with the death of his wife.[10]
His brother, Anton, also a centre back, plays for St Mirren. Former England international striker Les Ferdinand and former Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Kane Ferdinand are his cousins.
Early life
Formative years and education
Ferdinand was born at King's College Hospital in Camberwell and grew up in Peckham.[11] He is the son of an Irish mother, Janice Lavender, and a Afro-Saint Lucian father, Julian Ferdinand.[12][13]
Ferdinand grew up in Peckham in a large family, his mother was one of six children and his father arrived in Britain with ten other family members.[14] Both parents worked to support the family, his mother as a child carer and his father as a tailor. His parents never married and they separated when he was 14 years old. His father remained close, moving to a nearby estate, and took the kids to football training and to local parks.[12][15] Ferdinand attended Camelot Primary School.[15][16] At school, he focused on maths and revelled in the opportunity to perform before an audience during a school production of Bugsy Malone.[15]
"I always as a kid wanted to do something different, I'd get bored very easily – even playing football or hanging around with my mates. So travelling away from home, meeting new people. ... I enjoyed it."[15]
He chose to attend Blackheath Bluecoat School to make new friends and settled in well, feeling his confidence growing.[12] His second year was marred by the death of a fellow pupil, Stephen Lawrence, and the event demonstrated the ever-present threat of violence.[16] Ferdinand enjoyed physical expression, taking part in not just football and gymnastics classes but drama, theatre and ballet too.[15] He was an able child: he represented Southwark in gymnastics at the London Youth Games,[17] by age 10 he had been invited to train at the Queens Park Rangers academy, and at age 11 he won a scholarship to attend the Central School of Ballet in London.[12] Ferdinand attended the ballet classes, travelling to the city centre four days a week for four years.[15]
Youth-team career
Ferdinand's superior footballing abilities were evident even as a child: when he was 11 years old a youth coach, David Goodwin, remarked "I'm going to call you Pelé, son, I like the way you play."[15] Ferdinand was regularly playing in youth teams and at Eltham Town he played as an attacking midfielder but team scouts saw the young player had the physical potential to be a centre back instead. Teams vied for the young footballer's services and during his youth he trained with Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. Ferdinand was ever curious of different places and even travelled north to Middlesbrough's training ground, spending a good part of his school holidays in a bedsit just to be there.[15]
London team West Ham United was to be his footballing home, however, and he joined their youth system in 1992.[12] He signed his first Youth Training Scheme contract in January 1994 and played alongside players such as Frank Lampard at the academy.[15][18] Success pending at club level, international football also began for Ferdinand; at 16 he joined the England youth-team squad to compete in their age group's UEFA European Championship, gaining his first experience of international competition.[15]
Club career
West Ham United
Originally scouted by Frank Lampard, Ferdinand progressed through the youth-team ranks, earning a professional contract and a place in the first-team squad in the process.[15] On 5 May 1996, he made his senior team debut, as he came on as a substitute for Tony Cottee in the Hammers' last game of the season, a 1–1 home draw against Sheffield Wednesday.[15][19] During the summer of 1997, Manchester United made enquires about Ferdinand before they turned to Henning Berg after West Ham rejected any sale.[20]
During the 1997–98 season, Ferdinand won the Hammer of the Year award at the young age of 19.[21]
Bournemouth
In November 1996 Ferdinand joined Bournemouth on loan. He made his debut on 9 November in a 1–1 away draw against Blackpool. He played 10 games for Bournemouth before returning to West Ham in January 1997.[22]
Leeds United
Ferdinand joined Premier League club Leeds United in November 2000 for £18 million, then a British transfer record as well as becoming the world's most expensive defender.[21] Despite an uncomfortable start to his career at Elland Road, beginning with a 3–1 defeat at Leicester City on his debut,[23] Ferdinand settled well and became an integral part of the Leeds team that reached the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, scoring with a header in the quarter-final against Spain's Deportivo La Coruña.[24] Other highlights during his spell in Yorkshire included goals against Liverpool at Anfield[25] and a scoring return to Upton Park.[26]
The following season, in August 2001, he became the club captain after replacing Lucas Radebe and turned in an impressive second campaign, despite Leeds' failure to break into the top three and secure qualification for the competition they had figured in so prominently during the previous season. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, rumours began circulating that the club were in dire financial trouble and that new manager Terry Venables would be forced to part with his star defender for a substantial amount of cash. Later that summer after Ferdinand's impressive World Cup for England, Leeds accepted a bid of £29.3 million with possible performance related add-ons up to £33.3 million due to their perilous financial position.[27]. Years later, Rio admitted he sat in the office of Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale for 5 and a half to 6 hours to force the transfer through. [28]
Manchester United
2002–2007
On 22 July 2002, Ferdinand joined fellow Premier League side Manchester United on a five-year deal to become the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world's most expensive defender for a second time, a title he had lost in 2001 to Lilian Thuram. The fee included a basic element in the high £20 millions, and some conditional elements, which allowed Leeds to tell their fans that they were selling him for over £30 million. Leeds United later took a single payment in place of all the contingent elements during their financial crisis. The final book value of Ferdinand's contract in Manchester United's accounts was £34 million. This included agents' fees, with Leeds receiving just under £30 million. Ferdinand went on to win the Premier League title with Manchester United in his first season at the club. He collected a winner's medal in the 2006 League Cup, with runners-up medals in the 2003 League Cup and the 2005 FA Cup.[29]
In September 2003, he failed to attend a drug test scheduled to take place at United's Carrington training ground. Ferdinand had left after training to go shopping, only to remember and attempt to return, only to be told it was too late. He did undergo testing the following day and passed, and also offered to have a hair follicle test, which would provide results for the previous six months, but the FA turned down the offer.[30][31] The Football Association (FA) Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Barry Bright, imposed an eight-month ban from January 2004 at club and international level and a £50,000 fine, meaning he would miss the rest of the season and some of the next along with all of Euro 2004.[32] Manchester United appealed against the verdict and sought to draw parallels to the case of Manchester City player Christian Negouai, who was fined £2,000 for missing a test. However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated that such comparisons are inappropriate due to differences between the two cases. Negouai had been stuck in traffic and was willing to take the test, while Ferdinand was charged with "failure or refusal" to attend the test. Both the FA and FIFA sought to have the ban increased to 12 months (half the possible maximum). In the end, the original verdict was upheld.[33]
On 14 December 2005, in a game against Wigan Athletic, Ferdinand scored his first goal for United, en route to a 4–0 victory.[34] This was his first goal after more than three years at Old Trafford. He followed this up with a powerfully headed goal against West Bromwich Albion.[35] He then scored a last minute winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford,[36] possibly his most important Manchester United goal to date. In the corresponding fixture in the following season on 22 October 2006, Ferdinand scored again in a 2–0 victory.[37]
Following impressive and consistent performances in the league, Rio Ferdinand was named in the 2006–07 PFA Premiership Team of the Season, alongside seven of his Manchester United teammates.[38]
2007–2014
Ferdinand started the 2007–08 season well, he was part of a United defence that managed to keep six clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, before conceding an early goal to Aston Villa at Villa Park on 20 October 2007.[39] It was also during this game where Ferdinand scored his first goal of the season, which was United's third goal of that game, with a left foot strike which took a very strong deflection off one of Villa's defenders. Just three days later, Ferdinand scored his first European goal for United by opening the scoring against Dynamo Kyiv, with a superb header. United dominated the game and won 4–2.[40]
On 12 January 2008, Ferdinand bagged a rare Premier League goal in a 6–0 hammering of Newcastle United at Old Trafford. In their FA Cup quarter-final match against Portsmouth on 8 March 2008 when Manchester United dominated, Ferdinand made a rare appearance as a goalkeeper, after Edwin van der Sar left the pitch with a groin injury and the replacement keeper, Tomasz Kuszczak, was sent off after conceding a penalty. Despite diving the right way, he was unable to save Sulley Muntari's spot kick, and Manchester United were eliminated from the FA Cup.[41] On 6 April 2008, against Middlesbrough, Ferdinand limped out of the match due to a foot injury. He was rated doubtful whether he would face A.S. Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg on 9 April 2008. He would play the full 90 minutes, though he received three stitches at half-time.[42]
After United's 2–1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League in April 2008, Ferdinand swore at Chelsea stewards and tried to kick a wall in the tunnel, but instead kicked a female steward, Tracy Wray. Ferdinand claimed to have merely brushed her with his foot.[43] He said he had apologised and sent the steward some flowers. However, Wray showed the bruise on her leg to the media, and her husband claimed that Ferdinand had not apologised or sent flowers.[
It was announced on 16 April 2008 that, along with Michael Carrick and Wes Brown, Ferdinand had agreed to sign a new five-year contract, worth around £130,000 a week, which would keep him with United until 2013. The contract was finally signed on 15 May 2008.[45] On 21 May 2008, Ferdinand captained Manchester United to a Champions League Final victory versus Chelsea.[46] He accepted the trophy together with Ryan Giggs, as Giggs was the on field captain for most of the matches during that season during Gary Neville's absence due to injury.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live he criticised FIFA's approach to tackling racism in football, stating that not enough was being done to punish those guilty of homophobic or racist abuse at matches. Regarding taunts aimed at Emile Heskey in England's 4–1 victory against Croatia in Zagreb, Ferdinand remarked:
"Croatia were fined a few thousand quid. What's that going to do? That is not going to stop people shouting racist or homophobic abuse...If things like this keep happening you have to take points off them. Then the punters will realise the team is going to be punished."[47]
Ferdinand had an injury plagued 2009–10 season, a number of back and knee injuries kept him on the sidelines for months. He returned to action on 28 January 2010, but was banned for four games after being found guilty of violent conduct for elbowing Hull City's Craig Fagan.[48][49]
Due to a knee injury he suffered in the summer of 2010, which ruled him out of the World Cup for England, he missed all of pre-season, the Community Shield and the first four games of the 2010–11 Premier League season. He returned to first-team football in the opening game of the Champions League group stage against Rangers on 14 September. He captained the side and played the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw. He started the season opening game in August 2011, the 2011 FA Community Shield, where United found themselves 2–0 down at half time to city rivals Manchester City. Ferdinand was taken off after 45 minutes along with defensive partner Nemanja Vidić and replaced by Jonny Evans and Phil Jones respectively. United went on to win the game 3–2 and Ferdinand claimed his fourth Community Shield medal of his career. Ferdinand started in the opening Premier League match of the season at West Bromwich Albion, a game United won 2–1, but he went off with a hamstring injury after 75 minutes. After the match, Alex Ferguson confirmed that Ferdinand would be out for six weeks. Ferdinand however recovered much quicker than initially diagnosed and returned to take a place on the bench two weeks later at Old Trafford in United's 8–2 demolition of Arsenal, although he did not play a part in the game.[50] Ferdinand made his return to competitive action in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.
On 9 December 2012, Ferdinand was struck and injured by a coin thrown from the home crowd during United's 3–2 derby victory away from home against Manchester City.[51]
On 5 March 2013, Ferdinand, unhappy with the referee Cüneyt Çakır's decision to send off Nani during a 2–1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at Old Trafford, clapped sarcastically in the referee's face after the game. He escaped any punishment from UEFA for the incident.[52]
On 12 May 2013, Ferdinand scored the winner and final goal of the Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford in a 2–1 victory over Swansea City. After a corner was missed by everyone, the ball found its way to Ferdinand at the back post and he hit it on the volley to seal the win. On 23 May 2013, it was announced that Ferdinand had secured a new one-year contract that would see him stay with the club until the end of the 2013–14 season.[53] He was not offered an extension when that contract expired, and agreed to leave Manchester United on 12 May 2014. In a letter on his official website, he said "I am feeling fit and healthy, ready for a new challenge and looking forward to whatever the future holds for me."[54]
Queens Park Rangers
On 17 July 2014, Ferdinand signed for newly promoted Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a one-year contract.[55] He returned to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving Manchester United on 14 September 2014 to face his former club in the Premier League in which his side was beaten 4–0.[56]
In October 2014, Ferdinand confirmed in an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show that he would retire at the end of the season, saying "I'm not fearful of retirement, I'm looking forward to it, I can see some good stuff hopefully happening ahead".[57] In May 2015, following their relegation, Queens Park Rangers announced the release of Ferdinand in the summer.[58] He made only 12 appearances for QPR in his only season with the club.[59]
On 30 May 2015, Ferdinand announced his retirement from professional football, three days after leaving QPR.[60][61]
International career
Ferdinand was capped 81 times for England, making him England's second most capped black player behind Ashley Cole with 107.[62] Although Ferdinand was named in four consecutive England World Cup squads (albeit without playing in 1998 and missing 2010 through injury), he never went to a European Championship due to a ban for missing a drugs test and due to England's failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.
Ferdinand scored three goals for England,[63] the first in the 2002 World Cup second round match against Denmark (although some sources credit this goal as a Thomas Sørensen own goal[64]). The second was a near post strike that beat the Russian goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev in England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia on 12 September 2007 at Wembley Stadium. The third on 11 October 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at home to Kazakhstan. England won 5–1.[65]
At the age of 19 years and 8 days, Ferdinand earned his first full England cap as a substitute in a friendly against Cameroon on 15 November 1997, making him the youngest defender to play for England at the time (a record broken in 2006 by Micah Richards). Ferdinand would have made an even earlier debut in September had he not been charged with drink-driving in the buildup to England's 1998 World Cup qualifier against Moldova. Ferdinand was named in the squad for this game and was a likely starter; however, the public mourning for Princess Diana – whose chauffeur had been suspected of drink-driving – left Glenn Hoddle with little choice but to drop the teenager from the squad.[citation needed] After an impressive 1997–98 season he was selected for the 1998 World Cup squad as a back-up defender. However, he was not selected in Kevin Keegan's 22-man squad for the 2000 European Championships.[66]
After his £18 million move to Leeds United, Ferdinand was named in the starting line-up by caretaker manager Peter Taylor in a friendly match against Italy[67] and quickly established himself as a first-choice player under Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was selected as one of England's two first-choice centre backs at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, wearing the number 5 shirt.
John Terry (with whom Ferdinand would later partner in central defence) replaced Ferdinand in the England side throughout his eight-month ban until his return on 9 October 2004 in their World Cup qualifier against Wales. Ferdinand played ten World Cup finals matches for England, recording clean sheets against Argentina, Nigeria and Denmark in 2002, and Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador and Portugal in 2006
On 25 March 2008, it was announced that Ferdinand would wear the captain's armband for Fabio Capello's second game in charge of the national team,[69] ahead of John Terry, Steven Gerrard or David Beckham, who some believed would be named captain to mark his 100th cap for his country. An FA statement suggested that the decision to name Ferdinand as captain was part of Capello's plans of rotating the captaincy before naming an official captain for September's World Cup qualifiers. On 19 August, however, Ferdinand lost out to Terry in retaining the captain's armband but was named vice-captain by Fabio Capello.[70]
A mistake in the match between England and Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk on 10 October 2009 which led to the sending off of Robert Green led some to question his inclusion in the squad. A lack of match practice for his club and a series of errors such as he suffered in his early days as a footballer led to criticism of his inclusion from several corners.[71]
On 5 February 2010, Ferdinand replaced John Terry as captain of England.[72]
Although back and groin injury problems forced him to miss much of the 2009–10 domestic season, Ferdinand was selected to captain England at the 2010 World Cup. However, he suffered a knee ligament injury during the team's first training session in South Africa on 4 June and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.[73] On 19 March 2011, ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales, Capello announced that John Terry was to be re-instated as permanent England captain and that Ferdinand would return to his role of vice-captain.[74]
Ferdinand was left out of Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012, leading to strong speculation this was to avoid potential conflict with John Terry, who was included in the squad, due to Terry's upcoming trial for racially abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton.[75] Further controversy arose when after Gary Cahill was ruled out of the tournament 22-year-old Martin Kelly with just two minutes of international football was called up as a replacement instead of Ferdinand. This led to Ferdinand's representative Jamie Moralee accusing Hodgson of showing a "lack of respect".[76]
On 3 October 2012, the Daily Mirror reported that Roy Hodgson had revealed to fellow passengers on the London Underground that Ferdinand would no longer be considered for England duty, despite the retirement of John Terry.[77] Hodgson later apologised for these comments and denied that he was ruling Ferdinand out of playing for England again.[78]
On 14 March 2013, Ferdinand was recalled to the England squad for the first time under Hodgson for England's 2014 World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro, though subsequently Ferdinand pulled out of the squad on 18 March due to 'fitness concerns'. Ferdinand said he was "gutted" at having to withdraw but said it was the "right decision". The England manager Roy Hodgson assured Ferdinand he still had an international future despite the withdrawal.[79][80]
In May 2013, Ferdinand announced his retirement from international football, saying that "it's the right time to make room for young players and focus on the club career".[81][82]
Style of play
Ferdinand was considered an atypical defensive product of English football due to his more elegant, "continental" style of defensive play;[83] in particular, he was singled out for his unique technical ability and confidence on the ball, as well as his distribution and ability to play the ball on the ground.[84][85][86] Ferdinand is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation,[87] and as one of England's best ever centrebacks.[83][85] In his prime, he was also praised for his pace and tackling,[86] in addition to his positioning and ability to read the game.[83][88][89] He was also a strong defender who was reliable in the air,[83] with strong leadership qualities.
Ferdinand began his football career playing for various youth teams, finally settling at West Ham United where he progressed through the youth ranks and made his professional Premier League debut in 1996. He became a fan favourite, winning the Hammer of the Year award the following season. He earned his first senior international cap in a match against Cameroon in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. His achievements and footballing potential attracted Leeds United and he transferred to the club for a record-breaking fee of £18 million. He spent two seasons at the club, becoming the team captain in 2001.
He joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more. He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. In September 2003, he missed a drugs test and was banned from competition for eight months from January until September 2004, causing him to miss half a Premier League season, Manchester United's FA Cup triumph, and the Euro 2004 international competition. Upon his return, he established himself in the Manchester United first team and received plaudits for his performances, featuring in the PFA Team of the Year four times in five years. More club success followed with another Premier League win in the 2006–07 season and a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double the following year. His career at United, in which he won six Premier League titles and 14 trophies,[9] ended when his contract expired in 2014, and he subsequently joined Queens Park Rangers where he played for just one season before being released from the club as a result of their relegation from the Premier League. He announced his retirement from professional football on 30 May 2015.
In September 2017, Ferdinand announced his intention to become a professional boxer, partly to help him cope with the death of his wife.[10]
His brother, Anton, also a centre back, plays for St Mirren. Former England international striker Les Ferdinand and former Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Kane Ferdinand are his cousins.
Early life
Formative years and education
Ferdinand was born at King's College Hospital in Camberwell and grew up in Peckham.[11] He is the son of an Irish mother, Janice Lavender, and a Afro-Saint Lucian father, Julian Ferdinand.[12][13]
Ferdinand grew up in Peckham in a large family, his mother was one of six children and his father arrived in Britain with ten other family members.[14] Both parents worked to support the family, his mother as a child carer and his father as a tailor. His parents never married and they separated when he was 14 years old. His father remained close, moving to a nearby estate, and took the kids to football training and to local parks.[12][15] Ferdinand attended Camelot Primary School.[15][16] At school, he focused on maths and revelled in the opportunity to perform before an audience during a school production of Bugsy Malone.[15]
"I always as a kid wanted to do something different, I'd get bored very easily – even playing football or hanging around with my mates. So travelling away from home, meeting new people. ... I enjoyed it."[15]
He chose to attend Blackheath Bluecoat School to make new friends and settled in well, feeling his confidence growing.[12] His second year was marred by the death of a fellow pupil, Stephen Lawrence, and the event demonstrated the ever-present threat of violence.[16] Ferdinand enjoyed physical expression, taking part in not just football and gymnastics classes but drama, theatre and ballet too.[15] He was an able child: he represented Southwark in gymnastics at the London Youth Games,[17] by age 10 he had been invited to train at the Queens Park Rangers academy, and at age 11 he won a scholarship to attend the Central School of Ballet in London.[12] Ferdinand attended the ballet classes, travelling to the city centre four days a week for four years.[15]
Youth-team career
Ferdinand's superior footballing abilities were evident even as a child: when he was 11 years old a youth coach, David Goodwin, remarked "I'm going to call you Pelé, son, I like the way you play."[15] Ferdinand was regularly playing in youth teams and at Eltham Town he played as an attacking midfielder but team scouts saw the young player had the physical potential to be a centre back instead. Teams vied for the young footballer's services and during his youth he trained with Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers. Ferdinand was ever curious of different places and even travelled north to Middlesbrough's training ground, spending a good part of his school holidays in a bedsit just to be there.[15]
London team West Ham United was to be his footballing home, however, and he joined their youth system in 1992.[12] He signed his first Youth Training Scheme contract in January 1994 and played alongside players such as Frank Lampard at the academy.[15][18] Success pending at club level, international football also began for Ferdinand; at 16 he joined the England youth-team squad to compete in their age group's UEFA European Championship, gaining his first experience of international competition.[15]
Club career
West Ham United
Originally scouted by Frank Lampard, Ferdinand progressed through the youth-team ranks, earning a professional contract and a place in the first-team squad in the process.[15] On 5 May 1996, he made his senior team debut, as he came on as a substitute for Tony Cottee in the Hammers' last game of the season, a 1–1 home draw against Sheffield Wednesday.[15][19] During the summer of 1997, Manchester United made enquires about Ferdinand before they turned to Henning Berg after West Ham rejected any sale.[20]
During the 1997–98 season, Ferdinand won the Hammer of the Year award at the young age of 19.[21]
Bournemouth
In November 1996 Ferdinand joined Bournemouth on loan. He made his debut on 9 November in a 1–1 away draw against Blackpool. He played 10 games for Bournemouth before returning to West Ham in January 1997.[22]
Leeds United
Ferdinand joined Premier League club Leeds United in November 2000 for £18 million, then a British transfer record as well as becoming the world's most expensive defender.[21] Despite an uncomfortable start to his career at Elland Road, beginning with a 3–1 defeat at Leicester City on his debut,[23] Ferdinand settled well and became an integral part of the Leeds team that reached the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, scoring with a header in the quarter-final against Spain's Deportivo La Coruña.[24] Other highlights during his spell in Yorkshire included goals against Liverpool at Anfield[25] and a scoring return to Upton Park.[26]
The following season, in August 2001, he became the club captain after replacing Lucas Radebe and turned in an impressive second campaign, despite Leeds' failure to break into the top three and secure qualification for the competition they had figured in so prominently during the previous season. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, rumours began circulating that the club were in dire financial trouble and that new manager Terry Venables would be forced to part with his star defender for a substantial amount of cash. Later that summer after Ferdinand's impressive World Cup for England, Leeds accepted a bid of £29.3 million with possible performance related add-ons up to £33.3 million due to their perilous financial position.[27]. Years later, Rio admitted he sat in the office of Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale for 5 and a half to 6 hours to force the transfer through. [28]
Manchester United
2002–2007
On 22 July 2002, Ferdinand joined fellow Premier League side Manchester United on a five-year deal to become the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world's most expensive defender for a second time, a title he had lost in 2001 to Lilian Thuram. The fee included a basic element in the high £20 millions, and some conditional elements, which allowed Leeds to tell their fans that they were selling him for over £30 million. Leeds United later took a single payment in place of all the contingent elements during their financial crisis. The final book value of Ferdinand's contract in Manchester United's accounts was £34 million. This included agents' fees, with Leeds receiving just under £30 million. Ferdinand went on to win the Premier League title with Manchester United in his first season at the club. He collected a winner's medal in the 2006 League Cup, with runners-up medals in the 2003 League Cup and the 2005 FA Cup.[29]
In September 2003, he failed to attend a drug test scheduled to take place at United's Carrington training ground. Ferdinand had left after training to go shopping, only to remember and attempt to return, only to be told it was too late. He did undergo testing the following day and passed, and also offered to have a hair follicle test, which would provide results for the previous six months, but the FA turned down the offer.[30][31] The Football Association (FA) Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Barry Bright, imposed an eight-month ban from January 2004 at club and international level and a £50,000 fine, meaning he would miss the rest of the season and some of the next along with all of Euro 2004.[32] Manchester United appealed against the verdict and sought to draw parallels to the case of Manchester City player Christian Negouai, who was fined £2,000 for missing a test. However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated that such comparisons are inappropriate due to differences between the two cases. Negouai had been stuck in traffic and was willing to take the test, while Ferdinand was charged with "failure or refusal" to attend the test. Both the FA and FIFA sought to have the ban increased to 12 months (half the possible maximum). In the end, the original verdict was upheld.[33]
On 14 December 2005, in a game against Wigan Athletic, Ferdinand scored his first goal for United, en route to a 4–0 victory.[34] This was his first goal after more than three years at Old Trafford. He followed this up with a powerfully headed goal against West Bromwich Albion.[35] He then scored a last minute winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford,[36] possibly his most important Manchester United goal to date. In the corresponding fixture in the following season on 22 October 2006, Ferdinand scored again in a 2–0 victory.[37]
Following impressive and consistent performances in the league, Rio Ferdinand was named in the 2006–07 PFA Premiership Team of the Season, alongside seven of his Manchester United teammates.[38]
2007–2014
Ferdinand started the 2007–08 season well, he was part of a United defence that managed to keep six clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, before conceding an early goal to Aston Villa at Villa Park on 20 October 2007.[39] It was also during this game where Ferdinand scored his first goal of the season, which was United's third goal of that game, with a left foot strike which took a very strong deflection off one of Villa's defenders. Just three days later, Ferdinand scored his first European goal for United by opening the scoring against Dynamo Kyiv, with a superb header. United dominated the game and won 4–2.[40]
On 12 January 2008, Ferdinand bagged a rare Premier League goal in a 6–0 hammering of Newcastle United at Old Trafford. In their FA Cup quarter-final match against Portsmouth on 8 March 2008 when Manchester United dominated, Ferdinand made a rare appearance as a goalkeeper, after Edwin van der Sar left the pitch with a groin injury and the replacement keeper, Tomasz Kuszczak, was sent off after conceding a penalty. Despite diving the right way, he was unable to save Sulley Muntari's spot kick, and Manchester United were eliminated from the FA Cup.[41] On 6 April 2008, against Middlesbrough, Ferdinand limped out of the match due to a foot injury. He was rated doubtful whether he would face A.S. Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg on 9 April 2008. He would play the full 90 minutes, though he received three stitches at half-time.[42]
After United's 2–1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League in April 2008, Ferdinand swore at Chelsea stewards and tried to kick a wall in the tunnel, but instead kicked a female steward, Tracy Wray. Ferdinand claimed to have merely brushed her with his foot.[43] He said he had apologised and sent the steward some flowers. However, Wray showed the bruise on her leg to the media, and her husband claimed that Ferdinand had not apologised or sent flowers.[
It was announced on 16 April 2008 that, along with Michael Carrick and Wes Brown, Ferdinand had agreed to sign a new five-year contract, worth around £130,000 a week, which would keep him with United until 2013. The contract was finally signed on 15 May 2008.[45] On 21 May 2008, Ferdinand captained Manchester United to a Champions League Final victory versus Chelsea.[46] He accepted the trophy together with Ryan Giggs, as Giggs was the on field captain for most of the matches during that season during Gary Neville's absence due to injury.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live he criticised FIFA's approach to tackling racism in football, stating that not enough was being done to punish those guilty of homophobic or racist abuse at matches. Regarding taunts aimed at Emile Heskey in England's 4–1 victory against Croatia in Zagreb, Ferdinand remarked:
"Croatia were fined a few thousand quid. What's that going to do? That is not going to stop people shouting racist or homophobic abuse...If things like this keep happening you have to take points off them. Then the punters will realise the team is going to be punished."[47]
Ferdinand had an injury plagued 2009–10 season, a number of back and knee injuries kept him on the sidelines for months. He returned to action on 28 January 2010, but was banned for four games after being found guilty of violent conduct for elbowing Hull City's Craig Fagan.[48][49]
Due to a knee injury he suffered in the summer of 2010, which ruled him out of the World Cup for England, he missed all of pre-season, the Community Shield and the first four games of the 2010–11 Premier League season. He returned to first-team football in the opening game of the Champions League group stage against Rangers on 14 September. He captained the side and played the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw. He started the season opening game in August 2011, the 2011 FA Community Shield, where United found themselves 2–0 down at half time to city rivals Manchester City. Ferdinand was taken off after 45 minutes along with defensive partner Nemanja Vidić and replaced by Jonny Evans and Phil Jones respectively. United went on to win the game 3–2 and Ferdinand claimed his fourth Community Shield medal of his career. Ferdinand started in the opening Premier League match of the season at West Bromwich Albion, a game United won 2–1, but he went off with a hamstring injury after 75 minutes. After the match, Alex Ferguson confirmed that Ferdinand would be out for six weeks. Ferdinand however recovered much quicker than initially diagnosed and returned to take a place on the bench two weeks later at Old Trafford in United's 8–2 demolition of Arsenal, although he did not play a part in the game.[50] Ferdinand made his return to competitive action in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.
On 9 December 2012, Ferdinand was struck and injured by a coin thrown from the home crowd during United's 3–2 derby victory away from home against Manchester City.[51]
On 5 March 2013, Ferdinand, unhappy with the referee Cüneyt Çakır's decision to send off Nani during a 2–1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at Old Trafford, clapped sarcastically in the referee's face after the game. He escaped any punishment from UEFA for the incident.[52]
On 12 May 2013, Ferdinand scored the winner and final goal of the Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford in a 2–1 victory over Swansea City. After a corner was missed by everyone, the ball found its way to Ferdinand at the back post and he hit it on the volley to seal the win. On 23 May 2013, it was announced that Ferdinand had secured a new one-year contract that would see him stay with the club until the end of the 2013–14 season.[53] He was not offered an extension when that contract expired, and agreed to leave Manchester United on 12 May 2014. In a letter on his official website, he said "I am feeling fit and healthy, ready for a new challenge and looking forward to whatever the future holds for me."[54]
Queens Park Rangers
On 17 July 2014, Ferdinand signed for newly promoted Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a one-year contract.[55] He returned to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving Manchester United on 14 September 2014 to face his former club in the Premier League in which his side was beaten 4–0.[56]
In October 2014, Ferdinand confirmed in an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show that he would retire at the end of the season, saying "I'm not fearful of retirement, I'm looking forward to it, I can see some good stuff hopefully happening ahead".[57] In May 2015, following their relegation, Queens Park Rangers announced the release of Ferdinand in the summer.[58] He made only 12 appearances for QPR in his only season with the club.[59]
On 30 May 2015, Ferdinand announced his retirement from professional football, three days after leaving QPR.[60][61]
International career
Ferdinand was capped 81 times for England, making him England's second most capped black player behind Ashley Cole with 107.[62] Although Ferdinand was named in four consecutive England World Cup squads (albeit without playing in 1998 and missing 2010 through injury), he never went to a European Championship due to a ban for missing a drugs test and due to England's failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.
Ferdinand scored three goals for England,[63] the first in the 2002 World Cup second round match against Denmark (although some sources credit this goal as a Thomas Sørensen own goal[64]). The second was a near post strike that beat the Russian goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev in England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia on 12 September 2007 at Wembley Stadium. The third on 11 October 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at home to Kazakhstan. England won 5–1.[65]
At the age of 19 years and 8 days, Ferdinand earned his first full England cap as a substitute in a friendly against Cameroon on 15 November 1997, making him the youngest defender to play for England at the time (a record broken in 2006 by Micah Richards). Ferdinand would have made an even earlier debut in September had he not been charged with drink-driving in the buildup to England's 1998 World Cup qualifier against Moldova. Ferdinand was named in the squad for this game and was a likely starter; however, the public mourning for Princess Diana – whose chauffeur had been suspected of drink-driving – left Glenn Hoddle with little choice but to drop the teenager from the squad.[citation needed] After an impressive 1997–98 season he was selected for the 1998 World Cup squad as a back-up defender. However, he was not selected in Kevin Keegan's 22-man squad for the 2000 European Championships.[66]
After his £18 million move to Leeds United, Ferdinand was named in the starting line-up by caretaker manager Peter Taylor in a friendly match against Italy[67] and quickly established himself as a first-choice player under Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was selected as one of England's two first-choice centre backs at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, wearing the number 5 shirt.
John Terry (with whom Ferdinand would later partner in central defence) replaced Ferdinand in the England side throughout his eight-month ban until his return on 9 October 2004 in their World Cup qualifier against Wales. Ferdinand played ten World Cup finals matches for England, recording clean sheets against Argentina, Nigeria and Denmark in 2002, and Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador and Portugal in 2006
On 25 March 2008, it was announced that Ferdinand would wear the captain's armband for Fabio Capello's second game in charge of the national team,[69] ahead of John Terry, Steven Gerrard or David Beckham, who some believed would be named captain to mark his 100th cap for his country. An FA statement suggested that the decision to name Ferdinand as captain was part of Capello's plans of rotating the captaincy before naming an official captain for September's World Cup qualifiers. On 19 August, however, Ferdinand lost out to Terry in retaining the captain's armband but was named vice-captain by Fabio Capello.[70]
A mistake in the match between England and Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk on 10 October 2009 which led to the sending off of Robert Green led some to question his inclusion in the squad. A lack of match practice for his club and a series of errors such as he suffered in his early days as a footballer led to criticism of his inclusion from several corners.[71]
On 5 February 2010, Ferdinand replaced John Terry as captain of England.[72]
Although back and groin injury problems forced him to miss much of the 2009–10 domestic season, Ferdinand was selected to captain England at the 2010 World Cup. However, he suffered a knee ligament injury during the team's first training session in South Africa on 4 June and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.[73] On 19 March 2011, ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales, Capello announced that John Terry was to be re-instated as permanent England captain and that Ferdinand would return to his role of vice-captain.[74]
Ferdinand was left out of Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012, leading to strong speculation this was to avoid potential conflict with John Terry, who was included in the squad, due to Terry's upcoming trial for racially abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton.[75] Further controversy arose when after Gary Cahill was ruled out of the tournament 22-year-old Martin Kelly with just two minutes of international football was called up as a replacement instead of Ferdinand. This led to Ferdinand's representative Jamie Moralee accusing Hodgson of showing a "lack of respect".[76]
On 3 October 2012, the Daily Mirror reported that Roy Hodgson had revealed to fellow passengers on the London Underground that Ferdinand would no longer be considered for England duty, despite the retirement of John Terry.[77] Hodgson later apologised for these comments and denied that he was ruling Ferdinand out of playing for England again.[78]
On 14 March 2013, Ferdinand was recalled to the England squad for the first time under Hodgson for England's 2014 World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro, though subsequently Ferdinand pulled out of the squad on 18 March due to 'fitness concerns'. Ferdinand said he was "gutted" at having to withdraw but said it was the "right decision". The England manager Roy Hodgson assured Ferdinand he still had an international future despite the withdrawal.[79][80]
In May 2013, Ferdinand announced his retirement from international football, saying that "it's the right time to make room for young players and focus on the club career".[81][82]
Style of play
Ferdinand was considered an atypical defensive product of English football due to his more elegant, "continental" style of defensive play;[83] in particular, he was singled out for his unique technical ability and confidence on the ball, as well as his distribution and ability to play the ball on the ground.[84][85][86] Ferdinand is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation,[87] and as one of England's best ever centrebacks.[83][85] In his prime, he was also praised for his pace and tackling,[86] in addition to his positioning and ability to read the game.[83][88][89] He was also a strong defender who was reliable in the air,[83] with strong leadership qualities.
Errol Spence
Errol Spence Jr. (born March 3, 1990) is an American professional boxer who is a unified welterweight champion, having held the IBF title since May 2017, and the WBC title since September 2019. As an amateur in the welterweight division, he won three consecutive United States national championships and represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics, where he reached the quarter-finals. In 2015, Spence was named Prospect of the Year by ESPN.[3]
As of August 2019, Spence is ranked as the world's fifth best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec, sixth by The Ring magazine[4] and ninth by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB). He is also ranked as the world's best active welterweight by The Ring[5] and second by the TBRB[6] and BoxRec.[7] He has a knockout-to-win ratio of 80.8%.
Amateur career
In 2009, Spence won the U.S. National Golden Gloves, and also won three consecutive national amateur welterweight championships from 2009 to 2011, all in the welterweight division.[8] Spence reached the quarter-finals at the 2011 World Championships, losing to Serik Sapiyev.[9][10]
Spence lost in the quarter finals of the 2012 London Olympics to Andrey Zamkovoy and turned professional shortly afterwards.[11]
Professional career
Early career
On 9 November 2012, a 22 year old Spence made his professional debut at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California in a scheduled 4 round bout against 19 year old Jonathan Garcia. Spence knocked Garcia down and out in the 3rd round. In December 2012, Spence knocked out Richard Andrews at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California, which was part of undercard for Amir Khan's comeback fight against Carlos Molina.[12]
Spence fought eight times in 2013, being victorious in all of them, winning six inside the distance. He was taken the distance in an eight-round bout in October by Emmanuel Lartei Lartey. The fight was rather one-sided, with all judges scoring the fight 79-73 in favor of Spence.[13][14] By the end of 2013, Spence had won all of his 10 professional fights, 8 of them by way of knockout.
Spence made his Showtime television debut on 27 June 2014 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in a 10-round fight against Ronald Cruz. Spence was taken the distance and won a shutout unanimous decision.[15]
On 13 December 2014, Spence beat Javier Castro by TKO in the 5th round at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[16]
Rising up the ranks
On 11 April 2015, Spence defeated Samuel Vargas by TKO in Round 4 of 10 in a Premier Boxing Champions fight card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, bringing his record to 16-0.[17] On May 16, it was announced that Spence would feature on the undercard of Shawn Porter vs. Adrien Broner on June 20 at the MGM Grand Arena. Spence defeated Phil Lo Greco (26-1, 14 KOs) via 3rd-round TKO.[18] Spence was originally scheduled to fight Roberto García. García backed out of the fight three days before the card due to weight issues.[19] Spence landed 73 of 142 punched thrown (51%) and Lo Greco landed 19 of 132 (14%).[20]
Spence next fought on the undercard of Stevenson-Karpency against Chris van Heerden at the Ricoh Coliseum.[21] The referee stopped the fight in round 8, after Spence knocked down van Heerden twice in round 7 to win the IBF International welterweight title.[22][23]
In October 2015 it was announced that Spence would fight at The Bomb Factory in Dallas on November 28 against Mexican boxer Alejandro Barrera (28-2, 18 KOs).[24][25] Spence defeated Barrera via 5th-round TKO. This was an IBF eliminator for the number 2 spot in their welterweight contender rankings. Spence was ahead on all three judges scorecards (40-36, 3 times).[26][27]
Spence was named 2015 ESPN.com prospect of the year.[28]
Spence vs. Algieri
On 10 March 2016, it was announced that Spence would fight former light welterweight titlist Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on 16 April, his biggest fight to date. The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds.[29] In front of a pro-Algieri 7,628 crowd, Spence became the first boxer to stop Algieri. This was Spence's seventh straight knockout. The end came when Spence delivered a left hook to Algieri’s face. The hard shot sent Algieri straight to the canvas and referee Benjy Esteves waived the count. After the bout, Spence said "Kell Brook knows what time it is. We got to get in the ring and fight.". IBF later stated that Spence must have a final eliminator before he is declared mandatory challenger. .[30][31] For the fight, Spence earned $225,000 whilst Algieri earned $325,000. CompuBox punch statistics showed that Spence landed 96 of 311 punches (31%), whereas Algieri landed 36 of 114 thrown (32%).[32] The fight averaged 1.482 million viewers on NBC.[33]
Spence vs. Bundu
On 16 May 2016, Spence denied that his team turned down a fight against Brook, which had been previously insinuated by Eddie Hearn, Brook's promoter. Spence said that the IBF had ordered him to fight their #3 contender Konstantin Ponomarev in order to become the mandatory challenger to Brook.[34] Although there were no agreements to fight, on June 9, Ponomarev injured his hand, forcing him out of the eliminator.[35] Instead, it was confirmed that Spence Jr. would fight IBF #7 Leonard Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KOs) in the eliminator on August 21 at the Ford Amphitheater. The fight would be aired on a Sunday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC.[36][37]
Spence focused on breaking down Bundu from the start. After five one-sided rounds, Spence backed Bundu against the ropes and connected with an uppercut that dropped Bundu. Referee Johnny Callas waved off the fight without starting a count. After the fight, Spence Jr. reiterated his desire of becoming IBF World champion stating, "I definitely want my shot at Kell Brook and his title, I want him next. If he vacates or gets stripped, then I'll fight for his vacant title. I've paid my dues." For the fight, Spence received $250,000 compared to Bundu's $30,000 purse.[38][39] The fight drew 4.8 million viewers on NBC and peaked at 6.34 million. This was the highest TV audience for boxing in over 10 years in the United States.[40]
IBF welterweight champion
Spence vs. Brook
In January 2017, IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and his team were in talks with Amir Khan over a potential fight, whilst also keeping the mandatory fight with Spence as second choice. During negotiations, Khan urged Brook to fight Spence first and eventually talks broke down between Brook and Khan. Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn mentioned talks were already ongoing with Spence's manager Al Haymon for a fight to take place possibly in the UK in May. Hearn received an extension from the IBF for negotiations between himself and TGB Promotions boss Tom Brown, as they were progressing.[41] The purse bids for the fight was set for 7 February by the IBF.[42] On February 1, Hearn claimed that Brook will be keeping his title and make the defense against Spence and that he had reached out to Spence's team, to no reply. He assumed that they wanted the fight to go to purse bids. Spence said that he had no problem travelling to the UK for the fight, regardless of negotiations.[43][44] With a deal close to being reached a day before the purse bids, the IBF granted a week extension, pushing the purse bid back 7 days.[45][46] On February 13, a deal was reached for the fight to take place in Sheffield on 20 May 2017.[47][48][49] At a press conference at Bramall Lane, Sheffield on March 22, the fight was officially announced to take place on May 27, 2017 live on Sky Box Office in the UK and Showtime in the US.[50][51]
In front of 27,000 fans, Spence dropped and eventually stopped Brook to win the IBF welterweight title after 11 rounds. In a fight where mostly power shots were landed, Spence threw combinations to the head and to the body, gradually wearing down Brook. Brook did well working the counter, and landed his own shots to the body. In round 10, Spence cornered Brook against the ropes and unloaded some heavy power shots, which caused Brook to take a knee. In round 11, Brook motioned many times that he couldn't see through his left eye and voluntarily took a knee. The referee started the 10 count, which Brook was unable to beat, giving him back to back defeats and his first as a welterweight. At the time of stoppage, all three judges had Spence ahead on their scorecards (97-92, 96-93, 95-94).[52] Although he won the fight, Spence admitted it was not his best performance, "I give myself a B-. I was a little bit off with my offense and defense, but I give Kell a lot of credit. This is what true champions do. You go anywhere to fight." Spence landed 246 of 633 punches thrown (39%) while Brook landed 136 of 442 (31%).[53][54][55] The fight was shown in the afternoon in the US on Showtime and averaged 291,000 viewers, peaking at 337,000 viewers. These was considered low numbers, even for an afternoon showing, possibly due to it being a holiday weekend.[56] For the fight, Spence earned around £1 million and Brook earned a guaranteed £3 million.[57]
Spence vs. Peterson
On 3 October 2017, Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs) vacated his WBA (Regular) title in hopes of challenging Spence for the latter's IBF title.[58] Dan Rafael revealed that Spence was promised a $3.5 million purse from his manager Al Haymon for his next fight.[59] On October 13, it was reported that terms would be finalised within a week. The fight was tentatively scheduled for Spence's 28th birthday, 13 January 2018 against Peterson. The event would be aired on Showtime. Peterson last saw action when he dethroned David Avanesyan in February 2017.[60] The fight was confirmed on 14 October, with Barclays Center the front-runner to land the fight. At a presser, Spence spoke fondly of Peterson, "He's somebody I looked up to in the amateurs and I learned a lot from. I had a training camp with him at the Olympic training center. So he's a guy I really look up to. He's one of my favorite fighters. He'll fight anybody. I've never known him to say no to a fight. I'm looking forward to it. He's got true grit. He's a real fighter. He's a guy who gives it his all and has a big heart."[61] On November 5, it was reported the fight was confirmed to take place at the Barclays Center in Brookyn on January 20, 2018.[62]
On fight night, in front of 12,107, Spence broke Peterson down mentally and physically eventually forcing Peterson's trainer Barry Hunter to stop the fight a second into round 8. Peterson was dropped in round 5 from a left hand by Spence. Peterson beat the count and looked unsteady, surviving the round. Peterson took a lot of punishment, but managed to fire back some offence of his own before the round ended. Peterson’s face looked swollen and his eyes were puffy from Spence’s hard shots. Spence also worked the body from the opening bell. After round 6, Peterson knew he was behind on the scorecards and indicated to his trainer, who said he would give him a few more rounds.[63] In the post-fight interviews, Spence said, "I want to thank Lamont. A lot guys turned down the fight, and he took like a real warrior, and I commend him for that. My coach [Derrick James] came with a great game plan, and I just followed through with it. Keep my range, keep my composure." Spence admitted he would need to work on his defence a little. When interviewer Jim Gray asked Hunter about the stoppage, he replied, "It was really hard [to stop the fight], but if you know Lamont, you know he was not going to give up. So I had to stop it. At the end of the day this is my son right here. And there's nothing more valuable than his well being. If it comes to him or winning, I pick him. I care about him." After the fight, Spence called out unified champion Keith Thurman, referring him to 'sometime'. At the time of stoppage, all three judges had their scorecards at 70-62 for Spence.[64][65]
According to CompuBox stats, Spence landed 161 of 526 punches thrown (30%), and Peterson landed only 45 of his 158 thrown (28%). For the fight, Spence had an official purse of $1.2 million and Peterson's purse was $600,000.[66] The fight averaged 637,000 viewers and peaked at 695,000 viewers on Showtime.[67]
Spence vs. Ocampo
On January 23, 2018 the IBF sent a letter to TGB Promotions ordering Spence to make a mandatory defence against unbeaten prospect Carlos Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) next. Zanfer Promotions, who promote Ocampo were also notified and were given until February 22 to reach a deal before purse bids take place. Because Ocampo was not rated in the top 2 in the IBF rankings at the time, at purse bids, he would be entitled to 15% rather than the 25% that a mandatory challenger receives.[68][69] On January 24, Showtime announced that Spence would next fight on June 16 in Dallas, Texas.[70] On February 24, according to ESPN, the IBF ordered purse bids to take place on March 6.[71][72] Four days later, it was revealed that both sides had reached a deal.[73][74] On April 30, an official press release confirmed the bout would take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.[75] In front of a sellout crowd of 12,604, Spence knocked Ocampo out in round 1 to retain his IBF title. In response to some body shots from Ocampo, Spence hit back with a hard left to the body that sent Ocampo to the canvas. Referee Lawrence Cole made the 10 count as Ocampo tried to get up, but was in too much pain. The time of the stoppage was at 3:00 of round 1. The knockout for Spence was his 11th consecutive stoppage since 2014. Spence stated he wanted to unify the division by going after the winner of the Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Terence Crawford. After the bout, Spence said, "I was a little disappointed. I wanted to give the crowd their money's worth. I wanted him to sustain a bit and give him some punishment, but the body shot got him and I dropped him." Spence wanted to go at least 5 rounds. According to Ocampo, it was overconfidence that caught up to him and ended his world title challenge. For the fight, Spence made $1.2 million and Ocampo was given a $75,000 purse. Numerous Cowboys players were in attendance, including quarterback Dak Prescott.[76][77] The fight averaged 683,000 viewers and peaked at 726,000 viewers on Showtime, an increase from his previous bout.[78]
Spence vs. Garcia
On October 25, 2018 BoxingScene.com reported that negotiations between Spence and Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) were progressing, with the fight likely to take place in February 2019 on Showtime PPV.[79] Garcia first began to call out Spence for a fight before he defeated and unified the lightweight division in July. On October 30, Garcia vacated his IBF lightweight title and the purse bid for the potential Richard Commey fight was cancelled.[80] On November 13, PBC made an official announcement for their 2019 schedule. It was announced the fight between Garcia and Spence would take place at the welterweight limit at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 16, 2019 exclusively on FOX PPV.[81][82] Many fans reacted to fight being announced. Some welcoming the fight and praising Garcia for 'daring to be great' and some fans believed the size difference would be too much as Spence is considered a big welterweight.[83].
On the night though, Spence completely outclassed Garcia, using his superior reach to constantly land jabs to the head and body from distance, landing 108 over the course of the fight. Garcia tried to close the distance, but with Spence's weight and height advantage, he was able to outclass Garcia even in the pocket. In rounds 8 and 9, Spence landed over 100 punches in two rounds, with the majority being power shots, constantly using lead hooks and uppercuts on the increasing backing up Garcia. In total Spence landed 345 punches to Garcia's 75. Garcia was unable to land double digit punches in any of the twelve rounds. The scorecards on the night read 120-107 and 120-108, twice, to give Spence a perfect 12 round shutout victory.
After the fight, Spence was joined in the ring by eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and they both stated they would love to fight each other next.
Spence vs. Porter
Main article:Errol Spence Jr. versus Shawn Porter
As of August 2019, Spence is ranked as the world's fifth best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec, sixth by The Ring magazine[4] and ninth by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB). He is also ranked as the world's best active welterweight by The Ring[5] and second by the TBRB[6] and BoxRec.[7] He has a knockout-to-win ratio of 80.8%.
Amateur career
In 2009, Spence won the U.S. National Golden Gloves, and also won three consecutive national amateur welterweight championships from 2009 to 2011, all in the welterweight division.[8] Spence reached the quarter-finals at the 2011 World Championships, losing to Serik Sapiyev.[9][10]
Spence lost in the quarter finals of the 2012 London Olympics to Andrey Zamkovoy and turned professional shortly afterwards.[11]
Professional career
Early career
On 9 November 2012, a 22 year old Spence made his professional debut at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California in a scheduled 4 round bout against 19 year old Jonathan Garcia. Spence knocked Garcia down and out in the 3rd round. In December 2012, Spence knocked out Richard Andrews at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California, which was part of undercard for Amir Khan's comeback fight against Carlos Molina.[12]
Spence fought eight times in 2013, being victorious in all of them, winning six inside the distance. He was taken the distance in an eight-round bout in October by Emmanuel Lartei Lartey. The fight was rather one-sided, with all judges scoring the fight 79-73 in favor of Spence.[13][14] By the end of 2013, Spence had won all of his 10 professional fights, 8 of them by way of knockout.
Spence made his Showtime television debut on 27 June 2014 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in a 10-round fight against Ronald Cruz. Spence was taken the distance and won a shutout unanimous decision.[15]
On 13 December 2014, Spence beat Javier Castro by TKO in the 5th round at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[16]
Rising up the ranks
On 11 April 2015, Spence defeated Samuel Vargas by TKO in Round 4 of 10 in a Premier Boxing Champions fight card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, bringing his record to 16-0.[17] On May 16, it was announced that Spence would feature on the undercard of Shawn Porter vs. Adrien Broner on June 20 at the MGM Grand Arena. Spence defeated Phil Lo Greco (26-1, 14 KOs) via 3rd-round TKO.[18] Spence was originally scheduled to fight Roberto García. García backed out of the fight three days before the card due to weight issues.[19] Spence landed 73 of 142 punched thrown (51%) and Lo Greco landed 19 of 132 (14%).[20]
Spence next fought on the undercard of Stevenson-Karpency against Chris van Heerden at the Ricoh Coliseum.[21] The referee stopped the fight in round 8, after Spence knocked down van Heerden twice in round 7 to win the IBF International welterweight title.[22][23]
In October 2015 it was announced that Spence would fight at The Bomb Factory in Dallas on November 28 against Mexican boxer Alejandro Barrera (28-2, 18 KOs).[24][25] Spence defeated Barrera via 5th-round TKO. This was an IBF eliminator for the number 2 spot in their welterweight contender rankings. Spence was ahead on all three judges scorecards (40-36, 3 times).[26][27]
Spence was named 2015 ESPN.com prospect of the year.[28]
Spence vs. Algieri
On 10 March 2016, it was announced that Spence would fight former light welterweight titlist Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on 16 April, his biggest fight to date. The fight was scheduled for 10 rounds.[29] In front of a pro-Algieri 7,628 crowd, Spence became the first boxer to stop Algieri. This was Spence's seventh straight knockout. The end came when Spence delivered a left hook to Algieri’s face. The hard shot sent Algieri straight to the canvas and referee Benjy Esteves waived the count. After the bout, Spence said "Kell Brook knows what time it is. We got to get in the ring and fight.". IBF later stated that Spence must have a final eliminator before he is declared mandatory challenger. .[30][31] For the fight, Spence earned $225,000 whilst Algieri earned $325,000. CompuBox punch statistics showed that Spence landed 96 of 311 punches (31%), whereas Algieri landed 36 of 114 thrown (32%).[32] The fight averaged 1.482 million viewers on NBC.[33]
Spence vs. Bundu
On 16 May 2016, Spence denied that his team turned down a fight against Brook, which had been previously insinuated by Eddie Hearn, Brook's promoter. Spence said that the IBF had ordered him to fight their #3 contender Konstantin Ponomarev in order to become the mandatory challenger to Brook.[34] Although there were no agreements to fight, on June 9, Ponomarev injured his hand, forcing him out of the eliminator.[35] Instead, it was confirmed that Spence Jr. would fight IBF #7 Leonard Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KOs) in the eliminator on August 21 at the Ford Amphitheater. The fight would be aired on a Sunday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC.[36][37]
Spence focused on breaking down Bundu from the start. After five one-sided rounds, Spence backed Bundu against the ropes and connected with an uppercut that dropped Bundu. Referee Johnny Callas waved off the fight without starting a count. After the fight, Spence Jr. reiterated his desire of becoming IBF World champion stating, "I definitely want my shot at Kell Brook and his title, I want him next. If he vacates or gets stripped, then I'll fight for his vacant title. I've paid my dues." For the fight, Spence received $250,000 compared to Bundu's $30,000 purse.[38][39] The fight drew 4.8 million viewers on NBC and peaked at 6.34 million. This was the highest TV audience for boxing in over 10 years in the United States.[40]
IBF welterweight champion
Spence vs. Brook
In January 2017, IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and his team were in talks with Amir Khan over a potential fight, whilst also keeping the mandatory fight with Spence as second choice. During negotiations, Khan urged Brook to fight Spence first and eventually talks broke down between Brook and Khan. Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn mentioned talks were already ongoing with Spence's manager Al Haymon for a fight to take place possibly in the UK in May. Hearn received an extension from the IBF for negotiations between himself and TGB Promotions boss Tom Brown, as they were progressing.[41] The purse bids for the fight was set for 7 February by the IBF.[42] On February 1, Hearn claimed that Brook will be keeping his title and make the defense against Spence and that he had reached out to Spence's team, to no reply. He assumed that they wanted the fight to go to purse bids. Spence said that he had no problem travelling to the UK for the fight, regardless of negotiations.[43][44] With a deal close to being reached a day before the purse bids, the IBF granted a week extension, pushing the purse bid back 7 days.[45][46] On February 13, a deal was reached for the fight to take place in Sheffield on 20 May 2017.[47][48][49] At a press conference at Bramall Lane, Sheffield on March 22, the fight was officially announced to take place on May 27, 2017 live on Sky Box Office in the UK and Showtime in the US.[50][51]
In front of 27,000 fans, Spence dropped and eventually stopped Brook to win the IBF welterweight title after 11 rounds. In a fight where mostly power shots were landed, Spence threw combinations to the head and to the body, gradually wearing down Brook. Brook did well working the counter, and landed his own shots to the body. In round 10, Spence cornered Brook against the ropes and unloaded some heavy power shots, which caused Brook to take a knee. In round 11, Brook motioned many times that he couldn't see through his left eye and voluntarily took a knee. The referee started the 10 count, which Brook was unable to beat, giving him back to back defeats and his first as a welterweight. At the time of stoppage, all three judges had Spence ahead on their scorecards (97-92, 96-93, 95-94).[52] Although he won the fight, Spence admitted it was not his best performance, "I give myself a B-. I was a little bit off with my offense and defense, but I give Kell a lot of credit. This is what true champions do. You go anywhere to fight." Spence landed 246 of 633 punches thrown (39%) while Brook landed 136 of 442 (31%).[53][54][55] The fight was shown in the afternoon in the US on Showtime and averaged 291,000 viewers, peaking at 337,000 viewers. These was considered low numbers, even for an afternoon showing, possibly due to it being a holiday weekend.[56] For the fight, Spence earned around £1 million and Brook earned a guaranteed £3 million.[57]
Spence vs. Peterson
On 3 October 2017, Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs) vacated his WBA (Regular) title in hopes of challenging Spence for the latter's IBF title.[58] Dan Rafael revealed that Spence was promised a $3.5 million purse from his manager Al Haymon for his next fight.[59] On October 13, it was reported that terms would be finalised within a week. The fight was tentatively scheduled for Spence's 28th birthday, 13 January 2018 against Peterson. The event would be aired on Showtime. Peterson last saw action when he dethroned David Avanesyan in February 2017.[60] The fight was confirmed on 14 October, with Barclays Center the front-runner to land the fight. At a presser, Spence spoke fondly of Peterson, "He's somebody I looked up to in the amateurs and I learned a lot from. I had a training camp with him at the Olympic training center. So he's a guy I really look up to. He's one of my favorite fighters. He'll fight anybody. I've never known him to say no to a fight. I'm looking forward to it. He's got true grit. He's a real fighter. He's a guy who gives it his all and has a big heart."[61] On November 5, it was reported the fight was confirmed to take place at the Barclays Center in Brookyn on January 20, 2018.[62]
On fight night, in front of 12,107, Spence broke Peterson down mentally and physically eventually forcing Peterson's trainer Barry Hunter to stop the fight a second into round 8. Peterson was dropped in round 5 from a left hand by Spence. Peterson beat the count and looked unsteady, surviving the round. Peterson took a lot of punishment, but managed to fire back some offence of his own before the round ended. Peterson’s face looked swollen and his eyes were puffy from Spence’s hard shots. Spence also worked the body from the opening bell. After round 6, Peterson knew he was behind on the scorecards and indicated to his trainer, who said he would give him a few more rounds.[63] In the post-fight interviews, Spence said, "I want to thank Lamont. A lot guys turned down the fight, and he took like a real warrior, and I commend him for that. My coach [Derrick James] came with a great game plan, and I just followed through with it. Keep my range, keep my composure." Spence admitted he would need to work on his defence a little. When interviewer Jim Gray asked Hunter about the stoppage, he replied, "It was really hard [to stop the fight], but if you know Lamont, you know he was not going to give up. So I had to stop it. At the end of the day this is my son right here. And there's nothing more valuable than his well being. If it comes to him or winning, I pick him. I care about him." After the fight, Spence called out unified champion Keith Thurman, referring him to 'sometime'. At the time of stoppage, all three judges had their scorecards at 70-62 for Spence.[64][65]
According to CompuBox stats, Spence landed 161 of 526 punches thrown (30%), and Peterson landed only 45 of his 158 thrown (28%). For the fight, Spence had an official purse of $1.2 million and Peterson's purse was $600,000.[66] The fight averaged 637,000 viewers and peaked at 695,000 viewers on Showtime.[67]
Spence vs. Ocampo
On January 23, 2018 the IBF sent a letter to TGB Promotions ordering Spence to make a mandatory defence against unbeaten prospect Carlos Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs) next. Zanfer Promotions, who promote Ocampo were also notified and were given until February 22 to reach a deal before purse bids take place. Because Ocampo was not rated in the top 2 in the IBF rankings at the time, at purse bids, he would be entitled to 15% rather than the 25% that a mandatory challenger receives.[68][69] On January 24, Showtime announced that Spence would next fight on June 16 in Dallas, Texas.[70] On February 24, according to ESPN, the IBF ordered purse bids to take place on March 6.[71][72] Four days later, it was revealed that both sides had reached a deal.[73][74] On April 30, an official press release confirmed the bout would take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.[75] In front of a sellout crowd of 12,604, Spence knocked Ocampo out in round 1 to retain his IBF title. In response to some body shots from Ocampo, Spence hit back with a hard left to the body that sent Ocampo to the canvas. Referee Lawrence Cole made the 10 count as Ocampo tried to get up, but was in too much pain. The time of the stoppage was at 3:00 of round 1. The knockout for Spence was his 11th consecutive stoppage since 2014. Spence stated he wanted to unify the division by going after the winner of the Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Terence Crawford. After the bout, Spence said, "I was a little disappointed. I wanted to give the crowd their money's worth. I wanted him to sustain a bit and give him some punishment, but the body shot got him and I dropped him." Spence wanted to go at least 5 rounds. According to Ocampo, it was overconfidence that caught up to him and ended his world title challenge. For the fight, Spence made $1.2 million and Ocampo was given a $75,000 purse. Numerous Cowboys players were in attendance, including quarterback Dak Prescott.[76][77] The fight averaged 683,000 viewers and peaked at 726,000 viewers on Showtime, an increase from his previous bout.[78]
Spence vs. Garcia
On October 25, 2018 BoxingScene.com reported that negotiations between Spence and Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) were progressing, with the fight likely to take place in February 2019 on Showtime PPV.[79] Garcia first began to call out Spence for a fight before he defeated and unified the lightweight division in July. On October 30, Garcia vacated his IBF lightweight title and the purse bid for the potential Richard Commey fight was cancelled.[80] On November 13, PBC made an official announcement for their 2019 schedule. It was announced the fight between Garcia and Spence would take place at the welterweight limit at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 16, 2019 exclusively on FOX PPV.[81][82] Many fans reacted to fight being announced. Some welcoming the fight and praising Garcia for 'daring to be great' and some fans believed the size difference would be too much as Spence is considered a big welterweight.[83].
On the night though, Spence completely outclassed Garcia, using his superior reach to constantly land jabs to the head and body from distance, landing 108 over the course of the fight. Garcia tried to close the distance, but with Spence's weight and height advantage, he was able to outclass Garcia even in the pocket. In rounds 8 and 9, Spence landed over 100 punches in two rounds, with the majority being power shots, constantly using lead hooks and uppercuts on the increasing backing up Garcia. In total Spence landed 345 punches to Garcia's 75. Garcia was unable to land double digit punches in any of the twelve rounds. The scorecards on the night read 120-107 and 120-108, twice, to give Spence a perfect 12 round shutout victory.
After the fight, Spence was joined in the ring by eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and they both stated they would love to fight each other next.
Spence vs. Porter
Main article:Errol Spence Jr. versus Shawn Porter
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