Declan Rice drew criticism on Saturday night for entering opponent territory to see a boxing spectacle, not for anything he did on the field.
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Arsenal midfielder was seen ringside, watching the 12-round bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn.
Rice’s attendance became a topic of conversation at the stadium, which is home to Arsenal’s North London rivals. One pundit said, “He’s a brave man, Declan Rice.”
Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford, two of Rice’s England colleagues, were also present, giving him one of the best seats in the house for the all-British middleweight fight.
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Before the bout, Rice expressed his support for Conor Benn by declaring, “I want Conor Benn to win,” in an interview with talkSPORT. Although I adore Eubank, I’m here to support Tony Sims and Conor because I know them.
Rice made it apparent that he won’t be switching from football to boxing anytime soon, despite the thrill of fight night: “No chance,” he responded when asked if he would ever step into the ring.
Being alone and entering that ring in front of almost 60,000 supporters requires a serious man. I doubt I’ll be able to accomplish that.