Wayne Bridge pulls out of KSI fight over ‘deeply personal’ John Terry comments
Ex-England footballer Wayne Bridge has pulled out of his proposed boxing match with KSI over ‘deeply personal’ remarks the YouTuber made about his ex-girlfriend’s alleged affair with John Terry.
KSI launched a vicious verbal attack on Bridge as the pair came face to face at Saturday night’s star-studded Misfits Boxing 20 event held in Manchester.
During the bitter exchange, KSI brought up the topic of Vanessa Perroncel and her alleged involvement with Terry – a long-time team-mate of Bridge during his playing days.
While Perroncel denied having an affair at the time, Bridge refused to shake Terry’s hand when the pair subsequently met in the Premier League, midway through the 2009/10 season.
The former Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton full-back, who announced his retirement from football back in 2014, had been set to enter the ring with KSI on March 29.
‘I’m sure a lot of you have seen what happened on Saturday night at the Misfits Boxing event,’ Bridge wrote in a statement shared on his Instagram page this afternoon.
‘Firstly, I think it’s important to explain my reason for accepting the fight. I always like to challenge myself. This felt like a good opportunity to go up against an interesting opponent on a big stage.
‘I have always loved boxing as part of my everyday training routine. I was fully prepared to train hard and have some fun. Of course, I expected to face some criticism, but I feel like what was said on Saturday crossed a line.
‘These are deeply personal comments that affect mine and other families involved in the situation. I’m a family man first and my priority is protecting them.
‘My opponent is someone that many children look up to around the world, including my kids. I hope one day he will look back on this differently. I personally don’t wan’t to be involved in these exchanges.’
‘I will no longer fight on 29th March.’
Bridge said he would be seeking his ‘next big challenge’ following the withdrawal and thanked those who had passed on messages of support following his altercation with KSI.
‘I’m still looking out for my next big challenge and have some exciting things coming up in 2025,’ he added.
‘Thanks for all the love. The support has been overwhelming. I want my friends and family to know how special they are.
‘Deep down I know this is the right thing to do.’
It remains to be seen if a replacement will be called up in place of Bridge to take on KSI ahead of March’s Misfits event.
Social media sensation KSI – who boasts over 41 millions subscribers across his three YouTube channels – has not stepped into a ring since his loss to Tommy Fury back in October 2023.
The possibility of a match-up against Bridge first arose when KSI featured as a guest on That Peter Crouch Podcast two years ago.
‘You know, if you ever need someone to step in, I know someone in training all the time. So if you need someone last minute… Wayne Bridge,’ former England striker Crouch told KSI at the time.
Co-host Steve Sidwell posed the question, ‘Can anyone beat the Bridge? He’s an animal,’ to which KSI responded: ‘If he is really about it then it would be great to have him on Misfits for sure.’