Manchester, Dec 1: Andrew Flintoff, the former England allrounder, picked himself up off the canvas to score a points victory on his boxing debut against the unbeaten American Richard Dawson in Manchester.
Flintoff has swapped the cricket square for the four-cornered ring, with his unlikely career move being filmed for a Sky TV documentary. He beat the count after being knocked to the canvas in the second round but his superior speed and work rate saw him awarded a narrow win by the judges.
Cheered on by his old international team-mate Darren Gough, Flintoff looked assured behind his jab but was extremely raw when going on the attack. However, after losing three-and-a-half stone during training, he has yet to decide whether he will fight again.
"I said at the start I knew I was starting at a novice level," Flintoff said. "You could see that, I am under no illusions and now I just want to take some time off. I want a rest, have a nice Christmas and not get up every day and go through what I have for the past five months. After Christmas I will decide what I will do next."

Lastupdate on : Sat, 1 Dec 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
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