• Heavyweight

Flintoff won't rush future decision

Andrew Flintoff celebrated a debut victory on Friday © Getty Images

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Andrew Flintoff says he will take a few weeks off to reflect before deciding whether to continue his career in boxing.

Flintoff made his professional debut in front of a huge crowd in Manchester and he thrilled the fans by climbing off the canvas to defeat Richard Dawson on points.

The former England cricket captain, cheered on by his old international team-mate Darren Gough, looked assured behind his jab but was extremely raw when going on the attack.

Flintoff was not surprised by his performance and will take Christmas off to relax before making a decision on whether to continue his career in the ring.

"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."

Dawson came into the fight with two wins under his belt, but he was a limited opponent. He still had Fintoff on the canvas in the second round and the Lancastrian was unsure whether he had done enough to take the win.

"I was hoping I would get the result," he said. "I did not know where I was with it so I just kept going.

"I got caught and went down. It was a half-decent shot, but I was off balance. I got up and the referee said 'what's your name'. I went 'what? It's Freddie, I'm alright'. That made me even more determined."

Flintoff has been praised for shedding over three stone in weight and he intends to continue with his fitness regime, irrespective of whether he lashes on the gloves again.

"I've grown quite attached to these abs," he said. "I have never had 'em and this has given me that purpose to get fit. I am going to apply that now. I can't imagine I will stay this light, but I don't want to get much heavier than this."

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