EXCLUSIVE: Nile Ranger's fight against Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will headline a boxing card made up of current and former footballers in central London
The line-up for A Night to Remember III with organiser Graham Stack
A Night to Remember III will take place on October 22(Image: Aria's Bistro)
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack has chosen wisely for his 14-footballer charity boxing card.
That's according to main event star Nile Ranger. Former Newcastle striker Ranger will face his friend and fellow England youth international Jay Emmanuel-Thomas as part of an enticing line-up at Grosvenor House Hotel on October 22.
The rivals will be joined by a number of former Premier League and EFL stars. Other fights include a North London Derby bout between Armand Traore and Sebastien Bassong, who played for Arsenal and Tottenham respectively, and former Fulham defender Matthew Briggs - once the youngest player in the Premier League - against England international Anthony Gardner.
Nile Ranger, Graham Stack and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Nile Ranger vs Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is the headline bout(Image: Aria's Bistro)
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It’s the third fight night to be held by Pro Project Promotions under their ‘A Night to Remember’ banner, with Stack aiming to raise £500,000 for a number of children’s charities after significant previous donations to - among others - The Willow Foundation and Playskill. And Ranger, who will be stepping into the ring for the first time, thinks the line-up is an impressive one.
“He's (Stack) got the right bunch, actually,” Ranger told the Daily Star. “I've played with a few, Simon Cox at Southend, Gary Madine at Sheffield Wednesday, we got promotion together, he's a character as well.
“Seb Bassong obviously at Newcastle, because he looked out for me whilst he was there. Matthew Briggs, I played England with him in Ukraine, known him for a long time to England stuff and that.”
Sebastien Bassong, Graham Stack and Armand Traore
Other fights on the bill include Sebastien Bassong vs Armand Traore(Image: Aria's Bistro)
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Ranger was talked into competing over lunch with Stack at Sheesh Restaurant in Chigwell. “He was like 'What are you doing right now Nile? I know you're coming to the back end of your career. How do you feel about boxing?’” the 35-year-old added.
“A lot of footballers they get to a space where they just don't know what to do after they've been doing football for so long and it's like, what else could I do? And it was a thing I just thought, you know what, why not?
“From young, I'm play-fighting with my cousins and all these things, school, play fighting all the time. So I've had that street fighter sort of thing in me. It's like a way to just let out something else.
Nile Ranger at thengym inside Barnet and Southgate college.
Ranger is relishing his fight against Jay Emmanuel-Thomas(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
“I've always thought about fighting. Maybe Misfits and all these other things, but that approach has never happened. But Stacky basically said, ‘why don't you try boxing in the charity event?’
“It's good for the kids as well. It's a good giveback for the kids. So that's another important thing. But yeah, I thought, why not? Yeah, let me have a go.”
He thinks Emmanuel-Thomas will underestimate him when it comes to fight night. The former QPR and Bristol City frontman has a weight advantage and is training with accomplished British boxer Anthony Yarde but Ranger has been taking his own preparations seriously.
Graham Stack at Arsenal
Former Arsenal keeper Graham Stack has assembled the line-up of fighters(Image: Getty Images)
We speak to Ranger at his training gym, where he is working with a trainer named Jack from Martin Nugent Elite Performance. The pair have worked together before, largely on rehab after injuries and strength and conditioning, but boxing comes with its own challenges.
Even JET (Emmanuel-Thomas) is like ‘You're not going to train’,” Ranger added. “Obviously I've got my other stuff going on with football, with lifestyle, with my son, but I've been making sure I get in there at least three times a week.
“It’s a charity match, It's not like weights or anything, it's not Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury. We're both getting into the ring for the first time.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas at Aberdeen
Emmanuel-Thomas, like Ranger, is poised for his boxing debut(Image: Scott Baxter/Getty Images)
“He's a big lad so they said kind of it's a weight difference, but they said to me to try to bulk up. I’ve tried my best.. that's just a lie. I haven't really tried to bulk up but I think I'll be alright. I'm not small, I'm a big lad as well
“They said he needed to lose a bit and I needed to bulk up a bit but It's alright, three rounds, two minutes. Got this one.
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“Yeah, just know that he's going to get crashed a few times. That's all I know.”
Nile Ranger and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will fight at Pro Project Promotions’ A Night to Remember III at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on October 22. Buy ticketshere.