Former Premier League footballer Michael Gray has ruled out a charity boxing match with Wayne Rooney, more than two decades after the Manchester United legend gave him a black eye. The 51-year-old, who played for Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers, recounted the 2006 incident in a Manchester nightclub.
The altercation occurred at Panacea bar, a celebrity hotspot, when Gray allegedly asked Rooney, 'Which one are you having tonight?' referring to the women at Rooney's table. Unbeknownst to Gray, Rooney's now-wife Coleen was among them. Rooney reacted by punching Gray, leaving him with a visible bruise that required sunglasses to hide from paparazzi.
In a recent interview with the Mail, Gray was asked about a potential rematch in a charity fight. 'I think I'll leave it at Wayne being one-up,' he replied. 'I'm not that type of person who I think would climb through the ropes to have a white-collar fight... It was just one of those moments that you look back on and I can have a laugh and a joke about it now.'
At the time, Rooney's spokesman claimed Gray had made offensive remarks to Coleen and other female guests, and that Rooney had asked him to leave multiple times. Gray, however, dismissed exaggerated reports, telling the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast last year: 'Everybody just blows the story up as it goes on... It was a load of rubbish.'
