Rio Ferdinand is getting closer to his first ever ringwalk.

The ex-England and Manchester United defender announced that he would be switching sports and taking on a career in boxing earlier this year – and now we've moved one step closer to learning the date of his debut.

In an interview with his old teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for FIVE, Rio confirmed he'll be looking to lace up his gloves early in 2018 with another fight coming next summer:

"[My first fight will be in] February. But after that, in June or July, I'll be having another fight."

The 39-year-old's entry into boxing is being sponsored by Betfair and it's believed the former defender will be fighting at cruiserweight.

It's time for Rio to find an opponent.