Former Leeds United and Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack had a night to forget on Friday as he was knocked out in the first round by a former teammate on his boxing debut.
The ex-Scotland international, who earned 13 caps for his country, began his career at Rangers, but made his name as a prolific goalscorer in the Championship, finding the net on over 100 occasions in the second tier. More than half of those goals came for Leeds, who he played for between 2010 and 2014.
Despite his exploits in front of goal, McCormack is not fondly remembered at Elland Road, having reportedly refused to play for the club again in order to force through an £11 million move to Fulham in July 2014. He went on to move to Villa in 2016 and was still on the books at Villa Park when the club was promoted to the Premier League in 2019.
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Due to the way that he handled his Elland Road exit, many Leeds fans will have been delighted to see McCormack get knocked out by former Whites defender Matt Kilgallon at the Trinity Hotel in Liverpool on Friday night.
Centre-back Kilgallon played 95 times for Leeds before leaving the club in 2007, three years before McCormack arrived in Yorkshire. While the pair were never teammates, there were still plenty of bragging rights on the line as the pair squared off in a three-round charity boxing match as part of ‘A Night To Remember II’.
Organised by Pro Project Promotions, the inaugural event in October 2025 raised more than £120,000 for charity. Even though the ex-pros were fighting for a good cause, both clearly wanted to come away from their bout with a victory.
Ross McCormack Knocked Out By Matt Kilgallon on Boxing Debut
Kilgallon was on top from the outset of the fight, skillfully avoiding McCormack’s punches as the striker waded forward looking to land blows of his own. Ultimately, the Scot was made to pay for his reckless advances as Kilgallon landed a perfectly-timed left hook that sent McCormack crashing to the canvas.
It was immediately clear that McCormack wanted no more of his opponent after that point. Referee Ian-John Lewis waved the fight off with barely two minutes of the opening round gone.
Journeyman striker Lee Trundle also stepped into the ring, winning his fight against ex-Watford striker Chris Iwelumo. Ex-Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme swapped his goalie gloves for boxing mitts as he faced up to former Bristol City full-back Bradley Orr. The retired midfielder Steve Jennings was also present at this event as he exchanged punches with former Liverpool academy graduate Adam Hamill.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack is the founder of the event, which benefits both Children Charity Merseyside and Autism Merseyside. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, and world champion boxers Natasha Jones and Liam Smith were ambassadors for the event.
Stack has indicated that his goal is continued with the events in order to provide an outlet for ex-athletes to compete. He has hinted at a “winner-takes-all” return to London in October 2026, involving former winners from prior events.
“Too often, players look for something to replace football in ways that are not good — gambling, drinking, whatever that might be. This is a real positive way of filling your time, mentally and physically,” Stack said of the venture.