Former Chelsea star opens up on scrap he had with ex-Arsenal midfielder - 'One and done'

Jody Morris reckons his charity boxing match against David Bentley last year was a breeze compared to the gruelling training sessions. The former Chelsea star triumphed over the ex- Arsenal and Tottenham midfielder in Mayfair.

In October 2025, 10 retired footballers traded their boots for boxing gloves at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. The charitable boxing event was put together by former Gunners goalkeeper Graham Stack and his Pro Project Promotions.

The main attraction was Morris and Bentley's clash , pitting west London against the north. Morris, who spent seven years at the Blues and served as first-team coach under Frank Lampard , shared the bill with Curtis Davies, Paddy Kenny, Leroy Lita, David Noble, Anthony Gardner, Lee Trundle, Greg Halford and Marvin Elliott.

An impressive amount was collected for four separate charities and Morris has now revealed more about his triumph as Arsenal and Chelsea gear up for their Premier League showdown.

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"I think it was all right. I mean, the actual fight was easier than some of the sparring I had," Morris explained on In The Mixer brought to you by Sky Bet. "I got a couple of hidings in sparring against a couple of people.

"I have sparred Darren Barker [former middleweight title holder]. But he was training me. Weirdly enough, I had sparred him years before, but he trained me for this fight."

When quizzed about whether he'd lace up his gloves again in the future, Morris was unequivocal in his response. He said: "No. It was one and done. 100 per cent."

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Bentley was a thoroughly good sport after being defeated by Morris on points after three rounds. Following the bout he said: "I feel great getting in the ring, fighting Jody, what a great guy he is.

"But I think I'm better at promoting boxing than I am actually boxing. I wanted to actually get in the ring, and it was about raising money for charity. That's what it's all about. Congratulations to Jody. Thank God I didn't go down, I wouldn't have got back up!"

The gala raised exactly £127,500 in total, with the funds divided between Helping Hands in support of the Royal Free Charity (£25,500), Playskill (£25,500), The Willow Foundation (£51,000) and Sport in Mind (£25,500).

A follow-up event is pencilled in for 17 April 2026 at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool . A Night to Remember II will feature Lee Trundle facing Chris Iwelumo, Bradley Orr squaring off against Carl Ikeme, and Adam Hammill taking on former Tranmere Rovers captain Steven Jennings.

Ross McCormack is also set to face Matthew Kilgallon, whilst Ryan Cresswell goes up against Carl Dickinson. Jamie Carragher and Natasha Jonas will serve as the event's ambassadors and trainers.