Newcastle United are closing in on signing Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, who comes from quite the sporting family.
The 24-year-old’s brothers both play high-level football, too. Indeed, younger brothers Aaron and Cole play for Burnley and in Aston Villa’s youth set-up respectively.
Their father was also quite the sportsman. Ramsey’s dad Mark was a professional boxer who squared off against British great Ricky Hatton on two occasions.
With Newcastle set to sign Ramsey from Villa for around £40million, it’s worth looking back on a brilliant interview Mark gave to The Times back in 2022.
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Jacob Ramsey’s dad fought Ricky Hatton twice
Mark was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.
Ramsey began his career in 1989 and had 66 fights before hanging up his gloves in 2002.
Mark had a record of 19 wins (ten of which came by way of knockout), 41 defeats (nine knockouts) and six draws.
Manchester legend Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton is regarded as one of the finest boxers Britain has ever produced and beat Ramsey twice on the way to superstardom.
Their first bout at the Whitchurch Leisure Centre in Bristol in May 1998 ended up with a points win for Hatton, who then claimed another points victory over Ramsey at the Dome Leisure Centre in Doncaster just over a year later.
Still, speaking to The Times in 2022, Mark revealed that watching his son making his Villa debut against West Brom in 2019 was still more nerve-wracking than squaring off against ‘The Hitman’.
“Jacob was more nerve-racking,” he said.
“It didn’t matter who they were, I just went in there to fight. When I fought Ricky Hatton the first time I didn’t really know about him. Second time I was probably on my last legs, really. I still gave him a good fight.”
The Newcastle United star who will be worried about Jacob Ramsey now
Newcastle see Ramsey as a long-term replacement for Joe Willock, who has struggled for form and fitness in recent seasons.
That will be a concern for the former Arsenal midfielder.
Willock has previously been a key player under Eddie Howe but has rarely convinced since the 2022/23 campaign, although injuries have not helped his cause.
The Ramsey to Newcastle deal is not yet done. Still, there is optimism that he will arrive and strengthen a Toon midfield looking very light on options heading into the new season.
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