Shaquille O’Neal wanted by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after NBA legend claimed it was ‘the future of fighting’
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL is close to agreeing a move into bare knuckle boxing, reports in the US say.
The NBA legend is in talks with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship boss David Feldman.
Seven-foot Shaq, 49, is a huge fan of the sport having watched KnuckleMania from ringside in February and called it 'the future of fighting'.
The four-time NBA champion recently squeezed into an ambulance after injuring himself during a wrestling match with Cody Rhodes in AEW.
And Feldman wants Shaq to join his bare knuckle promotion.
HE told : "I've gotten to know him a little bit and he's a good dude.
"If something can happen, and I hope it does because not only do we want money and popularity, obviously, but we want to do business with people who are really good people. And he's just a great person. He really is.
"If that deal comes to fruition, which I think it will, it will be a tremendous thing. And then we have some other names who are in the mix."
BKFC was launched by Feldman in 2018 and featured the likes of Paulie Malignaggi and Paige VanZant.
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Shaq, meanwhile, won four NBA titles during his stellar 19-year career.
O'Neal retired in 2011 having been a No 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.
He won three NBA titles with late great Kobe Bryant at the Los Angeles Lakers before capturing a fourth with Miami Heat.
The much-loved personality recently revealed he poured milk on his testicles to cool them down after nearly burning them with pain relieving gel.
The ex-basketball player, who stands 7ft 1in tall, has appeared as a guest on WWE and TNA before.
He was even lined up to once face 7ft Big Show at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 but it never came off.