Slobodan Rubezic 'can bang' in the boxing ring as Aberdeen star impresses lightweight prospect

The Dons defender has been hitting the pads with undefeated professional Gregor McPherson in recent weeks

Slobodan Rubezic has established himself as one of the most no-nonsense defenders in the Scottish Premiership.

But there is more to the Aberdeen star than meets the eye, with the Montenegro international a real 'talent' in the boxing ring. The 24-year-old has missed just one game so far this season through suspension, with Jimmy Thelin's men racking up an impressive start to the campaign with 11 consecutive wins in all competitions.

Rubezic - who has struck up a solid partnership with Dons summer signing Gavin Molloy - has also been building his physique even further. And according to undefeated lightweight prospect Gregor McPherson, the big centre back can "fairly bang" when it comes to hitting the pads. Footage recently circulated on social media of Rubezic working with the Granite City boxer in the ring, prompting Reds fans to joke that the player was gearing himself up for the league clash with Rangers at Pittodrie next month.

McPherson, 20, has revealed that the link-up with the 6ft 4in defender came through a mutual friend (Robbie Wildgoose) and says Rubezic has impressed him when he laces up the 10oz gloves. Speaking to the Press and Journal, he said: He (Wildgoose) put me on to Ruby and we just started speaking and he was replying to my Instagram stories of me fighting. He said to me one day: ‘Have you got a stream for your fight, because I want to support?’.

"I didn’t have for that one, which was probably two fights ago, but I just got on to the conversation of ‘you should come along to the boxing, you’d enjoy it’. And he said: ‘Yeah I’ll give it go’.

"Ever since then he’s been coming in once, sometimes twice a week, just after his training or after a game. I think he did a little bit when he was younger, not a lot – but he’s got a bit of talent! When you take him on the pads, he’s got a bit of skill. He’s got the technique, good footwork and the way he punches is good.

"He likes the boxing training – the discipline of it. Obviously because he’s a professional footballer he’ll be getting his cardio and everything from training at Cormack Park, so when he comes in we do a lot of pads and more technical stuff.

"We’ve been teaching him to hit the speedball, and he’s actually got quite quick. There’s heaps of different things in our gym. The floor-to-ceiling ball is quite a hard one to crack and he’s still trying to nail that one."

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