Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff has won his first professional boxing fight against Richard Dawson in front of a lively crowd of 5,000 ...

Monday consisted of wrestling and grappling during the day, followed by pads in the evening with one of my coaches. Tuesday involved sparring first thing in the morning, followed by drills and Thai pads after. It's definitely the hardest morning of the week in the gym. That evening I went into the gym for wrestling with Mike Grundy.

I grew up in Preston next to four housing estates and went to a school notorious for crime. A lot of the kids in my neighbourhood spent their time hanging around the streets nicking stuff and getting into trouble. For me it was all about the cricket. I believe that sport gives you purpose and direction and a sense of being part of a team. It's obviously far better to focus on something positive, as opposed to something destructive. Sport makes you feel good and proud.

Training turns cycling into a job of work; something earnest, painful; it eases our guilt - and oh boy, am I guilty! My wife and I have just increased our brood of young children to three, and chamois-creaming my crotch while she's soothing the baby's nappy rash just doesn't seem right.