Rogan reveals fury at Ulster star Ferris ‘dive’ tweet

Martin Rogan has spoken for the first time of the anger he felt after Irish rugby star Stephen Ferris suggested he took a dive in a bout last April.

The former Commonwealth heavyweight champion — who takes part in Saturday’s Prizefighter event in London — was stopped by Tyson Fury in five rounds at the time, leading Ferris to tweet: “Was the boxing fixed?” And when Tommy Bowe asked what happened via the social networking site, Ferris added: “Body shot and he was nearly knocked out. Better fights in the crowd.” Those tweets were later removed but Rogan is still less than pleased when explaining what happened behind the scenes.

“Stephen is lucky I didn’t pop him. I mean how stupid can you be? My solicitor got onto me and told me to sue him but that’s not what I go around doing. But just for him to say that, I can’t get over it. The next morning after that fight, I was sitting outside Door Steps [eatery] on the Lisburn Road with a friend, and Ferris comes out. ‘Alright lads,’ he says and starts chatting away. He was standing there right in front of me, pretending to be my pal and it wasn’t until an hour later I even knew what he had said.

“He’s a right card, that lad. Shaking my hand after making a statement like that. I wish he’d said it to my face. We’d see who went down there and then. He is a chicken.

“He got everybody to ring me,” added Rogan, who won Prizefighter in 2008. “I’m friends with Rory Best and he even got him to ring me. I said to Rory, ‘He shouldn’t have done it. What was he thinking about? Does he want to do one round with me?’”

“Then I’d newspapers on and I said it was a misunderstanding and I covered Ferris. Phoned him up and told him, ‘Stephen, if they call you, tell them it was your mates that lifted your phone and sent that.’ ‘Martin thanks very much,’ he said.”

When contacted, Ferris was unavailable for comment with an Ulster rugby spokesperson saying he believed the incident was in the past and Ferris apologised on Twitter and in a phone call at the time. But Rogan noted: “He never apologised in public though and I don’t suppose he will.”

nRead the full interview in tomorrow’s Weekend Sport.