Mickey Rourke to return to boxing ring at 62 in Moscow bout

A file photo taken Aug 11, 2014 shows US actor Mickey Rourke speaking to journalists as he wears a T-shirt with a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the centre of Moscow. Rourke will revive his boxing career at the age of 62 and take to
A file photo taken Aug 11, 2014 shows US actor Mickey Rourke speaking to journalists as he wears a T-shirt with a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the centre of Moscow. Rourke will revive his boxing career at the age of 62 and take to the ring with a US professional boxer in Moscow this month, Sovetsky Sport sports website reported on Nov 19, citing the promoters. -- PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW (AFP) - Mickey Rourke will revive his boxing career at the age of 62 and take to the ring with a US professional boxer in Moscow this month, Sovetsky Sport sports website reported Wednesday, citing the promoters.

The American actor was quoted as saying by promoters: "Boxing is a serious part of my life. It taught me respect and determination, patience and concentration. I always dreamed of fighting a match in Russia."

Rourke is set to fight 29-year-old Elliot Seymour on Nov 28.

They will take to the ring ahead of a match between Russia's Ruslan Provodnikov and Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico, Sovetsky Sport reported.

The actor was an amateur boxer before his Hollywood career took off and he became a sex symbol star in films such as 91/2 Weeks.

He returned to boxing as a professional for eight matches in the 1990s, causing damage to his face that necessitated surgery and changed his appearance.

In 2008, he starred in The Wrestler about a washed-up fighter making a comeback, winning a Golden Globe for best actor.

Rourke is a frequent visitor to Russia and has been romantically linked to a Russian-born model, Anastassija Makarenko.

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