Twice Rugby World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) has asked for Jonah Lomu to be shown respect after media claims he died a pauper despite earning millions at the height of his fame.

Ferdinand is not the first sportsman — or even the first former footballer — to turn his hand to boxing. Here, Sportsmail charts the fortunes of some of those who have tried to forge a career in the ring.

Jamie Roberts is in line for a shock recall to the Wales team as Warren Gatland looks to combat the threat of Sonny Bill Williams. If selected he would defend at inside centre.

Sonny Bill Williams has come under fire for a social media post which shows his daughter riding in the back of a convertible in the Cook Islands, but can you spot what's wrong with it?

Sonny Bill Williams brought some hilarity to his hospital nurses after receiving surgery last week. 

Sonny Bill Williams has welcomed his first son.

All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams held a traditional Islamic birth ceremony for his newborn son, Zaid.   

Sonny Bill Williams is expecting a fourth child with his wife Alana Raffie.

The 34-year-old will be officially unveiled at a press conference at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium next Thursday and join up with his new team-mates after a period of rest and recovery.

Hogg said he would be 'very annoyed' if one of his Scotland team-mates was so quick to move on from their own exit at this year's showpiece in Japan.

A Chinese website has angrily mocked rugby union and league star Sonny Bill Williams for speaking out against the Communist superpower's treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority.

Sonny Bill Williams said he doesn't fear backlash for his latest comments supporting the Uyghur Muslim community in China and said his only regret is he hadn't spoken out sooner.

Sonny Bill Williams has welcomed his fourth child with wife Alana Raffie. The former All Blacks star announced the happy news to fans on social media with a photo cradling his new baby boy.

Sonny Bill Williams has announced his newborn son's name after flying home from the UK to be with his wife as she gave birth.

Melbourne boxing promoter Brian Amatruda exclusively revealed to Daily Mail Australia his plans to arrange a $1 million charity bout Down Under, and hoped Tyson would take part.

On Wednesday, Pia Miller showed off a very extravagant gift her millionaire beau Patrick Whitesell bought for her for her 36th birthday earlier this week.

Trevor Allan Dale, 60, was sentenced to a minimum of five years and eight months behind bars in the NSW District Court on Friday for raping ex-soap actor Bryan Wiseman in 1980.

She has had a rough couple of months after the police took out an AVO against her husband-of-nine-years, former NRL star Stuart Webb.

She has had a tough few months after police took out an AVO against her husband-of-nine-years, former NRL star Stuart Webb.

Pia Miller was in Byron Bay on Saturday, attending a friend's baby shower. 

Home and Away star Sophie Dillman's character Ziggy Astoni entered into a love affair with Dean Thompson, played by co-star Patrick O'Connor, this year. 

She plays Willow Harris on Channel Seven's long-running drama Home and Away.

The husband of Home and Away icon Kate Ritchie has been caught drink driving by police five times, court documents have revealed - as he jumps back behind the wheel.

She's the former Home and Away star who rarely puts a foot wrong when it comes to fashion.

Home and Away co-stars James Stewart and Sarah Roberts tied the knot in a lavish wedding at Luttrellstown Castle on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland in July. 

In July, Home and Away co-stars James Stewart and Sarah Roberts tied the knot at Luttrellstown Castle on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland.

Packed to the Rafters will return in 2020, but fans of the show will be disappointed to know that one fan favourite won't be apart of the upcoming reboot.

Bec Hewitt shares three young children with her tennis star husband Lleyton.

Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou has opened up about delivering her son Harrison stillborn, eight months into her pregnancy in 2014.

Shes endured a difficult past few months due to recent AVO dramas with her estranged husband, Stuart Webb.

Kate Ritchie has successfully managed to build up an estimated $10 million fortune since first being cast as Sally Fletcher on Home and Away in 1988. 

Ada Nicodemou took to Instagram on Monday to share a smorgasbord of snaps from her lavish 'glamping' weekend away. 

Christmas might be days away, but that hasn't stopped the cast of Home and Away from getting back on set to film scenes for Channel Seven's long-running drama.

Things are still going strong between Ada Nicodemou and her longtime boyfriend Adam Rigby.

She rose to fame as the rebellious Selina Cook on Home and Away in the mid to late 1990s. 

He recently underwent emergency open-heart surgery after a cardiologist found three serious obstructions in his arteries. 

Julia Rose Gelonese will face Federal Court action a year long investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman into her management of Upper East Side restaurant and bar in Bondi.

Home and Away star Sarah Roberts has shared her heartache six months after her brother Karl De Abrew's death from brain cancer.

A new study led by the University of Verona in Italy has found that listening to high-tempo music that equates to at least 170 heartbeats per minutes inspired bursts of effort during exercise.

Eminem took to the Oscar stage on Sunday night for a surprise of his Oscar-winning song Lose Yourself, and Oscar-winning director Marti

MARTIN SAMUEL AT WIMBLEDON: For Federer to best an opponent - and an 18-time Grand Slam winner - on such a fast, exacting, demanding surface at his age, is superhuman.

While he will play no part in the final at the All England Club, Nick Kyrgios sent social media into a frenzy hours before the match as he pleaded for a Roger Federer victory.

The House of Commons speaker entertained the crowd with his animated expressions while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic battle to win this year's Wimbledon.

KIERAN GILL ON CENTRE COURT: Novak Djokovic described Sunday's Wimbledon epic as the most mentally-exhausting match of his career.

Fans revelled in perhaps the most gripping hour in the history of British sport as Wimbledon and the Cricket World Cup both ended in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Pippa Middleton, 35, looked work-out ready in an all-white shorts and T-shirt ensemble in west London today, as she took son Arthur, eight months, and her two dogs out for a stroll.

Britain's Dan Evans was left to rue missed opportunities after losing a hard-fought contest with defending champion Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Rafael Nadal moved ominously into the last 16 at the US Open with a straight-sets win over Chung Hyeon.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Two days before another dramatic US Open exit, Roger Federer was talking up the chances of him being competitive in the Grand Slams into his forties.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Men's tennis will get a taste both of its glorious recent past and uncertain future in Sunday's final of the US Open.