Big Dunc’s Toughest Round: When Anthony Gordon Put the Legend on the Ropes

There aren’t many who’ve ever left Duncan Ferguson second best in a physical contest. But the Everton legend says a teenage Anthony Gordon did exactly that in a playful spar at Finch Farm — and he’s happy to hold his hands up about it.

The day Big Dunc met his match

Ferguson — one of the Premier League’s great enforcers and joint-holder of the division’s record eight red cards alongside Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne — recalls in his autobiography that Gordon, then a fledgling at Everton, outworked and outmoved him in the gym. Big Dunc slipped on the gloves; the youngster didn’t bother, and still left the great man feeling like he’d done twelve rounds with a wasp. Call it a friendly lesson from a scurrying winger with fast feet and faster hands.

Giving Gordon his break

The Stirling-born striker-turned-coach didn’t just take a few jabs from Gordon — he championed him. During his stint as interim boss, Ferguson made sure the livewire Scouser got his senior bow away to Limassol, then followed it up with minutes against Leicester. What impressed him most? The kid’s hunger. Gordon was the last off the training pitch, obsessed with repetition and improvement, and Ferguson had to warn him to ease off the extra sparring in outside gyms for fear of a daft injury.

From Finch Farm to England and Newcastle

Gordon’s route since has justified the hype. Now a key threat for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United and capped by England, he carried that boxing mentality onto the pitch — aggression channeled into tenacity and duels won. During England’s Euro 2024 run he even spoke about how growing up in Liverpool, with boxing all around, toughened him up and gave him that bite. You can see it every time he squares up to a full-back.

What it tells us about both men

For Ferguson, the story is classic Big Dunc: honesty, humility, and a soft spot for a grafter. For Gordon, it’s the origin tale of a modern wide man who mixes finesse with fight. The winger who once buzzed around the Finch Farm ring is now buzzing past Premier League defenders — and the old hardman couldn’t be prouder.

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Statistics via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 27-03-26.