Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan, 49, tries hand at new sport as he is filmed in boxing ring

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has been keeping himself on the straight and narrow with exercise over the last few years.

The snooker icon lost close to a whopping two stone during lockdown after reigniting his passion for running.

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The 49-year-old has also thrown weightlifting into his fitness routine over the last few years.

But he’s seemingly also mixing things up with gruelling boxing workouts.

On Tuesday, O’Sullivan shared a video of himself hitting the heavy bag and pads with a trainer at the Avona Boxing Club on his Instagram.

In the clip, he said: “I think that competitiveness is something that, sort of, runs through me really.

“I felt like I had to have that competitive edge to push myself on.

“And I’d always pick someone and think, ‘Right, I want to be better than them.’

“And then when I got there, I’d want to be better than the next guy.

“By setting them goals, the training becomes easier.

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‘I’d rather not have the snooker, just a normal family’ – Inside Ronnie O’Sullivan’s troubled childhood

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has enjoyed an incredible career as snooker’s biggest star.

But the Rocket’s turbulent past has led to struggles with mental health, addiction and yo-yo weight battles.

O’Sullivan’s parents ran a chain of sex shops in Essex and his father was jailed for 20 years for murder when he was just 16.

In the Amazon documentary The Edge of Everything, the snooker icon admitted his dad going to prison had a profound effect.

He said: “I didn’t want to blame everything on that situation with my dad, but I was thinking, ‘I’d rather not have the snooker. just a normal family’. Because… It was a dream, but looking back, it was a nightmare.”

Just a year later, Ronnie became the youngest ever UK Champion, seven days before his 18th birthday. Then at 19, in 1994, he became the youngest Masters champion.

But he has already begun to binge on drink and drugs and, when his mum was sent to prison for tax evasion, in 1996, he struggled to cope with looking after his eight–year-old sister alone.

Read more: Ronnie O’Sullivan’s yo-yo health battles – from ballooning to 16st on Smirnoff to ‘wrecking game’ by dieting TOO much

“Anything you can do to give yourself that edge over your opponent, you should do.”

His accompanying caption read: “Competitiveness has always driven me. I set goals, chase them down, then push for the next one.”

O’Sullivan’s sharing of his boxing workout came just days after he gave his followers an insight into one of his weightlifting sessions.

It also came after news of his withdrawal from the British Open.

It was revealed on Tuesday that the seven-time world champion had pulled out of the competition due to currently unknown medical reasons.