- Ricky Nixon fell in a street fight
- But it was all part of the stunt training.
- He will soon star on the small screen.
Video footage captured Ricky Nixon hitting the terrace after a street fight.
But those rejoicing over the possible demise of the controversial former football agent should pause, because it’s all part of the latest move in the 60-year-old’s career.
Nixon has begun training stunts for his small screen debut, in which he plays amputee gangster Thomas Moran in the crime television series Vendetta 19 Nixon.
And he was put to the test in Port Melbourne on Tuesday, with co-star Terry Yeboah seen standing next to Nixon as the chaos ensued.
The scene was directed by Breanna Bulfone, daughter of the famous wrestler Mario Milano.
Ricky Nixon fell to the ground in a street fight over his acting role in a new series
Nixon, 60, a former football agent, announced his surprising career change earlier this year.
“It was fuller than I thought,” Nixon told the Herald Sun.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. We’ve certainly attracted a lot of interest at Port Melbourne Beach.”
Moran, also known as ‘Tommy the Nut’, was a member of Crutchy Push, a gang that wreaked havoc on the people of Melbourne in the early 20th century.
The gang was made up of men with missing limbs and Moran is understood to have family links to the Moran brothers of the 1990s.
The new TV series will depict how Crutchy Push took on notorious rival gangster Squizzy Taylor at Pentridge Prison in 1908.
Tommy was sentenced to Pentridge several times for violent crimes, despite living most of his life without half of his left leg.
As a result, Nixon will have to learn to fight standing on one leg, using a crutch as part of his arsenal. He is also expected to do all of his own stunts and fight scenes.
“I live a very different and colorful life,” Nixon said.
“When I was asked about this, I talked to some friends and thought it was a challenge.”
Filming on the new series will begin in June and the pilot will air this spring on social media.
Nixon is a controversial figure in football circles and says he has lived a “colourful life”
Author Maloy has written 15 true crime biographies, including Squizzy, The Forensics, The Vendetta, 7246 Minnie, and The Man.
“The difficulty with these roles is that people who are seen with a missing leg are not using the usual type of crutches that we use today,” Maloy said.
“Instead, they use a single-beam crutch, instead of two. It’s an incredibly physically difficult role to play. Part of the audition process included asking Ricky to show off his physical abilities, to be able to move in the demanding ways he will need in a fight scene, and to handle a crutch on one leg.
“I can honestly say that he is in incredible shape and was able to absolutely hold his own in a fight.” He has never stopped training and is in exceptional shape for his age.”
Nixon was involved in a furious fight with football teammate Sam Newman last year, in which the former agent was allegedly left bloodied and pushed into a bush behind a cricket club.