THE SIDELINES : Gastineau Intends to Enter Boxing

Former NFL star Mark Gastineau says he’s moving to Vancouver within a few weeks to launch a heavyweight boxing career under the watchful eye of stock promoter Murray Pezim.

Gastineau and actress-girlfriend Brigitte Nielsen arrived Tuesday and said they would live in Pezim’s $7-million home on the city’s West Side.

“Murray and I talked about it for some time, but now it’s official,” Gastineau said. “It would be an awesome feeling to do something like that (box at the pro level) with the odds against you and be able to overcome them, but I’ve got the potential to do it.”

Gastineau, 32, has a gargantuan build at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, which he used to terrorize NFL quarterbacks. The former all-pro defensive end abruptly quit the New York Jets last year when Brigitte became ill. The illness proved not to be life-threatening, but Gastineau chose not to return to the Jets and his $1-million annual salary.