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Ex-Premiership footballer Curtis Woodhouse made a promising start to his much publicized boxing career last night, impressively outpointing Dean Marcantonio over four two-minute rounds at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London.
Making his professional debut live on ITV4 as part of promoter Frank Warren’s annual charity dinner show, Woodhouse, 26, looked nervy early on but once he settled down and found his rhythm the former England under-21 international began to show glimpses of the ability that less than a year ago prompted him to make the unprecedented decision to trade his boots for gloves.
Marcantonio, who brought a 1-1 record into the ring with him, was a surprisingly capable opponent but the superior athleticism of Woodhouse seemingly gave him the edge, albeit a marginal one, in each of the first three rounds. Any doubts that he was ahead in the bout, however, were wiped away in the final three minutes as he punctuated his first pro victory by scoring two jolting knockdowns, giving him a 10-7 round and the W.
Campaigning as a lean welterweight, the 10st 10lb fighter weighed an astonishing two stone less than he did when, at the end of last season, he declared his intention to quit football and embark on a career as a prize-fighter – something he had dreamt of doing since he was 12.
Though many found it strange that a player who once had a £1 million price tag with Birmingham City and Sheffield United would relinquish the glamour and financial security that comes with playing professional football in order to slug it out in a muggy boxing ring, Woodhouse claims that fighting has always been his first love and it is only now that he is realizing his true ambition.
“Everyone loves football, but I never did,” said Woodhouse earlier this week. “It was never something that fulfilled me. I would never want to go to training, even before a big match — now I train four times a day and love every minute. Football was just like a job that I didn’t like.”
Due to the intense media interest that shrouded his maiden voyage, the now 1-0 Woodhouse jokingly admitted in his dressing room before the fight that a bout of jitters earlier in the evening had almost sent him scampering towards the nearest exit.
With it being his first fight, amateur or pro, it is fair to surmise that people were tuning in as much to see him fall flat on his face as they were to lend their support. The pressure of the occasion, he says, did effect him.
In his post fight interview, the fighter revealed: “The worst thing was all those people here watching me. I burnt a lot of nervous energy in the dressing room but as I go on I’ll learn and improve.”
As one would expect, he is keen to get back into the ring as soon as possible and take the next step in a journey that he hopes will one day lead him to a British title and maybe even beyond.
“I’m ready to go again right now,” he enthused. “I’m looking to fight as often as I possibly can. Obviously, with not having had any amateur fights, it’s a case of cramming in as much as I can and learning as I go.
“It’s going to be a long, hard road but it’s going to be good.
“I felt I could have boxed better, and have done in the gym, but I have to be pleased with the win considering it was the first time I’ve ever boxed in public.”
Huddersfield’s Mark Hobson was also in action, scoring a dull points victory over Czech journeyman Pavol Polakovic to claim the vacant WBU cruiserweight title. Though winning nearly every round behind a long, probing jab, he was made to look extremely ordinary against an opponent almost completely devoid of ambition. A lucrative rematch against Welsh banger Enzo Maccarinelli may now be on the horizon.
Courtesy www.frankmaloney.com
