Curtis Woodhouse is Ready To Upset Frankie Gavin
By Terence Dooley
Former professional footballer Curtis Woodhouse traded ‘The beautiful game’ for ‘The sweet science’ over four years ago in order to ensure that his dotage is not filled with regret. A huge fan of boxing, the former Sheffield United and Birmingham FC player swapped boots for gloves to try to net fights against the best in Britain and win a Lonsdale belt.
Indeed, Curtis promised his father that he would bring home a British title only for his dad to pass away without seeing their dreams come true. The 31-year-old takes on WBO Inter-Continental titlist Frankie Gavin at Liverpool’s ECHO Arena on July 16th in a fight that he hopes will propel him towards Ashley Theopane’s Lonsdale belt.
“Things are going great,” enthused Woodhouse when speaking to me over the phone. “I’ve had a couple of weeks of hard training under my belt. We had a pretty lively press conference the other day as well. Come July 16th we’ll get down to the serious business of fighting. I know I’m going to have to work hard to beat Frankie Gavin and will need to be at one hundred percent. I want to be in tiptop shape.”
Wednesday’s presser was a lively affair. The two fighters, their teams, a smattering of journalists and other spectators piled into the Bellagio Ristorante Italiano in West Bromwich. Unfortunately, however, one or two of Gavin’s supporters were given the opportunity to question Woodhouse.
Throw in a sullen looking Gavin, a spat between Woodhouse and Gavin’s trainer, Anthony Farnell, and the result is a lively 16 minutes of footage. Curtis, though, believes that a few people in attendance were allowed too free a rein.
“To be honest, I think it went too far,” mused the Driffield-based boxer. “There was a lack of respect coming from some people, which I was surprised and disappointed about to be honest. I cannot understand it because I’ve never once said I am going to be the best fighter in the world or that I’ve beaten the best fighters in the world but, just like any other boxer, that I think I deserve a little respect for getting in there.
“The journalists were fine, they were asking normal questions, but there were four or five of Frankie’s cheerleaders firing questions. That shouldn’t have been allowed. If the press conference had of been in Sheffield there is no way I’d have allowed my friends to spout off to Frankie.
“You had people who weren’t even asking proper questions, it was kiddy stuff, trying to goad me into flying off the handle. Someone in there should have put a stop to it because if I’d have jumped over the table and smacked them in the mouth then I’d be the one getting into trouble.
“It was a case of trying to keep my cool. My blood was boiling at some of the questions and the tone of them. At the end of the day, it was supposed to be a press conference but there were a few personal attacks. I wasn’t happy about it.”
Woodhouse played for Birmingham City FC between 2001-03. Gavin supports the team. Ironically, ‘Funtime’ played down the issue during the presser. Woodhouse was subjected to criticisms of his time at the club. With one of the questioners accusing him of taking his wages despite mixed performances on and off the pitch.
This indictment annoyed the former Premiership player, who believes that he showed a lot of heart in turning his back on football to pursue a fulltime boxing career. “How many young kids want to be a professional footballer?” asked Woodhouse.
“The answer is a lot and I’m one of those kids who went out there and achieved it. How can you have a pop at me based on that? What have those guys from the other day done in football or boxing? [His trainer] Glyn [Rhodes] said to me that I should have asked them how many football clubs they’d played for or how many pro fights they’d had but I didn’t want to lower myself to their level.
“They’ve had their five minutes of glory. Dean Powell [Frank Warren’s experienced matchmaker] said on the day that I deserved respect. It is a shame that the respect wasn’t always on display in that room. It is over now. I’m just thinking about Frankie because he deserves respect as a fighter and as a person.”
Gavin has cruised to 10-0 (8) during his two-year paid career. There are one or two dissenting voices that claim that Frankie has not brought his amateur form over to the pro ranks. This is a good point. However, there is a lot to admire in Gavin’s work even when he has an off night, as he did against Young Mutley at the O2 Arena on May 21st.
Gavin, though, cut a frustrated figure on Wednesday afternoon. Britain’s only World Amateur Championships gold medallist believes that he is a cut above his opponent. “I don’t think he likes me much!” laughed Curtis as talk turned to Frankie’s demeanour.
“I don’t think he respects where I am as a fighter and probably sees this as a backwards step. Frankie wants what he sees as bigger tests, he wants to fight for the British title, so you’ll have to ask him if he’s annoyed by having to fight me or not. On July 16th he is fighting me so he’d better get prepared whether he likes it or not because he’s in for a tough fight.
“I’ve had no amateur career, no World Championships but come the fight I’ll be properly prepared and we’ll find out whether he is. I want to knock him out and the question is whether I can get to him often enough to do that.”
Gavin picked up Kell Brook’s former title courtesy of an anodyne points win over Mutley. The 25-year-old admitted that he had suffered from a virus going into the fight, which has since been verified by members of his team, yet still managed to post a near-shutout win over his Midlands rival.
“I don’t think he put in a great performance,” says Curtis. “He said he was ill. I’ve been ill before fights myself. It is hard to train, hard to spar so you don’t really feel at the races, and he wasn’t in that fight.
“Yes Frankie is elusive but even elusive fighters can get caught. He is not Superman; he can get caught and hit. We will hurt each other if we walk onto shots with those eight-ounce gloves on. Frankie’s last fight didn’t show anything that I didn’t already know. I didn’t learn anything new.
“Mutley can punch. If he gets you then you’re in trouble. Frankie won every round in my view so there is nothing there to see. Maybe if he’d have gone down from a shot or been hurt but he showed he’s got a good chin when it comes to it.
“Mutley is a good fighter. Frankie showed he is a class boxer. I am not deludedly thinking he’s rubbish based on that or that I’ll walk through him. This won’t be an easy night. It is a very, very hard fight, the toughest of my life. Frankie is Britain’s best prospect for years. But I think I can win this one. I am up for it and am preparing for the Frankie who we’ve seen shine in other fights.
“I’m a fan, look at what he achieved as an amateur, he brought back a gold from the World Amateur Championships and that is something which can’t be overlooked. It is there in black and white that he’s gone out there and achieved things. You see things differently as a fan. I’ve been on both sides, I was an armchair fan and used to look at Gavin from that perspective but now I’m his opponent and am in the gym working to achieve my goals. I know what I’m up against, he’s a class fighter but I’m confident of victory.
“I’m not here just to give it a shot. I’m not making the numbers up. I’m here to win the fight. I don’t look at him as unbeatable, he’s a very good fighter and good fighters have lost before.”
The 15-2 (10) slugger traded barbs with former two-time WBU world titlist ‘Arnie’ Farnell on Wednesday. The two have since buried the hatchet by posting their views on Boxrec’s British forum. Much to the relief of Woodhouse, who followed Farnell during the Mancunian’s fighting career.
“The thing with Farnell is that I grew up watching him fight and used to love the way he came to fight, he was a fan’s fighter and used to come into the ring with a satisfaction guaranteed style, whether he won or lost. He was one of my favourite fighters so I was a little bit disappointed by the way he spoke to me,” he admitted.
“But what people have to understand is that at press conferences the emotions run high. Frankie is there with his trainer and friend. I’m verbally attacking Frankie so of course Arnie is going to stick up for him. I respect Anthony, we’ve had words about it and there is no beef whatsoever. I was spoken down to, it left a bad taste and it is sorted now.
“It is boxing, isn’t it? I’ve said things in the past myself. As far as I’m concerned we drew a line underneath it. It is all done and dusted, we’ll probably have a beer and a laugh about it afterwards but at the time it did piss me off.”
For now, though, the 5’ 8’’ International Masters 140lb title holder refuses to countenance the idea of sharing a handshake and hug with Gavin after they have taken care of business in the ring.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” answers Woodhouse to my question of whether there will be the traditional final bell love-in. “At this moment in time I want to knock him out and am not thinking about a Friends Reunited moment after the fight.
“At the moment, I despise Frankie but that is how it goes when you’re in training. What is the point in being friends before a fight when you’re going in there to take each other out? You can save that until it is all done and dusted. But there is no animosity on my side beyond the fact that we’re going to fight.”
A win over Gavin would provide Woodhouse with a launch pad into British title contention. Bringing him closer to keeping his promise of taking home that coveted Lonsdale belt. He said, “That is the aim, a British title fight is something that I want and a win here could propel me into that dream fight.”
“It is my goal, my dream and there is nothing personal here with Frankie. It is strictly business because when I first turned pro I promised my dad a British title and intend to do it. Frankie being in the way fuels my fire.
“I can’t wait. There will be pretty much a full house at the ECHO. Tony Bellew is on the card so I expect a lot of Liverpool fans getting behind their fighters and also imagine that a good few Birmingham fans will travel up. The atmosphere will be great, maybe a bit hostile – I’ll feed off it. This is an exciting fight, one for the fans to get their teeth into. I won’t be reduced to a shell just because I’m boxing Frankie.
“I’m coming to land my shots. As long as I land mine then I don’t mind him landing as well. I didn’t come into this sport to mess about. Frankie is the biggest challenge out there. I want to look back in ten years time with pride. This is the type of fight that you can tell the kids about after you’ve retired, especially if you beat someone like Gavin.”
Video footage of Wednesday’s press conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-dXV70ZsdY
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