Ex Sheffield United star Curtis Woodhouse has spoken about his run-ins with Neil Warnock ahead of his pro boxing debut this week.
The 26-year-old walked away from football in the Summer to become a professional boxer, and Woodhouse will make his debut live on ITV4 this Friday in a welterweight contest against Dean Marcantonio in London.
Speaking of his time at Bramall Lane, Woodhouse told the Guardian newspaper this week:
‘I was at my worst then, really reckless, fighting in the street three or four times a week. I’m not exaggerating – Neil (Warnock) will testify to that. He was always calling me in because I’d been fighting bouncers outside a club at 2am,” revealed Woodhouse.
“I’d come into training with a black eye, so there was no denying it. But mad things were happening. I’m not saying I was David Beckham but I was in the public eye and some people were jealous. Because I’m only little, 5ft 7in, they’d think it would be easy to give me a pasting in the car park. It might sound brutal but I enjoyed the fighting. I was young and full of anger,” he added.
It seemed utterly inconceivable that Woodhouse would make such a career U-turn when he made his Blades debut as a 17-year-old against Stoke in November 1997 when United manager Nigel Spackman was hit by an injury crisis. The terrier like midfielder, possessing boundless energy as he ran from box to box, was an instant hit at Bramall Lane. I remember a section of United fans jeering Steve Bruce when Bruce had the audacity to substitute the precocious youngster at Huddersfield after Woodhouse had once again shone in red and white. Later that season, United were outclassed 4-0 at home by Peter Reid`s Sunderland, but Woodhouse was the best player on the pitch that day.
England U-21 honours and the captain`s armband duly followed for United`s golden nugget. However as he turned 20, Woodhouse`s progression ground to a halt and he was regularly seen the worse for wear at a variety of Sheffield nightspots. It didn`t take long for Woodhouse`s performances on the pitch to suffer. After finally exhausting Neil Warnock`s patience, United agreed to sell Woodhouse to Birmingham in a million pound+ deal which saw Peter Ndlovu head in the opposite direction. Undoubtedly the Blades got the better deal as Woodhouse continued to go off the rails.
It wasn`t long before Woodhouse was shipped out of Birmingham to Barry Fry`s Peterborough. And though the pocket dynamo underwent a brief career resurgence, his subsequent transfer to Hull City failed to work out and he was sold to Grimsby. Woodhouse`s final game ended in defeat, as Grimsby were beaten in the League Two play-off final against Cheltenham.
Though he may have banished his inner demons, Woodhouse will ultimately be remembered as a monumental waste of talent.
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