FINEST HOUR: coming off the floor to take out Klemetsen underlined the improvement that Woods has made since his super middle days.
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BM: Do you think people were too quick to write you off after your points loss to David Starie at super middle?
CW: I think they did. A lot of my friends wrote me off. People thought I don't belong up in that class.
For the Starie fight, I had a lot of trouble with my weight. I listened to a lot of bad advice. That's what contributed to the loss. I could always make weight quite easily. But two days before I was 12st 5lbs. I couldn't believe it. When I weighed in, I was something like 11st 11lbs. When I came back, after the third round, I said: "There's something wrong. I'm absolutely knackered." I couldn't believe I went the distance.
BM: Moving up to light-heavyweight proved to be a big turning point. However, hardly anyone fancied your chances against Crawford Ashley. How confident were you about pulling off the upset ?
CW: Not many people had faith in me. Only my trainer and Dennis Hobson. I knew I could beat him. I knew it would be a tough fight. I just had to get past a few rounds. And that's what I did. I just stood in there and took his best shots. My fitness and my youth got through the fight for me.
In all my boxing career, I've never been frightened about fighting anybody. But, the first round, he caught me with a good shot. It bust my nose. I can remember thinking: "Oh, I think I'm out of my depth here." I thought he were too strong for me. Then I changed tactics. I started going towards him. That's the way I've boxed from then on.
BM: It must have irritated you when people said, you only won the fight because Ashley was weight drained, given your own problems against Starie.
CW: That's the thing about boxing. You can't really win. If you beat them too easy, they're weight drained or they're too old. If you struggle against them, you're not a good fighter.
BM: Michael Nunn. In his prime, Nunn was a formidable double world champion. But his last significant win was over a year ago against William Guthrie. Plus, at 37, you must feel he's ready to be beaten?
CW: To tell you the truth, I've never seen much of him, till I got this fight. I saw him beat William Guthrie. He looked very good. He looked fit. But a lot of people will say Guthrie was on his way out anyway. So, I don't think much from that fight.
I know when I beat Michael Nunn people are just going to say: "Well, he's 37."
Without knowing the situation. I'm not going to get the credit. It just gets me a world title shot.
BM: Against Guthrie, Nunn showed he's still quite adept at slipping shots. What do you see as being his biggest threat to you?
CW: Nunn's good at getting out of the way. He's very elusive. He puts a lot more behind his shots now. In his youth, he used to flick them out. Throw lots of clusters of shots.
His biggest threat is being a southpaw. I've only boxed one southpaw before. I don't like southpaws. But I've been training with some very good ones. I've got Rob Norton. He's very elusive. Very quick. Probably quicker than Michael Nunn is these days.
I don't think a lot of people expect me to win. So, I've got no pressure. I'm training for a long fight. I'll try and wear him down. Nick it on points. If I stop him, it'll be a bonus.
BM: Beating Michael Nunn would be a tremendous way to introduce yourself to the American market.
CW: It's a fantastic name for me to beat. I think it's going to be an exciting fight to watch. The Americans might like my style. I've been going forward. My last three fights have been good to watch. Hopefully, I can beat him and put a good performance on. The Americans will like it. And I'll get the fight with Roy Jones.
BM: Roy Jones, is out of sight, though. What could you bring to the table against him?
CW: Roy Jones, is probably the best fighter on the planet. He's fast. He's strong. But every fighter has a bad day. Everybody thought Mike Tyson was unbeatable but Buster Douglas bashed him up. You never know. Roy has to have a bad day. It takes me to have a super, good day. I'd love to get in the ring with him. If I lost to him, there'd be no shame. Think of my bank balance after the fight!
A lot of people don't realise I've got a great chin. I've took some good shots. Hopefully, I could take his shots early on and try to smother his fight. I'm good at smothering fighters. The only way to beat Roy Jones is to keep on him. I think some fighters give him too much respect. That Richard Hall was terrible. He just stood off him and let Roy do what he did.
With Roy Jones, I've just got to get as fit as I can. Try my hardest. And try not to be fazed by him.
BM: Some fighters appear to consider it a moral victory if they go the distance with Jones. Do you share that attitude?
CW: No, if I boxed Roy Jones I'd go in guns blazing. If I get knocked out, I get knocked out. If I go in for a world title, I go in to win it. Not just to go the distance.
That's what a lot of fighters do these days, go the distance.
BM: The Nunn fight is being billed as the WBC final eliminator to fight Jones. However, do you believe the Jones fight would ever be made?
CW: Frank Maloney has said if I beat Nunn, the fight's on. They're talking about the end of the year, beginning of next year. But I don't believe it, until I see it down on paper. And I'm in that ring with him. There's talk about him moving up or down a weight, which would be terrible for me.
BM: With Roy having unified the division, your only other world title shot would be against the WBO champion, Dariusz Michalczewski.
CW: I've been offered a fight against Michalczewski. But they're offering silly money. The same money I'm getting for European title defences. I believe I could beat Michalczewski. It would be a tough fight. Probably on points. To win on points against Michalczewski in Germany is almost bloody impossible. It would be a daft fight to take for daft money. If they offered me good money, I'd be straight over there.
I'd rather go over to America and give the best I've got against Roy Jones. He's the best in the world. Hopefully, the fight does come off after I beat Nunn.
BM: But a Michalczewski fight must be the next best option. I you ever did challenge Michalczewski the fight would be an all-action affair. But do you feel your boxing skills would give you the edge over him?
CW: Michalczewski's only got one way. And that's going forward. I can go forward and I can box as well. I believe I could outbox him.
The Spanish kid I boxed, King Dongo [aka Juan Nelongo Perez], was sparring with Michalczewski for three or four months. He cannot believe he's a world champion. He said: "Michalczewski couldn't touch me." I know it's a different thing when you're in a championship fight. But that gave me a lot of encouragement to get in with him. I'd love to get Michalczewski in England. But I don't think that'll ever happen.
I'm in the wrong weight at light-heavy. There's not much options. At one time, I was going to try to get back down to super middle. But I just can't budge it now. I can get right down to 12st 5lbs then that's it.
BM: Joe Calzaghe is always talking about moving up to light-heavyweight. Woods versus Calzaghe would be a great domestic match up.
CW: It would be a tough fight. He's very fast. He keeps saying light-heavy would suit him. I'd take the fight. I don't believe he's been tested that much. Starie looked like he just wanted to go the distance. I thought Robin Reid gave him a good fight. It was very close.
BM: You came off the floor to beat Ole Klemetsen. Do you think that win proved you truly belong in world class?
CW: Klemetsen has always been a big favourite with his style. He's a big puncher. They made this big thing up about us being big friends. We were never big friends. Even in sparring, we used to have some right wars. It was a good win.
I've had 80 amateur fights and nearly 30 professional fights. I'd never been on the floor before. When I hit the floor, I felt embarrassed, more than owt. I felt stupid. It woke me up. It was the worst thing he could have done, hitting me like that.
BM: You've been in with some renowned bangers like Ashley and Klemetsen.
Who's hit you the hardest?
CW: Sam Leuii. He punched so hard for a little bloke. It were unbelievable. In the first round he hit me with a body shot. I can remember thinking: "Christ, he's hitting hard." He caught me in the third with a good shot. We knew nothing about him and his record wasn't that good.
BM: Detractors knock your trainer, Howard Rainey, for being eccentric and doubt your manager Dennis Hobson's experience. Yet both have delivered the goods. That must give you a lot of satisfaction.
CW: Howard Rainey. We've had loads of little arguments in the gym. He makes up some really eccentric stuff with ropes. You'll have elastic coming from your legs to your right arm. But it works. A lot of gyms in Sheffield laugh at him. But Howard's producing champions.
At first, I got it all the time. People saying: "You, won't go anywhere with Dennis." Dennis is great at talking. I've never been one for sitting down and talking to people. They'd have wrapped me round their little finger, those promoters. They'd have had me fighting for peanuts. Dennis has looked after me. The money he's supposed to have taken off me, he's hardly taken owt. Never a bad word against Dennis. We're still together after five years.
BM: Does it annoy you that so much of the limelight falls on the other Sheffield fighters?
CW: I don't mind them having all the limelight. The only time it bugs me is when Brendan Ingle's lads are in the papers with those Intercontinental titles. I call them made up titles. I had three major titles [British, European and Commonwealth]. I never used to get a mention in the Sheffield papers. But I've never been one for dancing into the ring.
