• Emerged from humble origins to enjoy junior boxing success – only to quit the sport aged 16
• Became a father while still a teenager, as booze, drugs and street fighting soon saw him in serious trouble with the law
• Ran out of options and returned to the ring at 22, managed by the shrewd Dennis Hobson and trained by renowned hard-man, Neil Port
• Defied all expectation in a 48-fight professional career, going on to win every title from area to world level, mixing with the likes of Roy Jones Jr, Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver
• Was regarded for a time in 2006 as the world’s genuine, no.1 light-heavyweight
• Finally left behind the chaos of his former life, thanks to the success and achievements of his pro career

Clinton is available for interview about  the book. Extracts/serialisation opps also available. Please email;margaret@fmguk.com for further details or review copies. Info below.

INTO THE WOODS
The Story of a British Boxing Cult Hero 

By Clinton Woods and Mark Turley 

Hardcover: 256 pages     Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd (October 2017)
ISBN-10: 1785313193     ISBN-13: 978-1785313196     RRP: £18.99

Into the Woods provides a sharp insight into the true motivations of fighting men. Rather than dealing in cliche, hype or the myth of the ‘noble art’, former world light heavyweight champion, Clinton Woods, lays bare the culture that surrounds his sport.

From meagre beginnings in a large family, on Sheffield estates decimated by Margaret Thatcher’s attacks on the steel industry, to booze, drugs and tussles with the law, Woods had chaotic and bloodstained origins. Having boxed as a junior, he returned to the ring in his 20s, seeking change. On a pro journey that eventually saw him trade blows with Roy Jones Jr, Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, he confounded naysayers to win every title from domestic to world level. Along the way, he mixed with some of the most fascinating characters of his era.

Woods’s integrity, honesty and refusal to surrender forged his success. Seven years into his retirement, he has time to reflect. Into the Woods asks whether those who come from violence can ever really leave it behind.

Into the Woods is the definitive story of a life turned around through sport. Read the fast-paced and searingly honest autobiography of the former world light heavyweight champion, and discover how Clinton Woods:

• Emerged from humble origins to enjoy junior boxing success – only to quit the sport aged 16
• Became a father while still a teenager, as booze, drugs and street fighting soon saw him in serious trouble with the law
• Ran out of options and returned to the ring at 22, managed by the shrewd Dennis Hobson and trained by renowned hard-man, Neil Port
• Defied all expectation in a 48-fight professional career, going on to win every title from area to world level, mixing with the likes of Roy Jones Jr, Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver
• Was regarded for a time in 2006 as the world’s genuine, no.1 light-heavyweight
• Finally left behind the chaos of his former life, thanks to the success and achievements of his pro career

Mark Turley is the acclaimed author of Redemption with John McAvoy – now long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2017. His books include Journeymen: The Other Side of the Boxing Business; Wiped Out?: The Jerome Wilson Story; From Nuremberg to Nineveh and The Rainbowmaker. Turley has written for the Telegraph, FHM, Boxing News and many other publications. He has guested on national TV and radio. His work was also nominated for the William Hill prize in 2015 and named among the Guardian’s best sporting books of that year