THE MISSION
WHEN Craig Woodruff lifted the Welsh title above his head in February 2013, the Newport native had no idea he would wait 3,305 days until he held another belt in celebration.
Nine years ago, the lightweight’s domination of a game Tony Pace headlined a small hall show in his home city and extended his record to respectable 4-1 (1). Woodruff hinted at his potential as a future British contender and he soon had the Celtic title in sights. In September 2013, that belt would be up for grabs.
An added incentive was the opponent – Mitch Buckland. A slick southpaw who had previously handed Woodruff his only defeat as a professional over four rounds the year before. In the return, Woodruff narrowed the gap but failed to close it, and Buckland prevailed again over 10 rounds.
No stranger to occupying away corners, Woodruff’s debut came against Poland’s Konrad Dąbrowski, a European junior medallist, and his third win against Leeds’ heavier Carl Johanneson, an ex-British champion in the last of his 39 fights. However, what followed the second loss to Buckland almost ended his career.
“THEY'RE NOT MY FRIENDS, MY FANS, MY FOLLOWERS-THAT’S FAMILY”
Six months of inactivity followed before he
