England’s Steed ‘The Stallion’ Woodall, 19, hit the American stage with a bang last Friday with a skillful four round display against Daniel Rodriquez in his professional debut. Steed dropped his man in the second round and won by a unanimous decision. After being booed on his entrance by the opponent’s hostile Puerto Rican following, he was cheered on his way out, winning them over with his exciting style.
The Englishman is currently living the American dream as he now resides in Miami, and it’s a dream he has pursued from a young age.
The successful youngster had a bundle of achievements in the amateur ranks, boasting 5 National Championships, 2 British Championship gold medals, a Haringey Box Cup gold medal and he was a World Youth Championship quarter-finalist, ending his amateur career ranked fifth in the world.
Despite these accomplishments, The Stallion believes he was passed over for the British Olympic squad, despite the fact that he was eager to participate.
“For several years I was assessed by the GB squad, I done everything they asked of me and I was overlooked,” he said.
But his fleet footwork and elegant style will surely be welcomed by professional boxing fans, and he believes he’s well-suited to the pros. “I like to fight aggressively but always to a game plan which is broken down in training, whereas amateur boxing mainly focuses on points and seems rushed.”
The exciting young prospect is based at the world famous 5th St Gym, home of Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. Head coaches, Guy Laieta and Luis Perez have already had Woodall sparring highly-touted pros such as light heavyweights Vilier Quinonez (7-0,4 KOs) and Yuniesky Gonzalez (13-0, 9 KOs).
The experience is invaluable, and Woodall has even come away impressed with himself. “I’m fighting at middleweight, so it’s great that I am doing more than hold my own with such great talent.”
After 15 months out of the ring he put the work in through an intense training camp to get ready for his pro debut.
“My preparation was fantastic, I arrived here in great shape, so I hit the ground running,” he said. “My trainer believes in old school training methods, running five times per week and a hell of a lot of rounds in the gym, plus my strength training two to four times every week.”
While Woodall is following his dream in moving to America to pursue the pro ranks, it hasn’t all been an easy or seamless transition, and it has taken real sacrifice to get himself into this position.
“Well, people’s initial reaction is to think about the nice weather and the beaches, etc. Which is great,” Woodall said.
“But what they don’t see is that I am 19 years of age, I have had to leave my family behind and I am a very family orientated person, I have no friends here, no support at my fights, not to mention living on my own for the first time. These are the sacrifices I have made which many people my age wouldn’t even consider, and it’s one of the reasons why I am hungrier for success, more than anyone in this sport and that will show in my fights. I believe the difference between a champion and a contender is your mind-set. Talent and ability alone can only take you so far in this sport.”
Woodall hopes to get around 10 bouts in his professional first year. He has a fan-friendly fighting style and many American and British fans will be following his journey as he seeks to prove his worth to his new home.
Sacrifices and long journeys aside, Woodall couldn’t be happier with the propsect of fulfilling that lifelong dream.
“I’m proud to be part of such a great country, I hope to earn the public’s respect through my performances as a fighter. This has been my dream from as young as I can remember.”
