It's war for Gavin and Woodhouse

It was a war of words in the Black Country as Birmingham's Frankie Gavin squared up to Curtis Woodhouse ahead of their 'Battle of the Blues.'

'Funtime' Frankie, an ardent Birmingham City fan, will take on former Blues captain Woodhouse for Gavin's WBO Inter-Continental title on the Sky Sports bill at Liverpool's Echo Arena on July 16.

The two met head-to-head at the Bellagio Ristorante Italiano on Seagar Street in West Bromwich yesterday afternoon, the first time the two rivals have met in the flesh.

It soon disintegrated into a war of words as Woodhouse and then Gavin traded vocal barbs, with the press conference descending into chaos.

They really don't like each other, having originally been due to fight last September at Birmingham's LG Arena, before Woodhouse pulled out with a stress fracture of his left hand.

There's still no love lost between the two and, despite Gavin being the favourite, Woodhouse insists "he's getting knocked out in six rounds."

He said: "I will be in front of him all night long and will win by throwing punches non-stop."

Gavin beat West Bromwich's Young Mutley to take the WBA Inter-Continental belt last month and reckons Mutley is the bigger test.

Britain's only world amateur champion said: "Mutley is a better fighter, he knows boxing inside out, because he's done it since he was a kid like me. I have never thought about doing anything else.

"Everyone knows I am going to beat Woodhouse. He can't beat me, he can't knock me out and he can't outbox me."