Boxing career is a ball to Dave Egan

Cannock's former footballer Dave Egan today vowed to take the "mental toughness" he gained from playing for Chasetown into the professional boxing world.

Egan, who played 238 games and captained the Scholars over two spells in nine years at the club, makes his paid debut at the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham on May 11.

And, at age 29, the punching plumber starts out at the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham knowing the clock is ticking for him in the fighting game.

But he's not the first footballer to switch sports - Curtis Woodhouse has moved into the British title frame with an eliminator against Dale Miles.

The former Birmingham and England under-21 star is also a welterweight but Egan is actually in front of where Woodhouse was when he started out.

Woodhouse had no amateur experience whereas Egan lifted an ABA Novice Midlands title last year and has had 16 amateur contests.

And, as a player, Egan was part of a Chasetown side that shot up the non-league pyramid, winning two promotions during his time there.

Higher levels meant better players coming in but Egan kept his place and was even asked to come out of retirement for the just-gone season.

And the former midfielder is ready to 'up his game' again to make his mark as the best fighting footballer in the game.

He said: "When I was at Chasetown, the other lads in the team had been released from pro clubs at age 18 and had filtered down.

"I, on the other hand, had started put playing Sunday football, worked my way up and went on to become one of their better players.

"At my age, I am going to have to it the hard way, on the road for tough fights at short notice to face tough lads.

"The one thing I have got on others is mental toughness, I know what I am capable of if I put my mind to it."

Egan missed history at Chasetown, as he was cup-tied when the club reached the FA Cup first round for the first time in 2005.

Heartbreak nearly put paid to a future in boxing, as well, the day after he won his first title, the ABA Novice Midlands crown, last November.

At work, Egan severely injured his hand in an accident and was told by doctors his pro boxing career could have been over before it had started.

He said: "It had been the best Monday I had ever had and I had hardly slept, because you don't after a fight.

"Everybody at work was calling me 'champ' all day and I was buzzing, even coming towards the end of the day.

"I was cutting a piece of plastic and slipped with a Stanley blade but there was no pain, I just couldn't feel anything.

"It went 100 per cent through the tendon on the back of my hand, middle and ring fingers and most of the way through my index finger.

"It was major, major surgery - I could see all of my bones - and I had to sign things to say I might not be able to use my hand properly again."