Young Mutley fights for the English title next Saturday - knowing that boxing has saved him from a spell in the slammer! The light-welterweight owes a big debt of gratitude to trainers Errol Johnson and Bob Plant who have kept the West Bromwich Albion fan on the straight and narrow at their Wednesbury base. Mutley lines up against Sammy Smith at Bristol next week on the Audley Harrison-Nicolay Popov undercard and, if he produces a good performance, will have the added bonus of being shown on the BBC as well as pocketing the English title. But Mutley admits he could well have been on the TV for all the wrong reasons if he had not stepped into the ring. "If it wasn't for boxing I would probably have been in jail," said the 27-year-old. "The part of West Bromwich I am from was rough and there were loads of drugs around so boxing definitely saved me from a bad life. "I used to get picked on when I was younger and I decided to get into boxing because I wanted to look after myself." Mutley is part of the Errol Johnson stable that is beginning to cause waves on the boxing scene with its exciting crop of young talent. And Mutley has emerged as the brightest so far with 14 wins out of his 15 fights. He admits he would probably have an unblemished record if he had been focused on success at the start. "I didn't train properly for the fight I lost as I was having personal problems," continued Mutley, with refreshing honesty. "But Errol and Bob have been really good with me and have kept me going when I couldn't see any benefit." Young Mutley is only his boxing pseudonym - his real name is Lee Woodley. He has adopted the alias because of his dad and he hopes that all the hard work and long hours will prove worthwhile on Saturday. "My dad was a bit of a lad when he was younger and his name was Mutley, so that is why I have this nickname," he added. "I do a bit of door work in West Bromwich to help pay the bills and it keeps me on my toes. "However, six rounds of boxing is far harder than a night on the doors." There will be a large contingent of fans from West Bromwich and Wednesbury driving down the M5 for the fight to back their local hero. And, as Mutley reveals, he hopes this will be the first step on the road to far bigger success. "This is most important fight of my career so far," he said. "I want to go on and fight for the British title and keep moving upwards if I can. "I am 27 now and still hold ambitions of winning a world title one day. This fight could be on the BBC so it's a good opportunity for me, but I know it will be a tough fight. "Smith is the sort of fighter who likes to come forward a lot and I am hoping to pick him off as I am more of a boxer - but I can punch as well." | 
