- Boxer Garth Wood says prison was different than he imagined
- Was locked up for an attack in June this year
- Ex-NRL player spent time getting fit and training with others
Former professional boxer and rugby league star Garth Wood has opened up about his time in prison after being convicted of assaulting his partner's ex in what was reportedly an act of retaliation.
Wood, who knocked out Anthony Mundine in five rounds in 2010, expected the prison to be full of hardened criminals but instead found it a confrontational place with many inmates suffering from mental health problems and drug addiction.
The 45-year-old former Souths star says he regrets attacking the victim.
Former boxer Garth Wood has broken his silence on what life behind bars was like
Wood (pictured) was convicted of assaulting his partner's ex-boyfriend after claiming the man attacked her
Wood was arrested at his home following the incident and then taken to Newtown police station. From there he ended up in Parklea Prison and later Cessnock Correctional Centre.
“I expected prison to be more of a man's experience, where everyone is a tough guy,” Wood told the newspaper. I catch killers with Gary Jubelin podcast..
“I thought I was going to be confronted by guys who wanted to fight me, but a lot of it was about drug addiction and mental health.”
Wood says he kept to himself at first and trained alone in his cell. The boxer did not want to attract the attention of violent prisoners.
After a while, he made friends with some other inmates who were also interested in fitness.
“It was doing chin-ups, push-ups, burpees, running – I thought I'd take it day by day and stick to myself, but got talking to a few guys,” he said.
Wood (pictured during his win over Anthony Mundine) says he kept busy in prison by focusing on his fitness and keeping a low profile
“I joined a gang of people – not a gang, people who wanted to train – and I'll tell you what, I did some of the toughest training sessions there.
“We did a lot of burpees, bear crawls, squats and push-ups. It was like a big circuit that lasted almost 40 minutes and for the first few sessions I couldn't run for the next few days.
“I've met some very good people in prison, but there are also some bad people who I would never want to meet again.”
Wood said one of the most confronting things he experienced in prison had to do with drug addicts.
“There were seven guys in Parklea who were all on heavy s*** (heroin),” he recalled.
Wood says he met some good people in prison, but also encountered others he described as bad
'They all shared the syringe. Yet there was one guy who had AIDS. He was the last to blow it up.
“It just shows you what they're willing to do for the addiction.”
Wood says he regrets putting his loved ones through the “rollercoaster” of captivity and is very happy to be on the outside again.
When Wood was given his freedom, he says he decided to walk home from the Downing Center court with his partner.
'My girl wanted to take a taxi, I said, “No, I'll walk home.”
'We went to eat first. I had an honest dinkum steak and some chicken wings. It was good and from there I walked home. I soaked it up… it was amazing.”