The text is about a feared First-Division striker who was tempted by an offer of “easy money” to take part in an unlicensed bare-knuckle boxing fight. As a result, he ended up playing his next match with his nose stapled onto his cheek.
The player was Razor Ruddock, who recalls a match where he was bullying Brian Dean and getting the better of him, only to have his Southampton shirt ripped by Billy Whitehurst. Ruddock also shares a story about Whitehurst, describing him as a dangerous and scary man.
The text further reveals that Whitehurst was offered two illegal bare knuckle fights for £1,000, and while he won the first fight relatively easily, he suffered a lot of facial damage in the second one. He needed numerous stitches to close up a big cut on his face from the fight.
It is also mentioned that Whitehurst had encounters both on and off the pitch and was perceived as one of the hardest men in football. However, not all the stories about Whitehurst are true, as he states in the text.
As for his current activities, Whitehurst, now 64, has trained greyhounds, run pubs, and done some building work.
