Sheffield United sold him to Birmingham City - he later won a British title in another sport | OneFootball

A former Blades and Blues talent did the unthinkable by going on to win a British title.

Being good enough to play a professional sport is one thing, but being good enough to succeed in another is outrageous, let alone being at the level to win a title.

Michael Jordan is one of the most high-profile athletes to switch sports, swapping basketball for baseball, but he failed to reach the dizzying heights he achieved as an NBA legend.

In England, former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech took up ice hockey, playing for Guildford Phoenix and then Belfast Giants as a goaltender, utilising the skills he developed during his football career.

However, former Sheffield United and Birmingham City midfielder Curtis Woodhouse went one better, as he secured a British title after hanging up his boots.

Curtis Woodhouse made early inroads at Sheffield United

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Woodhouse began his football career at York City before sealing a switch to Bramall Lane in 1997, making his first-team debut at just 17 against Crewe Alexandra in November of that year.

The teenager quickly established himself as a regular in Sheffield United's midfield, with 68 First Division appearances for the club across the 1998/99 and 99/00 campaigns.

Having impressed at Bramall Lane, Woodhouse was given the captain's armband at just 19, making him the club's youngest captain in their history.

Then, his consistent form was rewarded with a call-up to the England under-21 setup, where he went on to receive four caps, playing against Hungary, Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland.

The midfielder made 117 appearances for the South Yorkshire club, scoring six times, before securing a move to Birmingham in February 2001.

A move to Birmingham City before falling out of love with football

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Woodhouse slotted straight into the Blues' side as they chased promotion to the Premier League, bagging a brace at the end of the regular season against Huddersfield Town.

The following term was a more inconsistent one, as the attacking midfielder was more regularly rotated, with Birmingham finally triumphing in the 2002 play-offs, defeating Norwich City on penalties at the Millennium Stadium.

However, the Premier League was a step too far for the Beverley-born man as he made just three league appearances before joining Rotherham United on loan in January 2003.

Spells at Peterborough United, Hull City and Grimsby Town followed, and as he dropped down the divisions, he started falling out of love with football.

How Woodhouse became a British boxing champion

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In 2006, aged 26 and with no amateur boxing experience, Woodhouse decided on the combat sport as his next venture, having fallen out of love with football.

At the time, the midfielder was still playing for Grimsby in League Two and showed immense dedication to juggle the two sports at once.

In an interview with The Independent, the former attacking midfielder described the transition as difficult, recalling how he was beaten up by his opponents in sparring.

Woodhouse endured several early career defeats but improved before he eventually won the English light-welterweight title in 2012 by beating Dave Ryan on points, three years after his last football stint with non-league side Mansfield Town.

Despite his success, the former Blade suffered more losses before he got his shot against Darren Hamilton for the British light-welterweight title in February 2014.

In a bout that went the distance, Woodhouse won the 12-round fight by split decision, with two judges scoring in his favour, fulfilling the promise he made on his father's deathbed that he would become British boxing champion.