BOXING'S own Comeback King, Ryan Rhodes, is a knockout with Star readers – who have voted him Sports Personality Of The Year.
He is celebrating after lifting the title at The Star and St John Ambulance Sports Awards 2008.
Click the green play button to see our exclusive video"This tops an amazing year – and now I'm about to fight Vincent Vuma for the WBC International title at London's O2 Stadium, as support to David Haye's first heavyweight fight on November 15,'' he exclusively revealed.
"I want a world title shot here in Sheffield.''
Rhodes, aged 31, was up against top competition – other finalists were Blades goal hero James Beattie, athletics superstar Jessica Ennis, Olympic gold medal sailor Paul Goodison, Owls manager Brian Laws, Olympic bronze taekwondo star Sarah Stevenson and European Ryder Cup Squad golfer Lee Westwood.
But Rhodes, who defied all the odds to regain his British light middleweight title 11-years after he first won it, got the readers' votes.
His triumph of the human spirit is the goal all sports men and women aspire to.
Aged 31, he rolled back the years to knock out Gary Woolcombe and win the BBBofC British light middleweight title on April 18, 2008.
Rhodes is set to take his place amongst the sport's elites, says David Haye, the world cruiserweight champ who plans to rule the heavyweight division and promoted Rhodes' successful defence of his title at Hillsborough Leisure Centre on September 20.
The glittering Edge Telecom sponsored Sports Awards, hosted at Sheffield's Ponds Forge by BBC Look North presenter Christa Ackroyd, recognised sporting excellence of all kinds – with the spotlight also on amateurs and business, as well as OIympic heroes, football superstars, boxing idols, cricket legends and other sporting greats.
Other finalists for Sports Personality Of The Year, sponsored by Edge Telecom, were:
James Beattie: Sheffield United's Player Of The Year 2007-08, with 22 goals – including a stunning 30-yard free kick in his first Steel City Derby, in April. The fan favourite was signed in 2007 in a deal worth £4m, potentially rising to £4.5m – the most expensive transfer fee ever paid by the Blades. Beattie, aged 30, is a former Coca Cola Championship Player of the Month.
Jessica Ennis: Sheffield's heptathlon superstar won the European Athletics Rising Star Award after an amazing season – fastest in all three track events at the 2007 World Championships, with a 100m hurdles personal best of 12.97 sec. She finished ahead of legendary Carolina Kluft in the World Combined Events Challenge. But the 22-year-old was then cruelly robbed of a place at the Beijing Olympics with a fractured ankle in June.
Paul Goodison: South Yorkshire's Olympic hero sailor won gold in the Men's Laser Class. Sheffield born, living in Rotherham, the 30-year-old helped Team GB to finish fourth in Beijing – their best performance in 100-years. The great haul of China included 19 golds, 13 silver and 15 bronze.
Brian Laws: Sheffield Wednesday boss Laws, 46, is one of sports' true personalities – appointed for his Brian Clough management style, the colourful character raised thousands of pounds for Sheffield Children's Hospital with a recent parachute jump. He managed Grimsby and Scunthorpe, before taking over at Hillsborough, where he saved the Owls from the drop and is pushing for promotion.
Sarah Stevenson: The Doncaster 24-year-old won Britain's first ever taekwondo Olympic medal – with a bronze in Beijing. Many believe she was robbed of a real chance of winning gold when judges initially failed to put her through to the semi-finals. The decision was overturned but she only had minutes to mentally and physically prepare for her +67kg heavyweight clash.
Lee Westwood: A member of the 2008 European Ryder Cup Squad, Worksop born Westwood, 35, is one of the few professional golfers to have won tournaments on every continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. A former Player of the Year and Order of Merit winner, he has represented Europe for the last six Ryder Cups.
For more about the Sports Awards, a full list of winners and video clips, click here.For a full report and photos see The Star on Friday, October 10, 2008.What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Blades Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarOwls Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarWatch Premiership highlights, international football, golf, tennis, darts and much moreFootball headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categories The full article contains 783 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
