IT WAS the unexpected phone call that turned Garth Wood's life around and has the former South Sydney fullback one win away from a bout against the man whose career path he has followed by quitting the NRL to take up boxing.

Having aimed to emulate what Anthony Mundine has done since the former NSW Origin star walked out on St George Illawarra in 2000, Wood will earn the right to fight the triple world champion if he can overcome Kariz Kariuki in The Contender final that features on the undercard of Mundine's bout with Rob Medley tonight at Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Even if Wood loses, the 31-year-old is still a winner after escaping what he describes as ''the dark side of life'' for the opportunity to fight Mundine.

''After I quit footy I had four fights and then I went through a [marriage] separation and some pretty tough times,'' Wood said. ''I wasn't living a clean life. It was pretty heavy. I was on the piss and upstairs was very negative.

''It was the dark side of life, I had a bit of depression. It was pretty bad. I was just filthy on the world. But going on The Contender, I have found peace with myself. I've just accepted what life is, and I'm running with it now.''

Not having fought for 18 months, Wood was surprised to receive an invitation to take part in The Contender series but he had no hesitation in accepting, and was always confident of doing well.

''When The Contender came along, I saw it as a blessing in disguise,'' he said. ''They only called me a week out from the contest, and I just thought to myself, 'Things happen for a reason,' so I grabbed it with two hands and here I am.

''I've always been fit, I'm just blessed with that sort of genetic [make-up] so that wasn't going to be a problem. I was regarded as the fittest bloke in rugby league at one stage, and anyone who knows me knows that I challenge myself in everything I do, so given this chance to progress I've been training like a world champion.''

Like Mundine, whose father, Tony, was also one of Australia's greatest boxers, Wood grew up in gymnasiums and always wanted to box.

But his father, Barry, a former Newtown and North Sydney halfback, discouraged him and elder brother Nat from boxing, and when Souths were reinstated to the NRL in 2002, Wood signed with the Rabbitohs.

''I played with them until 2005 but the money they offered me, I couldn't live on, so I thought I'd just concentrate on my work - I had two jobs - and give boxing a go,'' Wood said.

''Boxing was always my first sport but Dad didn't want me or Nat to box so I turned to footy, and when I became an adult, I just had that hunger in my belly so here I am.''