CURTIS WOODHOUSE: I’m a big fan of old fashioned Costa

The Spaniard hit the headlines again after his altercation with Arsenal’s Gabriel at the weekend and he’s been slapped with a three-match ban as a result.

I’m one of the few who really likes Costa, I think he’s a top player and I really like the way he plays the game.

He’s like a good, old fashioned centre-forward who plays the game on the edge.

I’ve managed a few players like him before and I don’t mind players who play on the edge, I just told them not to fall off.

If you’re playing up top on your own, you have to put yourself about a bit and give as much as you take, and Costa certainly does that.

I personally don’t think the ban is fair, he hasn’t really done anything wrong in my eyes.

I upset a few Newcastle fans with my views on the club last week, but even they’ll agree that one of their heroes, Alan Shearer, used to play a very physical game similar to Costa.

He’d throw elbows off the ball and try to unsettle his markers with his strength and aggression.

The game has changed completely since Shearer’s day though.

You can’t do anything now, there are cameras everywhere and you’ll get hammered on Match of the Day or Goals on Sunday if you so much as brush an opponent off the ball.

The game at the highest level is turning into a no-contact sport and it’s really disappointing to see.

Another striker in the headlines is Manchester United’s recent acquisition Anthony Martial.

He’s made a stunning start and I think he’s surprised a few people.

If you look at his goalscoring record in France, it isn’t great.

So for him to have shown the composure in front of goal that he has in his brief spell at Old Trafford is impressive.

He seems to have an extra second or so in front of goal and that’s a sign of a top player.

It’s early doors though and lets see what happens with him over the rest of the season before we label him as the Premier League’s next big star.

If Wayne Rooney hits some form in the hole behind him, my predictions on United could be changing a bit.

MONEY TALKS AND MAYWEATHER WILL BE BACK ...

I’m 100% certain that Floyd Mayweather’s shut-out win against Andre Berto last week will not be the last time we see him in the ring.

The figures that will be offered to the PPV king of modern boxing to come out of retirement will be obscene.

With these top level athletes, there is always an ego involved, and especially with someone as flashy as Mayweather, he’ll want that 50-0 record.

He will take a year out and assess the welterweight division and then come back for another huge payday.

Mayweather isn’t just a great boxer, he is a great businessman, and he knows that by saying he’s retired that there’ll be a clamour for him to come back.

He’s also great at manipulating his record and opponents.

He made Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight at 152lbs and he was drained, and he’s picked his opponents very carefully along the way.

That isn’t to say he isn’t a great fighter, he is, but he’s timed some of his fights very well.

I’d like to see him take on Amir Khan or Kell Brook.

I don’t give them, or anyone for that matter, a chance of beating Mayweather, there isn’t anyone about at the moment who could.

But they would make a good fist of it and it’d be great to see a Brit get a shot at him again.

Also, 12 months inactivity could affect Mayweather’s reactions and hand speed and that could give someone a shot at blighting his record.

Having said that, Mayweather is a meticulous trainer and I can’t see him staying out of the gym and putting five stone on in a year like I did when I hung up the gloves.

There has been a lot of reflective talk of who the greatest of all time is, with Mayweather claiming to be ‘The Best Ever’.

Personally, I wouldn’t have Mayweather in my top 20.

I’m going to give this some thought over the next week and give you my top 20 in next week’s column.

Have a think about who would be in your top 20 of all time and we’ll see how they match up against mine next week.

I’VE LEARNED TO ONLY TRUST MYSELF ...

It wasn’t long ago I was a fighter myself, so I know what the lads who were supposed to be fighting on my cancelled show on Saturday are feeling.

I’m gutted for the lads. They had to train and prepare for two separate dates after the first show was postponed and now this one has been cancelled.

At the end of the day, as a fighter, if you don’t fight you don’t get paid, and that’s not good for these lads.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this whole fiasco - most importantly that you can only rely on yourself, and that is exactly what I’ll be doing from now on.

Going forward I will be working on my own, setting up a company and looking after it all myself.

This hasn’t put me off doing shows - it has just made me realise why Hull hasn’t enjoyed much of a professional boxing scene - nobody has a clue what they’re doing.

I’ve been in talks with a new venue and I’m hoping to have that boxed off by the end of the week with an announcement of a show before the end of the year announced.

Fingers crossed I’ve learned very quickly who I can trust and who I can’t moving forward.