If you want to stop the spate of drive-by shootings that's been plaguing Sydney, all you have to do is stage a world title eliminator between Garth Woodand Sam Soliman at Homebush.

"It will be the most eclectic mob a sporting event could garner," said promoter Barry Wood, former personal trainer of Kerry Packer and a tough old Newtown and Norths halfback.

"It will be made up of the hoi poloi, the battlers, the bikies, the punters, mobile snipers and colourful racing identities.

"It's said, that this is the fight that will stop drive-bys ... for a day."

Wood has been pounding the streets of Sydney this week, wearing a sandwich board proclaiming that this will be no "Mundane" fight.

He's right on plenty of fronts, especially when it comes to the crowd, which will be full of "colourful identities".

Notorious underworld figures and their entourages are coming from Melbourne to support Sam Soliman.

Kings Cross nightclub identities and their associates have booked seats in the opposite corner to cheer Garth Wood.

A well known strip club on the Golden Mile has purchased a table.

There will be the bikie gangs, too not that Wood Senior will mention which ones.

"They tend to have no sense of humour when you highlight their presence," he said, "just say they'll be seated well apart."

That the February 19 fight will not be televised means they can't watch from their usual haunts.

"Nobody will be asked for references when they buy tickets," Wood said. "And the security will be tighter than Gina Reinhart's purse strings."

The bout will draw people from the exact opposite spectrum of society, with the big end of town also expected to be represented very strongly.

Mark Bouris, David Gyngell and John Singleton, a lifelong friend of the Wood family, will be cheering on their man against Soliman. And there's talk of James Packer putting in an appearance as well.

Gai and Robbie Waterhouse. Russell Crowe and most of the South Sydney Rabbitohs have bought seats.

The Star casino made a booking on Tuesday.

Sydney's colourful identities in Sydney have always loved their boxing and rugby league.

The knockabout Wood has some great stories from his days as a scheming half-back for the North Sydney Bears in the late seventies.

"A convicted bank robber, a bloke called Norm Veivre, came into the dressing room at North Sydney to find out how we'd go and if we had any stars out," he says.

"Norm used to run the old football start cards for George Freeman and was looking for a head start against the punters.

"Norm didn't remember that the Bears coach at the time was Det Sgt. Bill Hamilton. Big Bill gave him an icy stare then quietly ushered him out of the dressing room.

The fight itself at the Homebush sports centre, has been billed as Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Two old fashioned brawlers stepping into the ring with the winner to get a shot at Daniel Geale and his IBF world middleweight title belt.

"This is a real fight it'll be on for young and old" Wood declared, "like Sydney has never seen before."

Wood is the former NRL player who switched to boxing, won a reality TV series and then knocked out Anthony Mundine.

Soliman, a quick-footed Melburnian known around the world, first earned his stripes as a kickboxer.