Gary Madine admits he never wanted to join Cardiff City in a £6m deal as details emerge of the former Bluebirds striker's charity boxing victory

Former Cardiff City striker Gary Madine has revealed he never wanted to join the Bluebirds in his £6million transfer from Bolton Wanderers, admitting he would have happily stayed at his former club instead.

The 36-year-old has opened up about the controversial move to the Welsh capital in January 2018, which saw Cardiff pay a substantial fee to prise him away from Bolton as Neil Warnock's side chased promotion to the Premier League.

Madine ultimately went down as one of the costliest transfer mistakes in Cardiff's recent history, failing to score a single goal in 28 appearances for the club despite his hefty price tag.

And speaking to The Bolton News ahead of his charity boxing debut this week, the former striker admitted he had been desperate to remain at Wanderers, where he was enjoying arguably the best football of his career.

"I didn't want to go at all," Madine said of his move to Cardiff.

"I'd gone to Phil [Parkinson] and said: 'If you offer me a new contract, or a little bit more money, I'll stay here happily.' But the club was in financial trouble and managed to get a crazy sum for me.

"I can't blame them for not turning it down but it probably didn't help me going there, talking about this big price tag that I know I was never worth.

"It helped the club out and at the end of the day, Bolton's bigger than Gary Madine."

Madine had been in excellent form for Bolton during the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, scoring 10 goals by January as Parkinson's side battled to preserve their Championship status.

His performances convinced Warnock to make a move, with Cardiff agreeing a £6m deal on deadline day as they sought to strengthen their attacking options for the final months of their promotion push.

But the transfer proved disastrous from an individual perspective.

Madine struggled to make an impact at Cardiff and failed to register a goal for the Bluebirds, despite the club securing promotion to the Premier League at the end of that season.

Looking back, he believes leaving Bolton disrupted a period in which he was playing some of the best football of his career.

"I feel like that was the fittest I'd ever been, the best form of my life. I just loved it," he said.

"I loved the fans, they loved me. We all got each other."

The former striker's comments emerged as he prepared to swap the football pitch for the boxing ring, taking part in a charity event featuring a host of retired professional footballers, hosted by former Cardiff goalkeeper coach Graham Stack with ex-Bluebirds Armand Traore and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas originally on the bill.

The planned contest between Nile Ranger and Emmanuel-Thomas, however, was cancelled on medical advice following pre-fight checks.

And Madine has now enjoyed considerably more success in the ring than he managed in front of goal during his Cardiff career.

He defeated former QPR and Swindon Town defender Jamie Sendles-White by split decision at Pro Project Promotions' A Night to Remember III event at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Thursday night.

The contest was described by organisers as a gruelling battle, with Madine edging the judges' verdict after completing an intensive training programme ahead of his boxing debut.

Speaking before the fight, the former Bluebirds forward admitted he had agreed to take part after receiving a phone call while on holiday, having consumed a few drinks.

"I got a phone call, I was away on holiday, and I'd had a few drinks," he told The Bolton News.

"I got asked if I'd do it and full of drink I said yes but when I got back to England and sobered up, I thought: 'What have I done?'

"But it's too late now, I keep being told, I can't bottle it now because we're raising money for some good causes.

"I'm sure there'll be plenty of people who'll enjoy seeing me get punched, so hopefully they'll tune in!"

Madine had also admitted his opponent possessed greater boxing experience and a slight weight advantage, although he was determined to give a good account of himself.

"I've already got a black eye because I was talking when I should have been listening," he joked. "The lad I'm up against looks pretty good, to be fair."

As it turned out, Madine was the one celebrating victory after a closely contested bout.

The charity event also featured former Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong stopping ex-Arsenal player Armand Traore in the third round, while Harlee Dean knocked out Leroy Lita and David Norris recorded a third-round knockout victory over Simon Cox.

The evening was organised by Pro Project Promotions, which has already raised more than £201,500 for charity across its first two events and is targeting £500,000 in its debut year.