Final eliminator signed for shot at Wlad Klitschko

OK, slightly disingenuous of me as it's not really a final eliminator for anything, but All Black rugby player Sonny Bill Williams steps into the ring with former Lewis and Tyson victim, Frans Botha, on Friday night.

Yep, that Sonny Bill Williams, the one with 5 fights who beat an American to win the New Zealand heavyweight title.

Now, Sonny Bill is one of the most naturally gifted rugby players I have ever seen, but having watched a couple of his pugilistic efforts, the same can't be said for his boxing. Botha is long past his best, but has shed 10kgs for the fight whereas Sonny Bill has had less than 2 months to get prepared.

Should this really be happening? Botha, even a old and past it Botha, could do some serious damage to Williams, couldn't he?

Spoiler:

Probably spent his Toulon contract already.

Awfully good looking chap is Sonny Bill. Wonder if he has his boat insured?

seanmichaels wrote:

Awfully good looking chap is Sonny Bill. Wonder if he has his boat insured?

In a non-Huckerby way, I agree with you Seany. Rich, athletic, good-looking and famous.

He reminds me of myself in so many ways.

The worrying thing is, Botha is 85 now, and fatter than me. Yet I still have a serious worry that SBW will get the boxing equivalent of a spear tackle in this fight.

Botha always had half-decent skills and a fair thump on him but was never quite top drawer. Still has some good names on his record and is likely to test SBW if he lands. SBW has speed on his side. And not much else...

Didn't think they had eliminators these days...

I mean Mormeck a fat 40 year old cruiserweight gets a shot...

Why bother...Give Wlad's postman a shot..

Mr Bounce wrote:The worrying thing is, Botha is 85 now, and fatter than me.

Yes, unless Sonny Bill is going to get all Willie Pep on Botha and stay away from him, I can see him really taking some pain here. Botha may well be old and fat, but this is a 5 fight novice rugby player he is meeting, not some up and comer with an extensive amateur background.

Williams got smacked in the mouth at a press-conference before one of his fights and his legs dipped. If Botha lands on him, it could get ugly.

I can tell from the torrent of hits and posts on this thread that it really piqued everyones interest so here is an update.

Sonny Bill Williams is the new WBA International Heavyweight Champion via unanimous decision over Frans 'White Buffalo' Botha.

By all accounts he danced around his old and fat opponent landing some decent jabs and straight right hands. Botha almost knocked him out with 90 seconds to go but Williams held on to win by scores of 97-91 twice and 98-94.

So a 5 fight rugby player novice takes out former World Title challenger with ease. Who said the heavyweight division was bad these days.

Thanks for posting the result Tino. I might not have looked it up otherwise but interesting to know how it went.

Maybe get more puns in next time. puns = posts

Ha! "Takes out"??!!! That would mean he KO'd him in my book. Which clearly was never going to happen seeing as Botha tends not to go down too easily and weighs the same as a bungalow. That said, I've just checked - 254lbs is quite light for him recently...

Still, I would pay good money to watch SBW fail, and badly...

Oh, and according to Fightnews.com, the fight was mysteriously changed to 10 instead of 12 rounds just before the start.

Methinks someone was worried they wouldn't last the distance...

It also seems that sometime Australian Rugby fly-half and part-time burglar Quade Cooper has had his first fight at cruiserweight on the same card, a 1-round demolition of a no-hoper. I don't think that Lebedev & Huck should be getting the shivers...

That sounds decidedly dodgy, Soldier.

But having said that, if Botha can't take out a 5 fight novice in less than 10 rounds he got what he deserved anyway.

Probably on PED's

TheMackemMawler wrote:Probably on PED's

Who? Sonny Bill? Big Fat Botha or Soldier_Of_Fortune?

You

I wish.

True, but being fair to Botha he is around 46? He was always going to get outworked by the younger man early in the fight.

Just read this about Quade Cooper on the undercard:

Power-punching Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper made a spectacular professional boxing debut by dropping Brisbane insurance agent Barry Dunnett in the first round of their cruiserweight bout.

Car crash assessor Dunnett (1-2 record) said ahead of his bout with Cooper that he wanted to step up for all frustrated pro fighters and end the "annoying" habit of code hoppers like the Queensland Reds playmaker switching to boxing.

What did they expect? Rugby player vs Insurance agent?

Nice that he's 'stepping up for pro fighters' though, in between being an insurance agent.

Wonder what he made of the Williams fight too. Being a car crash assessor seems somehow apt given how that panned out.

Il Gialloblu wrote:

Wonder what he made of the Williams fight too. Being a car crash assessor seems somehow apt given how that panned out.

There was a great quote on the live feed I was watching. 5 fight novice Williams has been in front the entire fight, Fatty Bum Bum Botha comes storming back to win the last two rounds, particularly the 10th in which he nearly KO's Sonny Bill, and then someone pipes up with "shows that Botha has still got it".

I'd like to think he was being ironic but I am not so sure.

Pity Freddy has retired. They could have had a tear up

Williams is average, but he would crush Freddie, that is for sure!

Just read all about it on boxingscene - apparently it was a complete farce.