Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: Debacle king hit for sport of skill

By Dylan Thorne
Bay of Plenty Times·
11 Feb, 2013 08:35 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

I had the misfortune of paying $40 to watch the Sonny Bill Williams and Francois Botha fight.

I was expecting to watch 12 rounds of boxing but ended up seeing just 10 for reasons that are yet to be adequately explained.

I bought the pay-per-view fight in anticipation of seeing Williams' dubious boxing career come to a sudden end.

The contrast between the two men could not have been more stark. Botha, aged 44 and well past his prime, was heavy around the midriff while Williams appeared, as always, to be in peak condition. Not that image counts for much in this sport.

Botha, a South African, has fought a long list of world heavyweight champions and said Williams was crazy to agree to fight him and the two did not belong in the same ring. Many agreed with him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Williams has established himself as a great rugby league player and a good rugby player but has yet to show any signs that he is worthy of calling himself a champion boxer. In my view, his foray into boxing has verged on make-believe. His previous bouts have been farcical and his unbeaten record merely a reflection of the calibre of boxers he had faced.

His fights have done little for a sport that has long endured a shady reputation.

It could be argued that the publicity Williams can generate is positive for boxing, but the bad outweighs the good.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It detracts from what the sport should be about: Two evenly matched and skilful boxers competing on an even playing field.

This latest fight was damaging to the sport. Williams won by a unanimous points decision, but the fight was inexplicably stopped after 10 rounds despite being advertised as a full, WBA 12-round title fight.

Howls of protest followed.

Williams was out on his feet when the bell sounded at the end of the 10th round. If the fight had gone another two rounds it's likely Botha would have won by a knockout.

The controversy continued when reports emerged that Botha failed a drugs test before the fight.

If the reports are true then Botha's outrage and demands for a rematch should be taken with a grain of salt.

It appears the only real losers were those who paid good money to watch this debacle.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Hannah Cross embraces creativity for Miss Universe NZ finale

20 Jun 03:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Stars in the sky': Matariki ceremony cherishes those passed

20 Jun 01:45 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Why a journalist roleplayed a rescue victim with Bay of Plenty’s Civil Defence team

20 Jun 12:00 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Hannah Cross embraces creativity for Miss Universe NZ finale

Hannah Cross embraces creativity for Miss Universe NZ finale

20 Jun 03:00 AM

She repurposes op-shop gowns to highlight her creative skills and sustainable fashion.

'Stars in the sky': Matariki ceremony cherishes those passed

'Stars in the sky': Matariki ceremony cherishes those passed

20 Jun 01:45 AM
Why a journalist roleplayed a rescue victim with Bay of Plenty’s Civil Defence team

Why a journalist roleplayed a rescue victim with Bay of Plenty’s Civil Defence team

20 Jun 12:00 AM
Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

19 Jun 10:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP