Soon after he fights Joseph Parker at Auckland's Trusts Arena tonight, Francois Botha's thoughts will start turning towards Evander Holyfield, Tanzania and an African version of Fight For Life.
"It's getting time for me to think about putting something back into the sport," says the 44-year-old Botha at yesterday's weigh-in for the Hydr8 Zero explosion encounter with promising young New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker. "I am talking to Evander Holyfield ... about going to Tanzania, to put something back into the sport and raise money by fighting exhibition matches to fight malaria in that country and show kids how they can build a good foundation for their lives, too."
Botha, the self-styled "White Buffalo", plainly has something of a social conscience.
Asked how much longer he would fight, Botha shrugs and talks of changing the direction of his boxing career. He mentions Mike Tyson - one of the many world champions he has fought - and Nelson Mandela and, with his connections now with Duco Events (promoters of the Parker-Botha fight and Fight For Life), he is also talking of the possibility of an African version of Fight For Life to honour Mandela and/or raise money for charity.
"He is the father of our land, you know," he says. "He is an inspiration to us all - a great, great man and we need to honour him."
