Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper both won their boxing bouts on Friday with SBW claiming the WBA International heavyweight title.
World Cup-winning All Black Williams survived a whirlwind finish from veteran South African Frans Botha to land the vacant title with a unanimous points decision in Brisbane.
The ringside judges gave him the fight 97-91, 98-94, 97-91 over the 10 rounds.
Williams was holding on in the final round as 44-year-old Botha, dubbed the "White Buffalo", went after him with heavy blows.
27-year-old Williams who remains unbeaten in six fights, is due to play in Australia's National Rugby League this year with the Sydney Roosters.
Botha's record now stands at 48-10-3. Botha was left fuming after the bout. Cut short from the original 12 rounds to 10, Williams looked in control for most of the fight.
The South African, however, was furious with officials after the decision was made to shorten the bout, with the 44-year-old looking to have worn out Williams by the end of the 10th.
"You know I love Sonny Bill, I think he's a great guy, a gentleman, but this was bullshit," the 115kg Botha said in an interview after the fight.
"If you look at the crowd, you know who won. You've got to win fair and square, not with the advantage of the judges, you've got to fight. According to me I won, hands-free."
Wallabies fly-half Cooper won his first professional fight on the same fight card in a first-round knockout of fellow Australian Barry Dunnett.
Cooper landed a right hook high on Dunnett's head to send his opponent crashing to the canvas inside the opening round of his scheduled four-round cruiserweight bout.
Comments
APV1 says...
@ isthatrightref - you help yourself, sunshine! I'm quite looking forward to the dreary S15 competition too...
Posted 11:54 11th February 2013
isthatrightref says...
@ trelawney... if you truly don't want to read about Williams' & Cooper's boxing you may want to consider not clicking on a headline with both their names & 2 fairly obvious boxing references in it...
@ ferdie... no time soon it would seem, FoxSports (yeah I know, not the best news site going around but I'm sure not even they just make stuff up for the hell of it) are now saying there wasn't a drug test for Botha to fail (unlike in '95 when he got done for steroids) & that SBW has offered him a rematch in Cape Town during the NRL off-season.
Posted 20:17 10th February 2013
letsgoboks says...
Sonny Bill Who...?
Posted 13:26 10th February 2013
ferdie says...
will the circus never end? now announced that Francois Botha has tested positive for two banned substances/drugs, so guess the fight counts for even less than zero. Hard to believe, someone with that much exp should know better - if banned may well be the end of him.
Posted 10:41 10th February 2013
kiwilad says...
Trinats, by the way, Cooper could win 15 boxing matches by knockout, and I would still be happy to call the horrible, thieving toerag an Aussie.
Not because he left here and chose to play for your lot, but because he is a horrible thieving toerag. Or someone you may refer to as FERAL..
Posted 08:35 10th February 2013
2eyedkiwi says...
@philipjfry - cheers mate, I've been working on that one for about 2 years now...
@trinumpty - "kiwis win with controversy"? Nothing to do with the Australian Promoters, Australian Manager, Australian Ref, Australian Judges, Australian Venue, with a player contracted to the Australian NRL?
While you are spot on in that he's over-rated in boxing, he did play in the RWC, and in fact has a winners medal. They sit along side his super rugby, Bledisloe cup, Rugby Championship, and NPC medals.
Not your best work mate...
Posted 04:01 10th February 2013
trelawney says...
I agree with all those posters who said that "This is a RUGBY website not a boxing website"
I, personally, am not interested with what SBW & QC do in their BOXING careers.
I am interested in RUGBY.
Posted 22:25 09th February 2013
ferdie says...
Trinats 2 - ffs - last year I gave you the link to the tv interview with QC. As at August 15 2012 he was in Australia on a Special Category Visa (as are several million NZers apparently) - sure it would have made news last few mths if that had changed, he is still on a NZ passport, having never applied for permanent residency or citizenship,
It matters not how long he has been there. NZ passport/citizen. He could have applied pre-2002 when the laws changed but he said he chose not to.
Different/more difficult now - he would have to pass police/criminal record and character tests for Oz Immigration - surely they wouldn't let a convict in?
Posted 14:49 09th February 2013
ferdie says...
Here we are - from the Botha management:
Botha didn't seem to know what happened to the rounds but his promoter Thinus Strydom did, saying he was informed shortly before the fight, although he surprisingly didn't tell his fighter. żI found out when they are walking in. They called me aside and listen, 'it's been cut down to 10 rounds'. I said to my guy 'don't tell him'. Before the bell, you don't do things like that. "
Posted 12:25 09th February 2013
Trinats2 says...
ferdie:
No the headline couldn't, as Cooper is Australian, and money Bill didn't win, Cooper is an Australian citizen and an Australian passport holder. Yes his parents brought him to Aus when he was a kid but he grew up to play high school rugby in Australia (years earlier than Chris lathem or Scott higginbotham took up the game !!!!) and then school boy rugby for Australia before becoming a Wallaby.
Don't try to claim him now that he won by a KO in the first round, he doesn't claim to be a Kiwi ! especially after he and wallaby fans were spat on in NZ !
Posted 12:16 09th February 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
27 yr old SBW fit as a fiddle can't beat ( or out last!!)a fat 43 yr old South African unknown. Think I might fight him next. Apparently last words of coach to Cooper were: "that's Richie McCaw that is"
Posted 11:31 09th February 2013
kiwilad says...
Trinats, Kiwis wining with contraversy hanging over them???
It is not NZ sport that currently being investigated for drug and match fixing, But it is Australian, perhaps SBW is just stupid enough to play his sport in Aus??
Early reports on the Ausie drug taking issue is that the Walabies of 91 and 99 are under serious investigation.
Posted 10:41 09th February 2013
philipjfry says...
2eyedkiwi: Gosh you're witty.
Posted 09:38 09th February 2013
nefari says...
I don't have a problem with articles on rugby players, but it feels like this article was written by a SBW groupie.
Posted 08:42 09th February 2013
ferdie says...
Or the headline could be: Two Kiwis win Boxing Matches in Australia.
Which is, true, two NZ passport holders fighting away from their country of citizenship, in fights held by the Australian National Boxing Federation (ANBF).
Ridiculous stuff,
After Botha kept hitting after ref intervened, round 9, I was expecting them to resort to using aluminium chairs etc like the real fighters do in the tv wresting shows. Agre with the others here, stick to the rugby PR.
If I wanted to see rugby players fight, I'd watch Belgium v Georgia (check the video from 5 Feb - WBA /WWE etc quality!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/video/2013/feb/05/rugby-belgium-georgia-brawl-video
Posted 08:41 09th February 2013
isthatrightref says...
The plot thickens... lifted from Fairfax's stuff.co.nz website:
"Australian National Boxing Federation (ANBF) committee member John Hogg has rubbished claims the decision to cut short Sonny Bill Williams' controversial bout was made after the fight started.
"Hogg says a last-minute decision to shelve the final two rounds was "unusual" but that it had been ticked off by officials after both camps agreed shortly before the fight started.
"Both parties told us it was cut back to 10 rounds..."
I'm assuming that ANBF were the official sanctioning body, just as the Nevada Athletics Commission is for fights in Vegas? Anyone know differently? Can anyone confirm how the ring announcer introduced the fight (i.e. did he state how many rounds as is normal?)? All moot points but with S15 still a few weeks away & only mediocre* NH rugby to read about on PR it does help to pass the time...
* aplogies to APV1 but you did say you needed a new word so hope you don't mind me borrowing your old one :-)
Posted 08:13 09th February 2013
Stellenbosched2 says...
Hi PR,
I have no idea what your on-going interest in SBW is all about. It is not fans that follow him around but a certain stench. And perhaps cyclops journalists?
One of our Springbok greats died yesterday. Perhaps you didn't hear about it? Jan Ellis. One hell of a loose forward in his prime.
Posted 07:32 09th February 2013
TheGreatOne says...
100% Pure NZ Match Fixing
Posted 04:17 09th February 2013
TheRoof says...
I am surprised that sbw survived 10 rounds against Botha let alone winning them. Can't wait for the explanation why it went from 12 to 10. Not sbw's fault it was cut. Feel for Botha - one more round and it was his. Well done Quade as well. Good win first up.
By the way - all you whinging Aussies and Saffas, get over yourselves. Trying to link this bout to NZ rugby and cheating is poor sportsmanship. Is it too hard for you to accept our champion status in this code????
Posted 00:56 09th February 2013
irishaussie says...
they changed it from 12 rounds to 10 rounds mid-fight, SBW was in serious trouble he was well on his way to being KO'd had the fight continued; I used to love boxing but this has put me off boxing for good I won't pay a cent on anything boxing related ever again, there's no honor left in this undignified garbage.
Posted 22:59 08th February 2013