White Buffalo in 12 to 10 Round Australian Controversy
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
Queensland, Australia ( February 9th, 2013)– All bets are off in Boondall, Queensland, Australia, after heavyweight gatekeeper Francois Botha’s advertised 12 round vacant World Boxing Association International heavyweight title bout with former all black and league international New Zealand rugby player Sonny Bill Williams ended in a ten round decision win for Williams. Botha demands a rematch for being cheated of two rounds at the post.
TAB Sports Betting, Australia’s government approved racing and sports betting site, refunded all money on bets taken on the 12 round title bout. According to TAB spokesperson Martin Saunders, “It simply isn’t fair for our (betting) customers. It’s not for us to say whether the two (scheduled) additional rounds would have changed the result.”
What? How did an advertised and promoted 12 round bout end up as a ten round decision win on the cards? The promoter and the timekeeper (who reportedly cut the tenth round short as well) are reported to be running for their lives from angry sports bettors, especially who had Botha to win by knockout and got cheated out of their legitimate bet winnings.
After the fact, and before ‘disappearing’ from view, the promoter and manager of Sonny Bill Williams, Khoder Nasser, claimed the fight was always scheduled for 10 rounds despite being advertised as a 12 round WBA International heavyweight title bout. Angry bookies don’t want to hear Nasser’s magical ‘explanation’. They want the winnings they were cheated out of, or else they intend to get the promoter’s scalped head on a silver platter, and seem determined for the latter at this point. The bettors have made promoter Nasser ‘The Fugitive’ on the Australian continent.
After the bout, Botha’s promoter Thinus Strydom stated he was notified the bout had been shortened to 10 rounds just before the bout, but failed to let Botha know. If so, the big question remains: on whose authority was the 12 rounder shortened?
Botha was loud about the round change ‘fix’ as he believed he would have won by knockout over Sonny Bill. “What is this? Cutting two rounds off a fight? The tenth round wasn’t even three minutes. Isn’t this match fixing? You can’t get away with this because you’re a superstar. Two more rounds (were scheduled). I was chopping him down! (Give me the scheduled) Two more rounds and this fight is finished!”
Highlights of Sonny Bill Williams versus Francois Botha Heavyweight bout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2YJXVSDQpM
Known as ‘The White Buffalo’, Botha, now 48-9-3 with 29 knockouts, began his career in 1990 with a first round knockout of 3-1 Johan Van Zyl in South Africa, and went unbeaten in his first 36 professional bouts. Botha won the International Boxing Federation title in December 1995 by 12 round decision over Axel Schultz before being stripped of the title for testing positive for steroids. Botha last won on June 4, 2011, when he stopped 10-0 Flo Simba in the sixth round in South Africa. Since then, Botha has become a heavyweight gatekeeper of sorts. Botha has been: knocked out in the tenth round by Michael Grant in South Africa; stopped in the eleventh round by Carlos Takam in France in a World Boxing Association African title bout; lost a ten rounder to Francisco Pianeta in Germany; and now lost this ‘mysterious 12 rounder transformed to a 10 rounder’ to Williams in Australia.
Williams, now 6-0, three knockouts, ‘won’ by scores of 98-94, 97-91, and 97-91 on the scorecards, and landed powerless combinations to win the first five rounds. Botha then worked his way back into the fight with power shots on the inside in rounds six, seven and eight, before winning the ninth and the tenth big. Botha, cut over the right eye, was deducted a point in the ninth round for hitting off the break.
Botha was magnificent in rounds nine and ten, and was battering Williams, clearly out of gas, from Pillar to post. Midway through the tenth round, the ring announcer mysterious announced that the bout was in its final 90 seconds. Williams would most certainly have been knocked out in the bout had gone into the eleventh round as it was supposed to. Boxing commissions are supposed to prevent cheating. The 4000 plus Australian boxing fans in attendance had no explanation for the fantastic ‘shaving’ off of the two scheduled rounds, and booed the mysterious proceedings.
Results in Australia and New Zealand have been questioned at various times. Santa Claus kicked Sonny Boy, and then got robbed of his sled. The ‘setup’ appeared too obvious. How is it allowed, how is it even possible to change the number of rounds of a scheduled bout to allow your fighter to win? This could never happen in the United States. The latest controversy is just another black eye in the face of Australian sports and will only serve as another road marker to further discourage international sports competitors from going there.
DONATE TO THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE SANDY : www.redcross.org/donate
HELP STOP WORLD HUNGER: www.realcombatmedia.com/rcm-stop-world-hunger
LEARN HOW TO FIGHT, WORKOUT & IMPROVE ENDURANCE:RCM MMA & BOXING STORE
We are always looking for new talent for the fastest growing US and UK based, Combat website. We have openings for the following positions – Internet Sales Advertising, Boxing Correspondents, MMA Correspondents and voluntary Radio Correspondents. There are also plenty of advertising and sponsorship opportunities available on our website for your business If you are a career minded individual and serious about starting a career or continuing your career in combat journalism, our contacts are below.
RCM Main contact: [email protected]
RCM UK & Ireland contact: [email protected]
RCM Greece contact: [email protected]
RCM Radio contact: [email protected]
RCM Radio contact: [email protected]
RCM MMA contact: [email protected]
RCM UK Advertising contact: [email protected]
RCM MMA Advertising contact: [email protected]
Add us to your circle on GOOGLE PLUS Real Combat Media
COMMENTS
English