RCM Historical Boxing: White Buffalo Heavyweight Francois Botha
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
With his grizzly whitish goatee, his physique resembled a Buffalo. Nicknamed ‘The White Buffalo’, former International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight champion Francois Botha of Witbank, South Africa, later California, was one of the heavyweight division’s formidable warriors between 1990 and 2014, with a record of 48-11-3 with 29 knockouts.
Botha was undefeated in his first 36 fights. After split decisioning Axel Schultz over 12 rounds to win the vacant IBF heavyweight world title in December 1995 in Stuttgart, Germany, Botha was subsequently stripped of the IBF title for testing positive for steroid use, among the first professional boxers so red-flagged for such use. He attempted to win the IBF vacant world heavyweight title a second time but was stopped in the twelfth and final round against Michael Moorer in November 1996 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, while ahead on the scorecard of judge Stuart Winston. The referee in that bout was Mills Lane. In January 1999, Botha was way ahead on all three scorecards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas when Mike Tyson knocked him out in the fifth round.
In August 1999 at Taj Mahal Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, New Jersey (now Hard Rock Hotel & Casino A.C.), Botha drew over 10 rounds with Shannon Briggs, who went on to defeat George Foreman, who had beaten Michael Moorer. Botha tried to defeat World Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, but got stopped in the second round of a WBC, IBF and IBO World Heavyweight title bout, his third IBF world heavyweight title bout.
In March 2002, in Stuttgart, Germany, Botha was stopped in the eighth round by Wladimir Klitschko in an attempt to win the WBO World Heavyweight title. Between 2007 and 2009, Botha won three World Boxing Foundation World Heavyweight title bouts by 12 round decision over Ron Guerrero, Timo Hoffmann and Bob Mirovic, before losing the WBF title in April 2010 by getting stopped in the eighth round by Evander Holyfield at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. After a win over undefeated Flo Simba in June 2011, Botha attempted to regain the WBF World Heavyweight title against Michael Grant and was ahead on all three scorecards when Botha got knocked out in the 12th and final round at Morde Casino in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2011. Between 2012 and 2014, Botha made five unsuccessful comeback attempts against Carlos Takam, Franceso Pianeta, Sonny Boy Williams, Joseph Parker, and Andrzej Wawrzyk, before retiring for good. It was a bitter end for one of boxing’s heavyweight warriors. Botha was not a great white hope, nor a symbol of South Africa apartheid, just an enthusiastic fighter.
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