SBW wants heavyweight title
6 Dec 2011
All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams will fight for New Zealand’s heavyweight boxing title three weeks before the start of the Super Rugby season.
Williams will face Richard Tutaki in Hamilton on 8 February. Williams is yet to fight a boxer of real quality and Tutaki’s record is hardly intimidating. The 33-year-old has a record of 19 wins and 21 defeats with one draw in 41 fights. He last fought in April after an 18-month break from boxing.
Nevertheless, Williams believes this will be more challenging than his last fight against 43-year-old Tongan Alipate Liava’a.
‘After the last fight I said to my manager I want to try and step up in class,’ said Williams. ‘I was offered the chance to fight for the belt and it’s not every day you get the opportunity.
‘I’m just really excited. Hopefully this is something I can add to my sporting achievements. As a boxer I’m always evolving and I think there’s a lot of improvement in me.’
Williams is undefeated in four bouts. He will play for the Chiefs in next year’s Super Rugby competition and for the All Blacks, but has been granted the freedom to box a limited number of fights during his one-year contract.
37 Comments
6 Dec 2011, 10:17 am
how many contenders are there for the NZ heavyweight crown? 2….maybe 3? this boxing thing will continue to be a joke until SBW flies out of Australasia for a real challenge…..like the Ukrainian
6 Dec 2011, 10:17 am
How can this be for New Zealand’s heavyweight title? What a joke.
6 Dec 2011, 10:44 am
hahahaha
hahaha
hahahahahaha
hahahaha
6 Dec 2011, 10:45 am
money bill williams.
6 Dec 2011, 11:02 am
Judging from Carlos Spencer’s fight with the former League bloke on the weekend, I’d say Sunni Bin isn’t even the best rugby boxer in NZ.
6 Dec 2011, 11:15 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW0yLr2GsJM
Having just watched the highlights, I agree – either of these two would probably beat SBW.
6 Dec 2011, 11:16 am
At least they’re in shape – unlike the guys SBW fights.
6 Dec 2011, 11:20 am
Some good matchups in these Fight For Life fights.
No love lost between Wendell Sailor and Liam Messam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Z5Y0H5QD0&feature=related
6 Dec 2011, 11:23 am
Christian Cullen nearly gets his head knocked off by Issac Luke:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZu8mte11c0&feature=related
6 Dec 2011, 11:25 am
Oh well, good luck to him.
One cannot blame him for taking the opportunity – It’s not his fault that heavyweight boxing in NZ is so weak at the moment. He might not become the next “Sonny” Liston but it still takes courage to enter a ring against a bloke who had 41 professional fights and is surely going to hit back.
6 Dec 2011, 11:40 am
Funny Lil Williams
6 Dec 2011, 11:51 am
“Tutaki – known in the fight game as “The Tutaki Express Train” – is a 10-year professional boasting a 19 win-21 loss record, with one draw.
The 33-year-old has won nine fights by knockout and lost 14 times by the same method.
He is a former sparring partner of Shane Cameron and has lost four of his last five fights.
His last fight was a loss to veteran compatriot Clarence Tillman in Auckland in April. Before that, he had an 18-month hiatus from the ring.
On paper,the pair are evenly matched.”
6 Dec 2011, 11:51 am
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-9: Pretty vicious stuff in both those fights. Very entertaining though. And interesting to note how completely wasted they are at the end.
6 Dec 2011, 11:54 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-13: I think any of those guys would have SBW crying “uncle”.
6 Dec 2011, 11:54 am
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-14: Or maybe “mommy”.
6 Dec 2011, 12:00 pm
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-15: Check this one for a brawl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fx6H7FuRjQ
6 Dec 2011, 12:06 pm
At least this Guy (Tutaki),
is not a fat midget on a sickness benefit.
Big step up for Sonny Bill.
The current NZ Heavyweight Title is vacant.
So the Bout Promoters have been able to make this outrageous claim that this is a “Title” fight.
Make no mistake,
Tutaki ain’t no Smokin Joe,
But he is a Pro.
6 Dec 2011, 12:08 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-16: Impressive indeed. SBW may get the belt, but he won’t get much respect.
6 Dec 2011, 12:08 pm
silly billy williams
6 Dec 2011, 12:08 pm
15 or maybe an Os “no more” when Olo mashed him into pulp, one thing is for sure though he’d have your number all day long
6 Dec 2011, 12:14 pm
@cane(cane)-17:
What happened to David Tua- is he still fighting? The heavyweight division in SA is also a joke- The current no one ranked fighter is a 43 year old has been who many years ago fought (and got knocked out by ) Tyson and Lewis. The sad thing is that he would probably still beat just about any of the other contenders with one hand tied behind the back.
6 Dec 2011, 12:17 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-21: Who’s that? Francois Botha? What happened to Floyd Simba? They’re both useless though.
6 Dec 2011, 12:21 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-22:
Botha knocked him out- they both useless as you said.
6 Dec 2011, 12:25 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-21:
Tua is in his very late 30′s by now, and recently lost a bout in NZ to some Yank.
Age kills them all Robbie.
(P.S. it has since been reported that the Yank failed a drug test……………………………I didn’t know they bothered with drug test in pro boxing).
His record stands at 52-4-2
Not to shabby.
Will he stop…………………………………probably not………………………………why ………………………………………………..money.
6 Dec 2011, 12:25 pm
Somebody dish this arrogant knobber a nice poethklap.
6 Dec 2011, 12:25 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-23: How I long for the days of Gerrie, Kallie, Johnny, Pierre and Corrie.
6 Dec 2011, 12:29 pm
25 why don’t you have a go tough guy you’re a big talker i’m sure you’d go well in the ring
6 Dec 2011, 12:31 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-26:
is that some kind of afrikaans Take That tribute band?
6 Dec 2011, 12:32 pm
@cane(cane)-24:
yip, sad to see them making spectacles of themselves once the reflexes are gone- most of them can still punch with power but to find the target is another story…
6 Dec 2011, 13:22 pm
Be interested to find out how much value his rugby conditioning will add to his challenge.
6 Dec 2011, 13:26 pm
it would be fun to see bakkies in a ring.
or even a similar charity event to this one that pits former boks against former all blacks.
some promising matchups for sure.
6 Dec 2011, 13:53 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-28: Yep, They’re called “Vatso”.
6 Dec 2011, 13:58 pm
Bakkies Botha V Brad Thorn.
Enough said
6 Dec 2011, 14:14 pm
He’s another palooka with a pathetic record… but at least he’s a real step-up all the same…
Saw him get smashed by Paul Briggs some time ago… but he’s a mauling/dirty-boxing type with decent power before he inevitably gases…
That said John ‘Fingers’ Hopoate smashed him too some time back in only his 5th fight after retiring from league…
6 Dec 2011, 14:17 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-21:
Yep it’s only the super-light divisions RSA still have three IBF (one of the only ‘real’ divisions left) world titles…
6 Dec 2011, 14:21 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-32:
uitstikend
6 Dec 2011, 14:37 pm
@ShaunSwindon(Karma-zaf)-33:
that would be awesome.
wish it would happen.
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