The final chapter of Sonny Bill Williams’ colorful sporting career will be written on Wednesday night when the cross-code star steps between the ropes to face former AFL Hardman Barry Hall in a grudge match in Sydney.
The planned eight rounds will only be the 36-year-old’s second fight since retiring from rugby and league last year, and first with top candidate Andy Lee in his corner.
The Irishman – who also trains Williams’ friend and compatriot Joseph Parker – raised eyebrows in the build-up as he suggested the former All Black and Kiwis International have the potential to fight for a heavyweight world title in the future.
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Williams has certainly taken his craft more seriously since hanging up his ankle boots, winning two Rugby World Cups, two NRL Premierships and a Super Rugby title, including silver.
He was decamped in England to train alongside Parker in heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s Morecambe gym, even sharing the ring with ‘Gypsy King’, as he wanted to establish himself as a legitimate force in the division.
It’s far from his boxing debut in May 2009, when Williams “could barely throw a punch” and only saw it as a means of getting out of a deep financial hole after heading out to the Bulldogs in the NRL to play rugby. . Toulon in France in 2008.
Before his highly anticipated “Turf War” with Hall – a starter with only a draw to speak against ex-NRL enforcer Paul Gallen – we look back at all eight of Williams’ professional wins.
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Sonny Bill Williams linked with an uppercut on Auckland builder Gary Gurr during his professional boxing debut in 2009.
Garry Gurr TKO2 (Brisbane, 27 May 2009)
Fighting on the undercard of Anthony Mundine’s home showdown with Daniel Geale at the Brisbane Entertainment Center, Williams was softly matched to what was expected to be a one-off appearance.
Garry Gurr, a brash Auckland builder who also made his debut, spoke loudly in the build-up and stormed Williams early, only to go late in the first round on a big right-hander who left him on unsteady legs.
Williams knew he had injured his husband, and a barrage of unanswered blows early in the second forced the stop. He was up and running as a prize fighter.
“It was pretty loud outside, as this guy said during the week, I had to be at the top of my game, or I would be knocked out,” Williams said afterwards.
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Ryan “Hulk” Hogan proved no match for a battered Sonny Bill Williams, who scored a first-round TKO victory in Brisbane.
Ryan Hogan TKO1 (Brisbane, 30 June 2010)
Just over a year later, Williams returned to a bill again through his good friend and fellow league convert Mundine at the Brisbane Entertainment Center.
There was another big misunderstanding as he knocked out Ryan “Hulk” Hogan in the first round without breaking a sweat at all.
The predictable end came two minutes and 30 seconds into the opening round when a flamboyant Williams finished Hogan with a right hook on the farce.
“He hit me with a few shots that were disappointing,” Williams admitted.
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Sydney Forklift truck driver Scott Lewis took the distance from Sonny Bill Williams, but the New Zealander got the judge’s ruling.
Scott Lewis UD6 (Gold Coast, January 29, 2011)
In his third outing, Williams took a very modest step in the competition against Lewis, a Sydney forklift truck driver with three wins and four defeats to his name.
The brawling Lewis came on to win, but after a competitive first round, Williams quickly took control, using his super speed and reaching to pick his shots from outside as he made a unanimous decision over six rounds.
“It was definitely a top fight, a lot of people thought this fight was a joke … but hopefully we put together a show for the people,” Williams said after hearing the last bell for the first time. .
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Tongan Gospel singer Alipate Liava’a has proved to be a tough opponent for Sonny Bill Wiliams – despite his illness.
Alipate Liava’a UD6 (Auckland, 5 June 2011)
By now, Williams had developed a love for the sweet sciences and he was back in the ring barely four months later to take on Liava’a in his first fight at home.
The match at Auckland’s Trusts Arena was embroiled in controversy when it emerged that 43-year-old Liava’a – a Tongan gospel singer with a 4-7 record – was receiving sick pay for a sore throat.
Williams took the fight while the Crusaders said goodbye and his bosses were happy to see him on a comfortable unanimous points victory over Squat Liava’a, winning every round on all three judges scorecards.
“A few times I thought I had him, but he’s like a rock,” Williams said of his tough opponent. “I was pretty nervous that this was my first fight in New Zealand. Now I can focus on the Crusaders and All Blacks.”
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Sonny Bill Williams ate the words of cocky American Clarence Tillman III, and stopped him in the first round at Hamilton.
Clarence Tillman III TKO1 (Hamilton, 8 February 2012)
For the first time, Williams was up against a fighter with a winning record in US-born, New Zealand-based Tillman III, who won in 11 of his 21 competitions, with eight defeats and two draws.
For the opportunity to add more spice, the free New Zealand Professional Boxing Association heavyweight title was also on line at Hamilton’s Claudelands Arena.
After battling a sick-tempered weight that went down in a brawl, Williams knocked out cocky Tillman III’s words with an impressive first-round knockout.
A solid left hook late in the frame rocked the tubby American and Williams followed with a barrage of blows to force referee Lance Revill to stop the procedure.
“He drew me in and that made me angry,” Williams said of the crucial conclusion. He was now a champion – of sorts.
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Frans Botha had Sonny Bill Williams in the 10th round of her controversial fight in Brisbane in 2013 in big trouble.
Frans Botha UD10 (Brisbane, 8 February 2013)
After two fights at home, Williams went through the big ones in early 2013 for the biggest test of his young career against former world champion Botha.
At age 44, the man known as “the White Buffalo” at the time was long known as his prime minister. But in 59 fights over 23 years, he shared the ring with Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Vladimir Klitschko, knocking out 29 of his opponents.
Many feared that Williams could chew more than he could against the experienced Botha, and they were almost rightly proven, as Williams somehow survived a late attack for a controversial decision over scores of 97-91 (twice) and 98-94. they claimed.
After outboxing his much slower rival in the first eight rounds, Williams was severely injured by a right hand in the ninth and on his feet in the 10th.
Fortunately for Williams, a last-minute deal means the match is over after 10 rounds rather than the planned 12, despite Botha, the crowd and the bookmakers apparently in the dark about the change.
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Quade Cooper congratulates Sonny Bill Williams on his controversial decision over former world champion Frans Botha.
The controversial end sparked an angry reaction from Botha in the boxing community, with the South African saying he would have “killed” Williams if he had had two more rounds.
“How can you bend the rules because of a superstar in rugby? Everyone wants him to win, his management wants him to win, but how can you go? [and] bend the rules? It’s incredible. They can not get away with it “, regrets Botha, who later failed a drug test.
The TAB was forced to reimburse bets as the fallout of the fight called for weeks and months. It would take two years before a timid Williams stepped through the ropes again.
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Sonny Bill Williams blew the cobwebs to make a dominant decision over American traveler Chauncy Welliver.
Chauncy Welliver UD8 (Sydney, 30 January 2015)
On paper, the much-experienced Welliver presented a tough challenge to Williams after his two-year hiatus from the sport, with a solid record of 55 wins, five draws and 10 losses.
In fact, the pudgy American traveler – who tilted the scales to 137kg – was anything but like Williams winning his way to big points, with only one judge giving Welliver a round.
In a frustrating Footy Show Fight Night main event that rarely caught fire, Williams cautiously boxed against an opponent who had to spoil to make a forgotten spectacle.
“I know I’m not a world champion, but people who know boxing know he’s not sleepy,” Williams reflected. “I’m trying to improve and hopefully I have shown that.”
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Sonny Bill Williams survived a knockdown scare against unheralded Waikato Falefehi to claim a narrow points victory.
Waikato Falefehi UD6 (Townsville, June 26, 2021)
Six years after he last pulled it off, Williams made a low-key comeback last June against the obscure Falefehi – who came in with an unflattering 2-14 record – and was barely caught.
A quiet Williams was dropped by his light-hearted competitor in the second round, the first time he hit the canvas. He recovered to make a narrow unanimous decision and extend his unbeaten run to 8-0, with three knockouts.
“It felt good [coming back], until I got some of those bombs, “Williams said after his fear.” This is boxing, you do not play boxing, that’s for sure. I just do my due diligence to respect the sport.
“It was pretty hard, but after five years I would not have expected anything else.”
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