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First it was the controversial changing of the fight from 12 rounds to 10. Then it was Francois Botha’s alleged positive drug test. Now comes the accusation that Botha was offered $150,000 to throw the fight.
Can it get any worse?
The bad news has heaped since Sonny Bill Williams took on Botha in Brisbane last Friday night. Hardly any other pro fights in Australia have attracted so much drama in recent memory.
Boxing’s black eye just got worse.
It’s hard to tell at this stage whether Botha is right, that he was offered money in a Brisbane park by Khoder Nasser to lose the fight.
And it’s hard to tell at this stage if Nasser is being honest with his claim that Botha’s boast is baloney and that the big Saffa is a “sore loser”. Even the positive drug test is being contested.
What we can be sure about is that this fight stinks, and it did so before the fight even began. That is why I have been told that two bookmakers momentarily took their odds down for the fight on the suspicion of match fixing.
Queensland is like the wild wild West of boxing, with no proper authority in charge, and seemingly anything goes.
The sweet science does have a problem with drugs and doping, but that is the subject for another post.
The fact that Botha’s drug test was reportedly not done by ASDA and was a private test, is strange. However, professional boxers in Australia rarely, if ever, get tested. Unfortunately.
But while the truth is hard to find, it is obvious that boxing needs to lift its game.
The credibility and accountability of the sport, far, far from the first time, is worrying. Australian boxing needs a centralised body and cooperation between state organisations. A proper and impartial investigation into this fight needs to take place.
Farces like Francios and Sonny only hurt the fight game. Boxing’s diehard fan base, who are used to taking hooks and uppercuts, have just received another crushing blow.
Follow John on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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