Tyson Fury Sparring Partner Sonny Bill Williams Sparkles in Sydney

Tyson Fury Sparring Partner Sonny Bill Williams Sparkles in Sydney

A match between a 36-year-old former rugby star and a 45-year-old former Australian Rules Football tough guy wouldn’t normally command a sentence in this publication, but the rugby guy, Sonny Bill Williams, just may have a bright future and today in Sydney he looked sensational while demolishing the football guy, Barry Hall.

Williams, who grew up in New Zealand, had his first bout in 2009. He was away from boxing for six-and-a-half years, returning to the sport in June of last year after hanging up his rugby cleats. With rugby now in his rear-view mirror, he was free to give boxing his full attention and he’s quite serious about seeing how far his athleticism will take him.  To this end, he hooked up with former WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee, the co-trainer of Tyson Fury, and joined Fury’s training camp in Morecambe, England. (In the photo below, taken in Morecambe, Williams is pictured between Fury and former WBO world title-holder Joseph Parker who Lee has also taken under his wing.)

Andy Lee went on record as saying that Sonny Bill has the tools to fight for the world heavyweight title and that doesn’t seem quite so far-fetched after Sonny Bill steamrolled Barry Hall, hurting him with the very first punch he threw and knocking him down three times before the bout was halted at the 1:55 mark of the opening round. Before we get carried away, however, it should be noted that Hall had only one previous fight under his belt, a six-round draw with Paul Gallen, conqueror of Lucas Browne, and that Williams, who carried 240 pounds on his six-foot-three frame, had a 25-pound weight advantage.

Sonny Bill improved to 9-0 (4 KOs)

Co-Feature

The co-feature was an entertaining 10-round contest in the super featherweight division with multiple regional title belts up for grabs. Paul Fleming (28-0-1) came out on top, overcoming Jackson Jon England  (13-2) by scores of 97-92 and 95-94 twice.

England (Action Jackson to his fans), put Fleming on the deck in the second round, but Fleming, a 33-year-old indigenous Australian and 2008 Olympian, wasn’t badly hurt and was able to keep his unbeaten record intact in his third fight back after missing all of 2019.

Also

Super middleweight Rahim Mundine, a third-generation boxer, competing with his father and his grandfather in his corner, was successful in his pro debut, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Fiji’s Lepani Levatia. A six-round heavyweight match between Willis Meehan and 37-year-old trial horse Hunter Sam was scratched when Sam was deemed unfit to fight by the ring doctor. Willis Meehan, a 26-year-old southpaw and active rugby player, is the son of former world heavyweight title challenger Kali Meehan.

Photo credit: Daily Mail

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