SBW sidesteps Jonah’s boxing challenge
The revived Fight For Life is back with a bang. By Steve Kilgallon.
RUGBY LEGEND Jonah Lomu will headline the relaunched Fight for Life charity boxing night, leading an all-rugby team against a league lineup on December 3.
But the former All Black won’t be fighting Sonny Bill Williams, the opponent he really wanted.
Promoters David Higgins and Dean Lonergan said they offered ‘‘huge money’’ for a Lomu versus Williams bout.
‘‘Jonah stepped up, Sonny Bill didn’t,’’ said Higgins. ‘‘ Sonny’s camp said Jonah had to fight someone credible to prove himself, and then he [SBW] fought a sickness beneficiary with an injured shoulder. Hopefully, in the future, he might reconsider.’’
Lomu was still stung by the response. ‘‘ If he asked me tomorrow, yeah cool, we could do it in a cage if he wanted. But to be told they wanted to fight someone with credibility, and then they ended up with his last fight, is that credibility?’’ Lomu said.
‘‘That’s the question you’ve got to ask – they picked someone without the skills. But it doesn’t matter. If the fight between me and Sonny ever happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it’s irrelevant.’’
The 63-cap All Blacks wing is being mentored by former world heavyweight boxing contender David Tua at his Auckland gym.
Lomu said he would ask his childhood friend to be in his corner on fight night at Auckland’s Trusts Stadium, and said training for the bout was his ‘‘number one priority’’.
‘‘Before the sun comes up, I will be here,’’ he says. ‘‘I want to do this justice.’’
Fight for Life’s return after a seven-year absence was sparked when Lomu and Lonergan bumped into each other in a foodcourt and Lonergan asked if he would fight Williams.
‘‘I said ‘yeah’, went and ordered my food, and that was it,’’ Lomu said.
When he was seriously ill with the kidney problems that blighted his rugby career, Lomu trained with Kiwi kickboxing champion Ray Sefo to keep fit.
‘‘ I’ve always been around fighters. I’ve admired them and had a huge respect for them,’’ he said.
Lonergan said Lomu was the one they wanted. ‘‘He’s the biggest star rugby has ever produced and quite possibly the biggest media sports star this country has ever pro- duced.’’ He and Higgins expect to return $100,000 to a prostate cancer charity from the event, which will carry overheads of $ 1.2 million, with all fighters now paid, some substantially, and the
Jonah stepped up, Sonny Bill didn’t.
promoters bearing all risks, but hoping for a ‘‘commercial return’’.
Dual-code Wallabies and Kangaroos wing Wendell Sailor will head the league team, with 10 more combatants – all past or present internationals – to be named on Tuesday.
Fight for Life ran from 2001 to 2006 and Lonergan said a new wave of retired sportsmen eager to test themselves, and Lomu’s interest, prompted him to revive the idea.