- Francois Botha
Infobox Boxer
name=Francois Botha
realname=Francois Botha
nickname=White Buffalo
weight=Heavyweight
nationality= flagicon|South Africa South African
birth_date=birth date and age|1968|9|28
birth_place=Witbank
death_date=
death_place=
style=
total=52
wins=45
losses=4
draws=2
no contests=1
KO=28|Francois Botha, also known as Frans Botha (born
September 28 ,1968 , inWitbank ) is aSouth African boxer, nicknamed the "White Buffalo".Pro Boxing Career
Botha has had a relatively distinguished career as a heavyweight boxer, having fought several world heavyweight champions including
Mike Tyson ,Shannon Briggs ,Axel Schulz ,Michael Moorer ,Lennox Lewis andWladimir Klitschko . Botha suffered a fifth round knock out toMike Tyson , whom he had been beating up until that point.Botha had a victory in 1995 against Germany's
Axel Schulz to win theInternational Boxing Federation WorldHeavyweight Championship, but later tested positive for the steroidnandrolone [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E5DF1639F934A15752C0A960958260 BOXING;Botha Tests Positive Again - New York Times ] ] he and his camp claimed to be prescribed by a doctor for an arm injury. The result of the fight was then changed to a "No Contest" and Botha was stripped of the title."The White Buffalo" bounced back with a courageous effort with
Michael Moorer for the IBF crown on the undercard of Mike Tyson's first contest withEvander Holyfield . Moorer knocked him out in the twelfth round. This eventually led to fights with Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs, and heavyweight title showdowns withLennox Lewis andWladimir Klitschko . Botha came up on the short end via knockout in both of those encounters for the heavyweight title.MMA career
Botha participated several times in the kickboxing combat sport,
K-1 . His current K-1 record is two wins and six losses.Botha also has had one
mixed martial arts fight. OnDecember 31st ,2004 he lost toYoshihiro Akiyama via an armbar submission in the first round.Boxing Comeback
In July 2007, Botha returned to boxing with a unanimous decision victory over
Bob Mirovic in a fight held in South Africa. Botha dominated the fight with two judges holding Botha won all twelve rounds and one judge ruling he won ten of twelve.Personal
He currently resides in
Newport Beach, California with his wife and two children.ee also
*
List of heavyweight boxing champions
*List of male kickboxers
*List of kickboxing organizations References
External links
*
* [http://www.k-1usa.net/docs/fighters/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=1146 Francois Botha K-1 record]
* [http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=11896 Francois Botha Career MMA Record]
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