Scummy Bill

[Izz]

He also supplies Inu his sugar...

 

[ozbash]

I'm assuming this Choc you refer to is 'The Man' Mundine

You assume right.

 

[Micistm]

maybe, but I think Koder/Choc/SBW's ego could accomadate a RLWC to go along with the Web Ellis.

World heaveyweight champ, anybody?

Hardly:lol: He hasn't stayed in any code long enough to make an impact, and you can take from simply talking about the guy he is rapidly losing public good faith. You get a few hardcore nutbars that think he can do no wrong and an entourage of female admirers...but other than that, the vast majority of the time the mention of 'SBW' in pubtalk gets an eyeroll followed by things that are usually uncomplimentary.
And sadly, when his career is over, he'll have the cash- but he will not go down as anything special IMO, simply a highly overhyped marketing tool that dabbled in so much he left a mark in nothing. And IMHO when he's older and the looks and career is over, he'll regret that. Money will buy him a biographer to write his story...but that story won't be a fraction of what it could have been.:?

 

[ozbash]

SBW is the most marketable (popular ?) sportsperson in NZ, ever.

 

[vvvrulz]

Seems ridiculous to mention his name with the Rugby World Cup. He played the weaker teams, got an immediate yellow card in the semi (lol) and I don't think he even took part in the final.

Not a real All Black, not a real boxer, the only credibility he had was with the Doggies.

 

[Micistm]

SBW is the most marketable (popular ?) sportsperson in NZ, ever.

Marketable...for sure. Popular? Not a ****ing chance. Maybe with a select few, the females for the bod, some of the cheerleader commentators who just about lose their load when he runs forward with the ball...but the general public have a different view, and most are just simply sick of hearing about this rookie poster boy with the circus entourage.
Put a poll online about his 'popularity', and you will find the guy utterly polarises the sporting public. Take out the females who vote a few dozen times on his behalf, and it would definately swing heavily to the negative.
Marketing is not the issue...at the end of it all, he needs to have actually done something of substance, rather than market his way into teams and hand pick fat actors for title fights!:lol: And it's now painfully obvious to most that he has yet to do anything of substance- had he stayed in League he may have done that. If he goes back, I pity the team who has to put up with all the SBW crap. Actually I don't- they deserve all they get.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

SBW is the most marketable (popular ?) sportsperson in NZ, ever.

I should know better than to even consider responding to this, but he's nowhere near the level Lomu was at his most popular. Jonah actually had some degree of worldwide recognition, hardly anyone outside Australia knows who SBW is.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

And it's now painfully obvious to most that he has yet to do anything of substance- had he stayed in League he may have done that. If he goes back, I pity the team who has to put up with all the SBW crap. Actually I don't- they deserve all they get.

Had he stayed in League he WOULD have done that, thats the tragedy. He has the talent, but his potential to deliver on it is being wrecked by ego and greed- and I highly suspect that it's less on his part than Nasser and Mundine's.

 

[Meth]

And it's now painfully obvious to most that he has yet to do anything of substance- had he stayed in League he may have done that..

errr...he may be polarizing, and you may not like him, but he has achieved a ton in sport. You can't take that away from him

 

[Micistm]

errr...he may be polarizing, and you may not like him, but he has achieved a ton in sport. You can't take that away from him

I openly admit I can't stand the guy...But I would argue he has acheived a lot in sport. IMO there is a lot of difference between achieving a lot, and doing a lot. The 'title' fight-a NZ one, that was vs an actor rather than boxer-and not even a kiwi one- is that an achievement? Is making the ABs...when it is obvious he queue jumped better players for the spot and got there on name and marketing possibilities? Is the Rugby WC an achievement, and how much part of the team did he play in it's success?
I LOVE the fact that we got the League WC without him.

My only thought is he is trying to become the Forrest Gump of NZ sport:lol:

 

[SpaceMonkey]

He acheived a fair bit in League, Union and boxing have been hype over substance.

 

[Micistm]

He acheived a fair bit in League, Union and boxing have been hype over substance.

I'll give you that, he was destined in League, and how he made his name. And yes, from then on it's all been hype and promotion over actual substance. But even in League- was it achievement in the true definition of the term- or simply the possibility and potential this young guy was going to be a Superstar?

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Seems ridiculous to mention his name with the Rugby World Cup. He played the weaker teams, got an immediate yellow card in the semi (lol) and I don't think he even took part in the final.

Not a real All Black, not a real boxer, the only credibility he had was with the Doggies.

Not a real All Black? The bloke has played 14 tests, when does he become a real All Black?

Not a real boxer? What's a "real" boxer? The last 3 blokes he has fought are all jobbing pros in NZ and Aus- not good boxers, but boxers all the same. The last bloke he belted inside one round was top 5 in NZ- again, not a great achievement, but quite clearly a boxer.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

The 'title' fight-a NZ one, that was vs an actor rather than boxer-and not even a kiwi one- is that an achievement?

Actor rather than a boxer?

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=458180&cat=boxer

He may not be Wladimir Klitschko, but I'm struggling to see how Clarence Tillman is anything other than a current, active, professional heavyweight boxer.

Is making the ABs...when it is obvious he queue jumped better players for the spot and got there on name and marketing possibilities?

Obvious?

Mate, if you don't think he deserved to make the ABs, that's your opinion, but it's far from obvious. If you think the AB selectors picked him for reasons other than rugby, that's a pretty bold conspiracy theory. Personally on both counts I find your opinions ridiculous, but you're entitled to them- don't try to pass them off as common knowledge though.

I think if anything SBW's efforts in rugby have been overshadowed or minimized by his profile. I watch him whenever I can and he does a hell of a lot of good stuff.

I also think the ABs would've been better served giving him more game time in the big games in the RWC, especially the final. They really went into their shells at big moments and Smith/Nonu had very little impact at all. Guess we'll never know though.

 

[vvvrulz]

Not a real All Black? The bloke has played 14 tests, when does he become a real All Black?

Not a real boxer? What's a "real" boxer? The last 3 blokes he has fought are all jobbing pros in NZ and Aus- not good boxers, but boxers all the same. The last bloke he belted inside one round was top 5 in NZ- again, not a great achievement, but quite clearly a boxer.

Perhaps the All Black comment was a little harsh. He was one, but not a very good one. His entire game was to draw two defenders and offload, if the defense marks him correctly he has nothing.

And you must be joking if you think that those guys he fought were boxers. I don't know what is defined as a 'jobbing pro' but what I saw were overweight, unfit slobs who were getting a rightful pounding. The Clarence Tillman III fight was nothing short of a farce.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Perhaps the All Black comment was a little harsh. He was one, but not a very good one. His entire game was to draw two defenders and offload, if the defense marks him correctly he has nothing.

:? Don't know what to say to this. If 2 blokes mark him he has nothing? What does that even mean? Not only does that apply to anyone who has ever played, it also means by definition he is effective as he creates an overlap every time he is marked correctly.

And you must be joking if you think that those guys he fought were boxers. I don't know what is defined as a 'jobbing pro' but what I saw were overweight, unfit slobs who were getting a rightful pounding. The Clarence Tillman III fight was nothing short of a farce.

http://boxrec.com/ratings.php?sex=M&division=Heavyweight&country=NZ&pageID=1

ok mate, there is the list of rankings of current NZ heavyweight pro boxers. You'll see Tillman has dropped to #7 after the SBW fight. Richard Tutaki, SBW's proposed opponent, is at 5- but he recently lost to Tillman.

Boxrec is not a governing body, it doesn't do "official" rankings, but is generally regarded as the best, most unbiased source for up to date info and a pretty good gauge on where people stand.

(a) Who is SBW supposed to fight?

(b) Are all NZ professional heavyweight boxers (with the possible exception of the 2 blokes above SBW) "not boxers"?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

^Mate professional boxing in NZ is a joke. The only blokes with any real credentials are Cameron and Tua, and Tua's the only one of true world class- and he's close to a decade past his prime.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

^Mate professional boxing in NZ is a joke. The only blokes with any real credentials are Cameron and Tua, and Tua's the only one of true world class- and he's close to a decade past his prime.

Exactly. That's my point. SBW takes up boxing and it's his fault that there is literally no valid competition for him? It's his fault that he fights blokes who are literally the next best in NZ behind Tua and they're "joke opponents"?

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

And in particular, the bullshit about Tillman et al not being boxers. They obviously are boxers. They're struggling boxers in NZ's small and rather pathetic heavyweight boxing scene, but they're pro boxers all the same. It's not like SBW is cherry-picking duds, that's all there is!

 

[hitman82]

SBW is a dopey looking, soulless, turncoat sack of shit - who gives a f**k about whether his achievements are valid or not?