Former IBF Heavyweight Champion Francois "the White Buffalo" Botha proved on June 4th that he packs a powerful punch. Fighting in South Africa, Botha shocked the World with a 6th-round TKO of undefeated up and comer Flo Simba. So the question arises, what's next for The White Buffalo?
Botha is no stranger to high profile boxing matches. He has a lifetime professional record of 48-3-3 with 29 KOs and has fought the likes of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, Michael Moorer, Shannon Briggs, Lennox Lewis, and Axel Schulz. At 42 years old, many critics have written Botha off, but the victory of Simba has silenced the nay-sayers and revitalized the White Buffalo.
Currently, promoters are trying to schedule a rematch between Botha and WBF Champion Evander Holyfield. In their first meeting, Holyfield took that title by way of an 8th round TKO. It was a close fight though, with Botha ahead on two of the three judge's scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Holyfield is fresh off of a 10th round TKO of Brian Nielsen in Denmark on May 7th. He is currently campaigning for a showdown with Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, but in the meantime he is keen on a Botha rematch in South Africa.
Both men have had remarkable careers and remain big draws. With a victory over "The Real Deal" Holyfield, it is entirely possible that Botha could soon find himself in the contention mix one more time.
Botha for his part has been training hard and is eager to re-enter the ring with Holyfield and has high aspirations for afterwards. Over the years he has also competed in kickboxing and MMA, and has always been one tough fighter. Even after all the years of battles, he still has a burning desire to step into the ring and is not afraid of facing the best in the sport.
Taking on Evander Holyfield is no easy task, but The White Buffalo is not one to back away from a challenge. He is one of South Africa's biggest boxing draws, which was shown when his bout with Simba sold out the Emperor's Palace. Feasibly, a match with Holyfield would even fill a much larger venue and would generate lucrative pay-per-view buys.
Botha has been written off before, and continues to defy the odds and his critics. Good luck White Buffalo. Keep doing what you do.
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