Monty Betham
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| Full name | La’auli Montgomery Junior Betham[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 March 1978 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker, Second-row, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
La’auli Montgomery Junior "Monty" Betham (born 12 March 1978) is a professional boxer, and former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative hooker and lock, he played club football for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League, and for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (captain) (Heritage № 1234) in the Super League.
Background
Betham was born in
Rugby league career
Betham was a Bay Roskill Vikings junior, he was selected to play for Samoa at the 2000 World Cup.[3] Betham went on to change his international allegiance and represent New Zealand in eight tests His position of choice was at lock but he also played at hooker and second-row.[4] On the field Betham was known for his aggressive style of play. He was once voted the player that the opposition players least want to pick a fight with in an NRL players' poll.
Betham missed New Zealand's first ever finals appearance during the 2001 NRL season and the 2002 NRL Grand Final due to injury. Betham's final game for the club was a 22-20 victory over Manly at Brookvale Oval in round 25 of the 2005 NRL season. Betham spent one year in England with Wakefield Trinity during the 2006 Super League season.[5]
Highlights
- Junior Club: Papatoetoe & Bay Roskill
- First Grade Debut: Round 1, Auckland v Sydney City at Aussie Stadium, 8 March 1999
- Career Stats: 101 career games to date scoring 10 tries
- Professional Boxing Debut: On 31 March 2006 Monty defeated Vai Toevai via sixth round KO in Apia, Samoa.
- Professional Boxing Record - 5-0-0
Boxing career
In December 2006, Betham announced his retirement from rugby league in order to pursue a career in boxing. Betham will start out in the cruiserweight division and hopes to work his way down to light heavyweight.
His first fight took place in Samoa on 31 March 2007. He defeated 15 fight veteran Vai Toevai in the sixth round.[6]
In 2013, an episode of
As well as being a professional boxer, he also trained Daniella Smith who went on to become IBF World Champion.[7]
Professional boxing record
Title
Regional/International Titles:
- NZNBF Cruiserweight Champion (197 lbs)
- Samoa Cruiserweight Champion (196 lbs)
Television
Betham was runner-up on Season 4 of New Zealand Dancing With The Stars in 2008.
Betham is trained by Danny Codling and managed by Mick Watson.
In 2007 Betham competed in New Zealand reality show
Dancing with the Stars (New Zealand, Season 4)
In December 2007 it was announced that Betham would compete in season 4 of
Filmography
- Treasure Island: Pirates of the Pacific(2007)
- Dancing With The Stars (Season 4, 2008)
- Celebrity Joker Poker (16–30 March 2008)
The Shopping Channel
In October 2012 Betham became one of the inaugural TV presenters on
Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation
With his sister Chante Betham-Spencer (CEO) he founded Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation in 2010 to "Help NZ youth and families in the fight against childhood obesity in NZ".[12]
Personal life
After returning home from competing on Treasure Island, Betham and his wife Jaymie celebrated the birth of their first child, a son.[13] Betham's wife is currently expecting their second child.
References
- ^ [1] Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Auckland Rugby League - Home". Archived from the original on 23 May 2010.
- Television New Zealand. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ^ "Don't play it again, Daniel". www.stuff.co.nz. 3 October 2009.
- ^ [2] Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "'I broke down in tears': Daniella Smith stunned by her induction to Women's Boxing Hall of Fame". Stuff NZ. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- Television New Zealand. Archived from the originalon 16 May 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- Television New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- NZPA. 16 December 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ^ "Shopping for new channel hosts - National - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation". Stepsforlife.co.nz. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- Television New Zealand. Archived from the originalon 16 May 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
Further reading
- Matheson, John (2008). Monty Betham: baring my soul. Australia: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-1-86950-736-7.
External links
- Monty Betham Official Player Profile
- Monty Betham NRL Player Profile
- Boxing record for Monty Betham from BoxRec (registration required)
- Monty Betham Official Website
- Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation
- Boxing Alley Website
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