Rugby:All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams needed less than one round to claim the New Zealand heavyweight title, the 26-year-old stopping the imposing American Clarence Tillman in a first round knockout in the early hours of this morning.
The foundation for the win, which leaves Williams 100 per cent record intact after just five fights as a professional, was laid with a powerful left hook that rocked Tillman before a burst of punches left referee with little choice but to intervene.
And Williams explained there was plenty of ill-will between the fighters after Tillman struck the first blow in anger during Tuesday’s weigh-in.
"He tagged me and that got me angry," Williams told fans in the Hamilton Events Centre after the bout. "It's massive. On the world stage it's just a blip for me, coming from where I have in a year-and-a-half it's massive. People love me or hate me but I can't dwell on the negatives, I'm very happy."
Whether Williams fights again this year remains to be seen, with the rugby league convert obliged to work out his schedule with his employers in the New Zealand first.
