13 Feb 2013

TAB reserves the right to drop option in wake of SBW fiasco

11:26 am on 13 February 2013

The TAB sports betting agency will retain 'Pick the Round' betting on selected boxing matches but may drop the option if it has any doubts about specific bouts.

The move comes after the confusion of the Sonny Bill Williams-Francois Botha fight in Brisbane on Friday night, when the scheduled 12-round WBA title bout was inexplicably reduced to 10 rounds.

All Pick the Round bets placed at the TAB on the fight were refunded.

The TAB's general manager Martin Saunders says Sonny Bill Williams had been involved in two fights previously where the number of rounds were reduced without notice and they had tried to confirm the scheduled number for the latest fight.

He says they're confused and disappointed by what happened, as they were informed the bout was schedueld for 12 rounds.

Saunders says in future they will look at the fighters involved, the organisers and promoters running the fight as they don't want to see a repeat of the situation again.