Sonny Bill Williams
New Zealand dual-code international rugby footballer
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Key Takeaways
- Sonny William Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand professional boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer.
- Williams began his career in rugby league, and has played as a second-row forward over eight seasons in three spells in the National Rugby League (NRL), with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters.
- In 2020 he played for the Toronto Wolfpack in Super League, before moving to Sydney Roosters the same year.
- He won 58 caps for New Zealand (the All Blacks), and was part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.
- He retired from both rugby codes in March 2021.
Sonny William Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand professional boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league, and is one of only 44 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice.
Williams began his career in rugby league, and has played as a second-row forward over eight seasons in three spells in the National Rugby League (NRL), with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. He has won 12 caps for New Zealand (the Kiwis) and won the RLIF Awards for Rookie of the Year in 2004 and International Player of the Year in 2013. In 2020 he played for the Toronto Wolfpack in Super League, before moving to Sydney Roosters the same year.
He first moved to rugby union in 2010 and played mainly as a centre for Toulon in France, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, the Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues in New Zealand and Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. He won 58 caps for New Zealand (the All Blacks), and was part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. He also played rugby sevens for New Zealand, competing in the 2015–16 World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2016 Olympics. He retired from both rugby codes in March 2021.
Williams has boxed professionally eleven times in the heavyweight division. He was the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) Heavyweight Champion and World Boxing Association (WBA) International Heavyweight Champion, but was stripped of these titles after failing to respond to challenges.
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