Axel Schulz’s world championship fight against Francois Botha 30 years ago on December 9, 1995 is one of the most controversial heavyweight fights of the 1990s – and in the end, there were only losers.
Why did Axel Schulz and Francois Botha fight?
The fight on December 9, 1995 in Stuttgart was for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title. After George Foreman refused to fight a rematch against Axel Schulz, the title became vacant. After Schulz had been cheated out of victory against
How did the fight go?
18 million viewers at home wanted to watch Schulz win against Botha on their screens. But instead of seizing his chance, “Schulle” was far too passive right from the start, especially in the second half of the fight. Botha, on the other hand, was aggressive and willing to take risks. In the end, the judges awarded a split decision – the South African won narrowly on points. However, most experts agreed that Schulz would have deserved at least a draw.
Why is the fight considered a scandal fight?
On the one hand, glasses, bottles and chairs flew from the audience towards the ring after the verdict was announced. Many believed that Don King, who promoted Botha, had bought the verdict. But the real scandal happened a little later. Shortly after the supposed title win, it became known that Francois Botha had tested positive for anabolic steroids. The IBF reacted immediately and stripped him of his title. The official result was changed to “No Contest”, but the IBF world heavyweight title remained vacant.
Nevertheless, the result felt bitter for Axel Schulz. Despite the doping scandal, he was not automatically awarded the title – a decision that still triggers debate to this day.
What impact did the fight have on the boxers’ careers?
For Axel Schulz, the fight was another chapter in a career that was often characterized by controversial judgments. He was later given another world championship opportunity, this time against Michael Moorer, which he narrowly lost. Despite not winning the world championship crown, Schulz became one of the most popular German heavyweights of the 1990s.
Francois Botha later fought against greats such as Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis – but the stigma of the positive doping test accompanied him permanently. The “White Buffalo” was never able to win a world championship fight in one of the four major federations during his career.
Text: Frank Schwantes
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