Monty Betham

Monty Betham Jr

Personal information
Full name	Montgomery Junior Betham[1]
Born	12 March 1978 Auckland, New Zealand
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Position	Hooker, Lock
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1999–05	Auckland Warriors	101	10	0	0	40
2006	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	26	2	0	0	8
	Total	127	12	0	0	48
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2000	Samoa	4	1	0	0	4
2001–06	New Zealand	9	1	0	0	4
Source: RLP

Montgomery Junior "Monty" Betham (born 12 March 1978 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a professional boxer and former rugby league footballer and junior world karate champion. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played club football for the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League and for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (captain) (Heritage #1234) of Super League.

Betham was runner-up on Season 4 of New Zealand Dancing With The Stars in 2008.

Rugby league career

Betham was a Bay Roskill Vikings junior and represented New Zealand in eight tests and also played for Samoa at the 2000 World Cup.^[2] His position of choice was at Loose forward/Lock but he also played at hooker.^[3] 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.

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.

Betham's father, also called Monty, had 53 professional fights as a middleweight or light heavyweight from 1973-1982.

Betham is trained by Danny Codling and managed by Mick Watson.

His first fight took place in Samoa on 31 March 2007. He defeated 15 fight veteran Vai Toevai in the sixth round.^[4]

Career highlights

• Junior Club: Papatoetoe & Bay Roskill
• First Grade Début: Round 1, Auckland v Sydney City at Aussie Stadium, 8 March 1999
• Career Stats: 101 career games to date scoring 10 tries
• Professional Boxing Début: On 31 March 2006 Monty Defeated Vai Toevai By KO In The Sixth Round Of Their Bout In Apia, Samoa.
• Boxing Career Record - 5-0-0

Reality TV

In 2007 Betham competed in New Zealand reality show Treasure Island:Pirates of the Pacific.^[5] In March 2008 he competed on New Zealand Celebrity Joker Poker, he made it to the final three on the final episode before being eliminated (Shortland Street actor Craig Parker was the overall winner).

Dancing with the Stars (New Zealand, Season 4)

In December 2007 it was announced that Betham would compete in season 4 of Dancing with the Stars which started in February 2008.^[6][7] On January 28, 2008 it was revealed on The Edge (radio station) that Betham's professional dance partner would be Nerida Jantti (girlfriend of Shane Cortese). On April 15, 2008 he was named runner-up (Temepara George being the overall winner).

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 The Shopping Channel (New Zealand), New Zealand's first and only home shopping channel.^[8]

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".^[9]

Personal life

After returning home from competing on Treasure Island, Betham and his wife Jaymie celebrated the birth of their first child, a son.^[10] Betham's wife is currently expecting their second child.

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Regional/International Titles:

• NZNBF Cruiserweight Champion (197 lbs)
• Samoa Cruiserweight Champion (196 lbs)

References

1. Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
3. "Warriors profile: Monty Betham". Television New Zealand. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
4. Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
5. "Treasure Island: Pirates of the Pacific". Television New Zealand. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
6. "2008 celebs announced...". Television New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
7. "NZ celebs set aside fears in the name of dance". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 16 December 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
8. "Shopping for new channel hosts - National - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
9. "Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation". Stepsforlife.co.nz. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
10. "Monty Betham". Television New Zealand. Archived from the original on 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

• Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
• Monty Betham Official Player Profile
• Monty Betham NRL Player Profile
• Monty Betham Jr. At Boxrec
• Monty Betham Official Website
• Monty Betham's Steps for Life Foundation