After being kicked out of the NRL for betting on games, exiled former Tigers centre Tim Simona thought he’d try his hand at boxing – but a stern reality check is what he got in return.
Simona was booted from the NRL in 2016 and admitted to having a gambling and cocaine addiction that even saw him steal from a club charity fundraiser to fund his habits.
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He hasn’t been able to continue his professional sporting career since the incident, forcing him to give boxing a go – but it’s clear his future in the sport will be short.
Simona was well beaten by Aaron Cocco, with a doctor’s stoppage coming late in the third of the four-round clash.
Simona was more dominant in the opening round, throwing plenty of punches, keeping Cocco at bay. However, as the fight wore on his lack of boxing conditioning became a problem as his opponent gained steam.
Simona struggled from that point on and took plenty of damage, leading to boxing great Jeff Fenech to rage against the refereeing exhibited during the fight.
“Great work by the doctor, that’s what it was. It’s a great job because the referee should’ve stopped it, and the corner should’ve stopped it. I’m not gonna pull any punches here – to me, that’s not a good look,” he said.
“Of course the fight should’ve been stopped. The referee’s standing there watching this guy get hit without coming back.
“In the first round it was Simona that opened up landing 10 or 12 punches … it looked like Cocco was gonna do what Simona did.
“I think he (Simona) learned it’s a little bit harder than playing football. But he put up a great show, the first round I thought this might be a huge win for him, but the doctor’s done the right thing and I take my hat off to him.”
It’s unlikely Simona will be seen in the ring again, although anything is possible if he’s able to find a place on a fight card in the near future due to his notoriety.
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