Citizenship New Zealand Years active 2015–present | Name Benjamin Watt | |
Born June 13, 1992 (age 31) ( 1992-06-13 ) Greenhithe, New Zealand Occupation Boxing Judge, Audio Documentary Maker Organization New Zealand Professional Boxing Association, World Boxing Federation, Boxrec.com, International Boxing Organisation, Pridenz.com Known for First Openly Gay Boxing Judge Home town North Shore City, New Zealand Residence Sunnynook, New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand | ||
Benjamin Thomas Watt (born June 13, 1992, Greenhithe, New Zealand) is the world's first openly gay professional boxing judge.
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Watt started his career in boxing as an editor of Boxrec.com for New Zealand. In April 2015, the Australian Boxrec editors forward Watt onto the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association after he expressed interests of becoming a referee and a judge. Watt spent four months training as a shadow judge and doing corporate boxing fights. In August 2015, Watt judged his first two professional fights of his career. It was on a small boxing promotion called Weekend Warriors II, promoted by Craig Thomson. Watt was shortly recognized after as the worlds first openly gay professional boxing judge.
Q12 The Tour
In 2012 Watt traveled the North Island of New Zealand for project called Q12 the tour where he did audio interviews with over 70 LGBT people. The aim of the project was to archive the information for future research on what it is like to live as a LGBT Person in 2012. Watt got first noticed on YouTube with his documentary called Radio Documantary on NZ Gay Youth Abuse. Pridenz.com approach him to do only twenty interviews, however due to the popularity of the concept they was decided to turn the project into a tour. The tour originally was to travel to fourteen cities and towns in ten regions. However Gisborne, Tauranga and Taupo were cancelled due to lack of support in the local regions. Despite the cancelled dates, the tour itself concluded successfully.
Matchmaking
In March 2016, Royal Rampage announced on Facebook and Boxrec that Watt is one of their boxing matchmakers.
Watt was also a matchmaker for the Asher Derbyshire vs Paane Haraki fight for the vacant NZPBA Cruiserweight title. Originally the fight was scheduled for Derbyshire to fight Thomas Heads. Unfortunately Heads received a severe concussion, resulting in being pulled out only 7 days before the fight. Watt offered his services to find a replacement fight on six days notice, in which he did it in two.
BTW Promotions
In July 2016, Watt announced that he will be promoting his first boxing event called Fight 4 Charity. The event will in a selection of up and coming boxers, including bouts like Nailini Helu vs Ange Davis for the New Zealand and Asia Pacific Title, Zane McNab vs Nick Hikuroa, Kendall Cooper vs Jonathan Taylor and many more.
Health issues
Watt is semi blind in the right eye by birth. Even though he is fully capable to judge, his optometrist will not clear his to drive a car.
At the age of 15, Watt was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease. Watt stated for years he has been through painful physiotherapy however to this day he still has back problems.
In October 2015, Watt was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 23.
Personal life
Watt was born at National Women's Hospital in Greenlane. He was brought up as a roman catholic and went to St Joseph’s Catholic School in Takapuna. His parents divorced at a young age and wasn't very religious as he got older. Watt went to Wairau Intermediate School and then Westlake Boys High School, however he left school at the age of 17 to pursue a career in Hospitality. Shortly after leaving school Watt came out as gay and received much support from family and friends. Watt is the son of the singer-songwriter, Dr Allan Charles Watt and 3rd cousin to Kyle Chen.
LGBT advocacy
With his background in being with Pridenz.com with the Q12 Tour, Being a youth Worker at Aotearoa Rainbow Youth, Volunteering at the New Zealand Aids Foundation and being the World's first openly gay boxing judge, Watt is a strong advocate for LGBT Rights.
Watt has attended and spoken at multiple conferences in the Australasia talking about LGBT rights including 2011 Aucklands Kazam, 2012 Wellingtons Hui Putahi and 2016 Sydney Team Sydney Sports.
Watt stated at the 2016 conference in Sydney that he believes in New Zealand Gay rights has completed its full equality in law changing. However he believes there is so much that can be done for transgender rights in New Zealand, including getting funding for the transgender community for public health in ways of surgery.