Benjamin Watt
Name: Benji Watt
Birth Name: Benjamin Thomas Watt
Hometown: Glenfield, New Zealand
Birthplace: Greenlane, New Zealand
Matchmaker: Record
Promoter: Record
Judge: Record
Inspector: Record
Supervisor: Record
Benjamin Thomas Watt (born 13 June 1992 in Greenhithe, New Zealand) is the world's first openly gay professional boxing judge. He is also a Boxing Commentator for Gladrap Youtube channel and his podcast called Benji - The Flea.
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 world's first openly gay professional boxing judge.
In April 2018, he started working with the sports youtube channel, Gladrap, working in multiple projects including Sports commentating, interviewing and even having his own talk show called "What's what with Benji Watt". It was here on Gladrap where he was given the name Mr Controversy.
Promoting
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.
In June 2019, Watt co-promoted an event alongside Vasco Kovacevic of Red line Combat Academy and Terry Bachelor of Mayhem Boxing. The event featured Conrad Lam vs Semisi Kalu and first LGBT New Zealand born boxer Diane Beazley vs Ashley Campbell.
Personal life
Watt was born at National Women's Hospital in Greenlane. Watt lived the first few years of his life in Greenhithe. 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 weren't very religious as he got older. After his parents divorced, Watt moved to Sunnynook, where he lived there for 21 years. 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. In 2018, Watt moved to Glenfield. In 2020, Watt discovered he has some Māori ancestors. He is part of Ngāpuhi Iwi (tribe) and his Hapū is (subtribe) is Te Popoto and Te Ngahengahe. He is the descendent of Hone Kingi Kaihau and Henareta Tikinui of the Mokonuiarangi Marae.
Q12 The Tour
In 2012 Watt travelled the North Island of New Zealand for the 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 Documentary on NZ Gay Youth Abuse. Pridenz.com approach him to do only twenty interviews, however, due to the popularity of the concept they 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.
Health Issues
Watt is semi-blind in the right eye by birth.
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. He goes through a variety of treatment including radiation treatment and a drug treatment called Rituximab. As successful as the treatment can be, cancer generally comes back after a year of treatment.
In 2019, Watt was diagnosed with a rare chronic pain condition called Fibromyalgia which he manages on day by day bases.
LGBT Adcovacy
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.
In December 2018, Watt commented on Patricio Manuel debuting as a pro boxer, stating that he not only supported transgender people boxing but encourages it.
Gladrap
In April 2018, Watt joined the youtube channel called Gladrap, a boxing filming and interview channel. He started off as a commentator on a corporate boxing fight between Joseph Luafalealo vs George Iosefa-Ale. It was here where he started developing his name as "Mr Controversy" where he said "I remember when I was nineteen I was on Grindr on a daily bases" during the fight on commentary. A few months later Watt started doing boxing interviews with Gladrap channel, first one being with Jerome Pascua on his fight upcoming fight with Andrei Mikhailovich. In July 2018, Watt began his own talk show on Gladrap channel called "What's What with Benji Watt". The show starring Watt with a variety of guests, talking about current affairs with boxing, over Google Hangouts. The show was shortly cancelled after the 4th episode due to lower numbers. The show started up again in October 2019, but this time in a studio with better equipment with a hint a comedy, effects and shorter episodes. It was said in the 4th episode of the new season that Watt was also editing the show as well.
Geovana Peres
On the ninth of March 2017, Watt met Brazilian born New Zealand boxer, Geovana Peres at a boxing weigh-in, the day before Peres made her professional debut. Since then the two became friends. Watt has helped Peres with getting media attention, including small projects like PrideNZ.com, post-fight interviews on Gladrap Channel, and eventually on Stuff.co.nz. They got nominated together at the 2018 New Zealand LGBTI for Sports Personality of the year. Watt eventually became a member of Geovana's team.
Awards
- 2018 New Zealand LGBTI Awards Sports Personality of the Year (Nominated)
- 2019 Gladrap Awards Judge of the Year (Won)
- 2019 Gladrap Awards Commentator of the Year (Won)
- 2019 Gladrap Awards Non-boxer of the Year (Won)
- 2020 New Zealand Boxing Awards Non-boxer of the year (Won)
- 2020 New Zealand Boxing Awards Judge of the year (Won)
- 2021 New Zealand Boxing Awards Non-boxer of the year (Won)
- 2023 Te Tai Tokerau Māori Sports Awards Te Tohu Kaiwhakahaere (Sports Administrator Award) (Nominated)
- 2023 Harbour Sport Excellence Awards Volunteer of the Year (Nominated)