Why boxing chumps move the needle more than champs

Tim Tszyu and Jai Opetaia, potentially both world champions by the end of the weekend, are Australia’s best boxers.

Both have had to lean on Paul Gallen at various stages of their career for relevance locally. When Tszyu and Gallen fought on the same night, the stories about the former footballer generated more clicks. For the purists, it’s an indictment of the fight game, that a footballer can attract more attention than genuine pugilists competing against the world’s best.

However, that’s the harsh reality in a celebrity-obsessed age, where punters would rather fork out $70 to watch two footbrawlers than a genuine championship bout.

Gallen’s controversial split-decision win against Sonny Bill Williams at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night lasted just 16 minutes, but lined their pockets with paydays of up to $1 million each. In their pomp as professional footballers on the field, it would take an entire season to earn as much.

The event was shown exclusively on Stan which, like this masthead, is owned by Nine Entertainment. The pay-per-view sales remain a heavily guarded secret, but the early indications suggest it was a success.

Paul Gallen earned a controversial victory over Sonny Bill Williams.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“Last night’s fight was a knockout success, setting new records for sales, reach and engagement across Stan Pay-Per-View,” said Stan’s director of sport Ben Kimber.

“Our coverage reached millions, and we saw record engagement across social and owned channels in the lead-up and throughout fight night.”

Sport thrives on controversy and Williams and Gallen brought bucketloads into their grudge match. Nobody sells quite like the Cronulla captain, who has leant into his role as the pantomime villain in much the way Anthony Mundine did before him.

People love a circus and are prepared to pay for admission. Which is why the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul “fight” became the most streamed event in sporting history, attracting 108 million viewers on Netflix.

On Sunday, in a rematch against WBC super-welterweight titleholder Sebastian Fundora, Tszyu will attempt to become a two-time world champion. Yet just six years ago, the famous Tszyu name alone wasn’t enough to sell fights. His bouts were bolstered by the presence of Gallen, who would fight the likes of fellow footballers John Hopoate and Justin Hodges to help drive subscription sales.

Meanwhile, IBF champion Opetaia, the best cruiserweight in the world, has virtually no profile in Australia. Considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, and a chance of one day challenging for the heavyweight world title, Opetaia’s handlers were unable to come to terms with Stan or local promoters No Limit.

“I’ve helped a lot of boxers come through,” Gallen said after defeating Williams. “I look at Tim Tszyu and Jai Opetaia, what they’re doing, they started fighting on my undercard.

“That’s pretty crazy. I’m not trying to for a second take any credit for what they’ve done because they’ve done it all themselves.

Paul Gallen got the decision.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“Jai Opetaia used to travel down from the Central Coast before school, spar me and then go back to school.

“Like that’s how dedicated this bloke is to the sport, so to see him at the top of the tree now doing what he’s doing, and that’s just awesome. I’m so happy for him and so happy for Tim Tszyu, I hope Tim Tszyu goes out this weekend and wins.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve done for boxing and them couple of guys, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s all over for me.”

Given the controversy that has followed Gallen’s sporting career, it’s appropriate it ended in contentious fashion. The “G-Train” won a split points decision against Williams, a result that divided the boxing scribes covering the event.

While they were waiting for the judges’ verdict, the former footballers shook hands, ending a decade of hate.

“I’m happy to sit down and have a coffee with him and end it, end the whole feud,” Gallen said.

If they were selling ringside tickets to their cappuccino chat, it would be packed to the rafters.

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