Boxing news: Paul Gallen predicts Sharks will beat Cowboys before he KOs Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges
A fired up Paul Gallen has warned Queensland sports fans to expect nothing but misery when the Sharks take on the Cowboys and he hits town for his double bout boxathon.
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Paul Gallen has promised a sombre week for Queensland’s sports fans, declaring the Sharks will defeat the Cowboys in the NRL finals series before he knocks out Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges in the boxing ring.
The former Cronulla captain revived the painful 2016 preliminary finals win his side scored over Hannant’s Cowboys — ending their hopes of back-to-back premierships — and vowed history would repeat on Saturday.
“Ben Hannant was the guy who I knocked out of the 2016 Premiership [won by Cronulla], he was playing for the Cowboys at the time,” Gallen said.
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“We knocked him out of the comp that time. My boys (Cronulla) will knock them off this week and I’ll knock him out again next week.”
The Cowboys are the only team from Queensland in the 2022 NRL finals series, and they’ll face the Sharks at Pointsbet Stadium on Saturday night.
Gallen revealed his fights against Hannant and Hodges, next Thursday night (September 15) in Brisbane, would be spaced at least one hour apart after speaking with promoter George Rose.
Gallen predicts he’ll fight Hannant second because, in his view, the former Queensland prop liked to target fatiguing players by coming off the reserves bench.
“I’ll say he’ll be second, he’s used to sitting on the bench back in his career,” Gallen said.
“That’s why he would sit on the bench, [to] come in at the back end when everyone was a bit tired. I’ll be a little bit tired but it’s not going to matter, I’m still going to knock him out.”
Gallen also smeared Hodges as a player who preferred to hide behind teammates during his NRL career.
“Justin Hodges — I miss seeing Justin Hodges walk out with all his mates, he’s behind them all, Darren Lockyer, Cam Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Petero Civoniceva, and he’s normally at the back of them, hiding behind them all, riding on the back of their coat-tails,” Gallen said.
“But this time he’s not going to have them all there. He’s in big trouble.”
While Gallen will be favourite to beat Hannant and Hodges, he’s never had to fight twice in one night, nor deal with the massive physical and emotional comedown from a ring battle only to then get up for another bout immediately.
“The Rose boys have assured me it’s going to be an hour apart at least, it could be more, I’m just going to totally relax,” Gallen said.
“I’ve had people say I should get on the bike, or do some rounds in between. I’m not going to do that, I’m just going to totally relax and warm up again 20, 30 minutes before the next fight.”
Gallen dismissed the home crowd advantage for Hannant and Hodges, who regularly beat him in State of Origin while he was the NSW skipper.
“I have had not a lot of luck in Queensland, and I’m going into their backyard which I have in the past and haven’t had a lot of success,” Gallen said.
“I understand they’re trying to draw on that inspiration and what they’ve done in the past but it’s not going to matter, it’s a different sport.
“They’ll have all the support of the people like they always have, but it’s not going to matter this time.
“I don’t take anything for granted. I know I’ve fought some big names, had some big fights in the past. But these guys are grown men, professional athletes — they have been their whole lives.
“They’re not going to go in there and lay down and let me beat them up. They’re very proud guys, they’ve played at the highest level for a very long time.”
Harry Garside withdraws with freak accident
Olympian Harry Garside is a shock withdrawal from Paul Gallen’s historic double-header fight card after suffering a freak hand injury that may require surgery.
News Corp can reveal Garside has succumbed to injury just 10 days out from his planned title defence on Thursday, September 15 — the same night NRL legend Gallen fights two men, Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant, at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena.
Garside, who won a bronze medal at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was due to defend his Australian lightweight title against Miles Zalewski (11-2, 9KO) in the biggest bout of his professional career after starting with three impressive victories.
A major promotional attraction on the Gallen card, Garside (3-0, 2KO) has been forced to pull out after aggravating a hand injury in sparring.
The 25-year-old Victorian will visit a specialist to determine if he will follow the path of fellow Australian fighters Tim Tszyu, Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni, who have all undergone hand surgery over the past 18 months.
A disappointed Garside said he couldn’t risk serious injury against the hard-punching Zalewski.
“I’m sorry to everyone that was excited to see me back in the ring that I won’t be there next week, especially to my opponent,” he said.
“I was only with Miles doing a promotional shoot last week and I know he put himself through a massive camp, just like I did.
“But I have to listen to my doctors and my team as I am only at the very beginning of my boxing journey.
“It’s definitely challenging mentally and physically because you put so much on yourself to be at the absolute peak come fight night but I couldn’t risk my future by going into a fight less than 100 per cent.
“I do appreciate the fans’ support and I know Matt and George (Rose) at No Limit Boxing (promoters) will be looking to get me back in the ring as soon as possible when I’m good to go again.”
Despite Garside’s setback, the stacked Brisbane card will proceed, with Gallen putting the finishing touches on his preparation as he prepares to become the first Australian boxer in 130 years to fight two opponents on the same night.
The double-header details remain a closely-guarded secret but it is understood Gallen will face Hannant first before taking on Hodges.
The former NSW Origin skipper will be ordered to have a one-hour break between bouts, despite Gallen’s request to fight Hannant and Hodges continuously to stay warm and maintain momentum.
Garside’s showdown with Zalewski was a key contest to break-up Gallen’s double header, but No Limit CEO George Rose insists the event will not be cancelled.
“Losing Harry on our wildest card of the year is unfortunate, but as they say in the entertainment business, ‘The show must go on’,” Rose said.
“The Origin Rumble is going to be an incredible evening of entertainment and the moment isn’t lost on Paul Gallen as to what he is attempting to do.
“He’s been hated in Queensland since the day he pulled on a Blues jersey but what he is trying to do is next level.
“He’s attempting a boxing feat no-one has attempted in 132 years, fighting two guys in one night, and he’s trying to do it in the very same city where he failed to raise the State of Origin shield on a single occasion during his career.
“This is it. This is Gal’s final chance to avenge the decade of dominance demons that have clearly haunted him for so long.”
Watch: Promoter’s emotional response to Gallen quit threat
— Jamie Pandaram
Promoter George Rose has dismissed Paul Gallen’s Sunday deadline to confirm the details for his dual bouts against Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant, and believes the aggrieved boxer is showing fear.
Gallen has threatened to walk away from his two fights in one night against Queenslanders Hodges and Hannant in Brisbane on September 15, if he is not told by the end of the week what format the fights will be held.
The 41-year-old NSW State of Origin legend even believes Rose’s promotional company No Limit is setting him up to fail by keeping the details secret because he is set to retire at the end of the year.
Rose, speaking from Paris – where he is supporting watching his UFC heavyweight client Tai Tuivasa, who takes on Frenchman Cyril Gane on Sunday morning (AEST) – has hit back at Gallen.
“It really annoys me it’s played out like this, I understand it’s a unique opportunity and a unique preparation for him, he’s never prepared for a fight in this manner,” Rose said.
“It’s extremely different, but one thing you don’t want to do is show any Queenslanders any fear like that. The most dangerous people in Australian sport are Queensland underdogs, and that’s what these guys are.
“When a Queenslander is an underdog, they come and they cause upsets. The last thing he needs to be doing is letting them smell any fear in him.
“Gal’s our guy, Gal is a No Limit guy, he’s always been a No Limit guy and we would never do the wrong thing by him. We’d never put him in a situation that’s unfair to him.
“Everything we do will be agreed on with him.”
Rose said it would be impossible for him to meet Gallen’s Sunday deadline.
“On Sunday, we’re in Paris watching Tai Tuivasa get the biggest win of his career in the octagon for the UFC, that’s where I am on Sunday, he knows we’re in a compromised position at the moment,” Rose said.
“Ideally, I’d rather be in Sydney where I can duck 20 minutes down the road, sort this out face-to-face, have a good yarn and get on top of it. But I’m in a unique position myself, Tai Tuivasa is having the biggest fight of his career and that’s where I am, supporting him.
“As soon as I’m back in Sydney I’ll be supporting Paul Gallen, getting ready for a big fight night on September 15.”
Asked why it was taking so long to resolve the format – including who Gallen will fight first and whether it would be back-to-back fights or at the start and end of the show – Rose said he needs to satisfy the demands of the Queensland combat sports authority, and broadcasters Main Event, who have differing requirements.
“We want to make sure it’s done safely, most importantly,” Rose said.
“Safety with the authorities, that it’s approved by the authorities, the format we decide to run with, and at the end of the day it’s a really entertaining product for broadcast as well … because they sit at different ends of the scale.”
Gallen has been hampered with his training preparation by the unknown status of the fight night, and said last Wednesday: “I feel they are trying to get me beat, and it’s pissing me off.”
Rose slammed that suggestion.
“Obviously this is something I’m really annoyed by, it’s something that I woke up to overnight, I’m dealing with jet lag, I’m dealing with different time zones over here, so it’s really frustrating this sort of thing has come through the way that it has,” Rose said.
“Gal’s been involved in a lot of these conversations, he knows this is a unique opportunity, it hasn’t been done in 130-odd years.
“We’ve got to follow the right processes to go through. Once that’s locked in with our broadcaster, Main Event, and with the boxing authorities, then we’ll be able to give him an answer straight away.
“He’ll be the first one to know, and then so will the Australian public.”
GALLEN THREATENS TO ABANDON DOUBLE-HEADER PLANS
Paul Gallen has set promoters No Limit Boxing a deadline of Sunday to clarify the logistics of his two fights in one night against Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant, or he is walking away from the event.
As relations between Gallen and No Limit sink to an lowest, the former NRL star accused the promoters of setting him up to fail knowing he would no longer be a cash cow for them beyond this year.
“I feel they are trying to get me beat, and it’s pissing me off,” Gallen told News Corp.
“I took a risk starting with them, I helped them grow, now they know I’m retiring they want to see me fall off the perch and have a new guy come on.
“It doesn’t suit their business model for me to be successful, that is why they’ve refused to give me the basic details for this fight night.
“We are two weeks out, and I still don’t know who I am fighting first, let alone if the fights are going to be back-to-back or if there will be a long break between fights.”
The Gallen versus Hodges and Hannant event was announced a fortnight ago, to be held in Brisbane on Thursday, September 15, and No Limit chief executive George Rose joked at the time that he may even consider a WWE-style “tag team” match.
Gallen (12-2-1, 7KO) was annoyed with that sudden idea, but over the past two weeks has grown increasingly frustrated at not being able to get a straight answer from No Limit on the set-up for this event.
No Limit bosses George and Matt Rose are on their way to Paris to support their UFC fighter, Tai Tuivasa, who takes on Cyril Gane this weekend, and could not be reached for comment.
“How am I supposed to train properly when they can’t even tell me who I’m fighting first?” Gallen said. “One guy is taller than me, the other has a completely different style.
“I’ve asked them, got no response. Now George and Matt are away in Paris, it’s pissing me off. They are there with Tai, he fights Saturday, so as soon as that’s done I want an answer.
“If I don’t get an answer by the end of the week, I’m telling them to go shove it.”
Gallen, 41, has lost two of his past three bouts, to Kris Terzievski and Justis Huni – both for the Australian heavyweight title.
In between, he stopped fellow league player Darcy Lussick in a fight taken on short notice last Christmas.
Hannant’s only professional fight has been against Hodges, who won a unanimous decision.
Hodges has a 5-1 (2KO) record, with his only defeat being a first round knockout to Lussick.
Since then he’s beaten Hannant and most recently podcaster Jordan Simi, both via points.
Australian Olympic bronze medallist Harry Garside (3-0, 2KO) will headline the undercard at Nissan Arena, defending his Australian lightweight title against big-punching Miles Zalewski (11-2, 9KO).
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Originally published as Boxing news: Paul Gallen predicts Sharks will beat Cowboys before he KOs Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges
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