Paul Gallen vs Justis Huni fight: Boxing live stream, card, start time, how to watch

He lost the fight but won plenty of respect as Paul Gallen was battered into submission against Justis Huni. Now he's revealed the brutal truth of his injuries. Full highlights.

Justis Huni used his extra height to great effect.

Justis Huni put on a 10-round boxing masterclass, but a lesser man than Paul Gallen would have quit after three.

The Australian heavyweight champion, Huni pummelled a courageous Gallen for 28 brutal minutes before a savage overhand right put the rugby league legend on the canvas.

Still, Gallen – with a suspected broken rib - somehow managed to rise to his feet, but staggered and battered, after nine previous rounds of the same, referee John Cauchi saved him from possible threatening injury and stopped the fight.

Huni (5-0, 4KO) may have showed all of sweet science’s sublime. But Gallen showed it’s fortitude.

Justis Huni used his extra height to great effect.

The man seemed to be built of granite, such was the punishment he was able to absorb and keep pushing forward.

This was his first loss as a professional boxer, but he left the crowd at Sydney’s ICC Theatre standing to applaud his courage.

“I’m a prizefighter, but I’m as competitive a person as there is,” Gallen said.

"By the seventh I knew I wasn’t going to win it, I just wanted to finish.

“I think he probably broke my rib in the second round.

“He’s just too fast, and he probably punched harder than I thought he was going to.

“He was good tonight, I wish him all the best. I know I’m here for the cash, but to say I fought for the Australian title is great.

“I’m not against [a rematch] … I was really fit going into this fight but trying to get sparring was hard.

Justis Huni celebrates defending his heavyweight title.

“That’s what I want to be as an athlete, push myself against the champion.”

Huni, who is heading to the Tokyo Olympics hoping to win Australia’s first gold medal, also praised Gallen (11-1-1, 6KO).

“He’s very tough, he’s definitely built different, you’re a legend mate,” Huni said.

“The build-up was good, I enjoyed every step of it, he definitely made it tricky for us but we came here and did what we needed to do.”

As for his next task, Huni told the crowd: “I’ll hopefully make youse all proud and bring home the gold medal.”

Gallen will earn an estimated $1.1 million for the bout.

And while it’s a career-high pay-day, there can be no criticism that he belongs in the ring among Australian heavyweight contenders.

He stepped up to Huni when many others have ducked.

Gal goes down in the 10th and the fight is over.

Huni walked away victorious, but Gallen can hold his chin high with his hearty display.

In the main support bout, Issac Hardman (11-0, 9KO) retained his IBF Australasian, WBO Oriental and Australian middleweight titles with a fourth-round stoppage of Emmanuel Carlos (12-2, 7KO).

Hardman dropped Carlos with a  right-left-right combination in the fourth. A devastating follow-up combination saw referee Will Soulos halt the bout.

Hardman said he wanted to fight a British opponent next, dismissing a call-out from Kiwi Russian Andrei Mikhailovich.

“He’s ranked 300 in the world, I was 10-0 and ranked No.21, the numbers don’t lie, earn your shot,” Hardman said.

In an earlier fight, crowd favourite Sam Goodman captured the ANBF Australasian featherweight title with a clinical dismantling of Nort Beauchamp.

Undefeated 22-year-old Goodman hammered Beauchamp, 35, throughout six rounds before referee Soulos waved off the contest.

Goodman (9-0, 5KO) started strongly, then delivered excellent body punches in the second. He hurt Beauchamp (18-5, 3KO) with a thudding left rip to the ribcage in the third.

Isaac Hardman celebrates his impressive win.

In the fourth, Goodman found a home for his straight right on Beauchamp’s chin and rocked the Thailand-born Kiwi, whose output slowed significantly.

There was more punishment to come in the fifth, and one minute 17 seconds into the sixth Soulos called it off.

Jason Whateley improved his undefeated record to 9-0 (8KO) after disposing of veteran Victor Oganov via fourth round technical knockout.

Oganov (32-9, 30KO) had not fought since November 2019, and had lost eight of his previous 10 bouts including against Whateley, and again could not deal with his opponent’s longer reach in the cruiserweight contest.

Whateley constantly peppered Oganov with jabs, right hooks and uppercuts. Oganov showed glimpses of his power but cornerman Adam Watt had seen his man take enough punishment late into the fourth round and threw in the towel.

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