Paul Gallen to finish third in boxing PPV rankings
Paul Gallen made more money in eight years of boxing than 19 years in the NRL. Tim Tszyu and Andrew Moloney pay tribute to his fight legacy.
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THERE will never be another Paul Gallen.
That is the verdict of Australia’s leading boxing promoter and fighters as Gallen prepares to hang up the gloves and finish an extraordinary sporting career spanning 22 years.
Gallen (14-2-1, 8KO) fights State of Origin rival Justin Hodges (5-2, 2KO) on Wednesday night at Sydney’s ICC Aware Super Theatre, and will finish as the third biggest pay-per-view boxing star in Australian history, only behind Anthony Mundine and Danny Green.
He’ll walk away having earned an estimated $8 million from boxing. Across 19 seasons in the NRL, he is likely to have made about $7 million in contract money.
But Gallen has also put a new generation of Australian fighters on the map by giving them a platform on his undercards, exposing them to audiences they couldn’t have reached without his clout as a high profile NRL star.
No Limit Boxing boss Matt Rose, who has promoted most of Gallen’s bouts, paid the 41-year-old the ultimate compliment.
“Gallen is a whole package that can’t be replicated,” Rose said.
“If you watch what he does at a press conference, it takes a lot to do what he does.
“He really knows how to sell a fight, he thinks about what he’s saying, he breaks down an opponent’s record. No one has done that, if you think about it, who has done that in Australian boxing? It’s not done.
“And who do we have now that’s going to do that? Everyone wants to be the next Gallen. There is no next Gallen.
“They talk about generational athletes, well Gallen has to go down as one of those, because what he’s done in rugby league, and the transition to boxing – not necessarily to the height of boxing – but to the height of Australian boxing and help bring an audience back again, he’s played an integral part in that for us.
“We put a big investment into Gal, and that investment has without doubt been returned with the new crop of Australian boxers coming through headed by Tim Tszyu and a host of others.
“And Wednesday will be no different, Michael Zerafa, Paulo Aokuso, all these guys are going to benefit off the fact it’s Paul Gallen’s farewell, and for one more time he’s going to prop Australian boxing up into the lights.”
Tszyu, who fights for the undisputed super-welterweight world title on January 29 in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, has come a long way since his appearance on a Gallen undercard in 2019.
“Exposure is a big part,” Tszyu said. “When I fought my third fight, a local fight in Sylvania Waters on a card where Jack Brubaker was the main event, 200 people watched that.
“Going from Paul Gallen’s undercard when he fought John Hopoate – which boosted me to my first pay-per-view after that – it’s crazy, the journey.
“All my respect to Paul Gallen, he’s bringing these fighters along and he’s had a great career, I wish him well in retirement.
“I think he’s done great, he beat Lucas Browne, that’s a great achievement. And Mark Hunt.
“And he fought Justis Huni, who has got crazy hand speed, crazy skill, and he nearly went the distance, went the whole 10 rounds.
“He is a warrior. I’ve got all respect for anyone who gets in the ring anyway, it takes a lot of heart.
“To stay in the ring and fight in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and that expectation of people wanting you to lose, that’s respect.”
Super flyweight Andrew Moloney claimed his maiden world title when he won the interim WBA belt against Elton Dharry on the undercard of Gallen versus Barry Hall in 2019.
“He’s certainly created a big platform for a lot of us Aussie fighters that don’t normally get that, or it doesn’t come across easy for us,” Moloney said.
“Because of Gal and his fight with Barry Hall, they made it possible for me to fight for a world title in Australia, which really I didn’t think was going to be possible, at all.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do that without him, so I’m forever grateful for the opportunity he gave myself.
“Without him and Barry fighting we wouldn’t have been able to have that world title fight in Australia so he did a lot for me, a dream come true in Melbourne, in my home city.
“I couldn’t be more appreciative for what he’s done.
“He’s had a long career in rugby league and then come into boxing at a late age, after putting his body through hell for so many years I think he’s made the right call.
“It’s good to see people go out on top, as opposed to stick around too long which you see way too often in boxing.”
Other stars to have featured on Gallen’s undercards include world champion Jai Opetaia, Olympian Harry Garside, younger Tszyu brother Nikita and world-rated Sam Goodman.
But Gallen is reluctant to claim ownership of their success.
“I have no interest in legacy, I had the same attitude in rugby league, when you’re done you’re done,” Gallen said.
“I’ve got no doubt I’ve helped some of these guys, Tim Tszyu is one obviously, the Moloneys have been the other many years ago. But you can’t take much credit for it.
“I think I created a platform for them that they may not have had elsewhere, but at the end of the day it’s their hard work and dedication to the sport that’s got them to where they are, so I won’t take too much credit.
“Had they not had the ability, the effort and the attitude towards the sport they have, then they were going nowhere anyway.”
Highest earning Australian pay-per-view boxers*
1. Anthony Mundine – $74 million
2. Danny Green – $50 million
3. Paul Gallen – $25 million
4. Tim Tszyu – $22 million
5. Jeff Horn – $20 million
*Revenue split between broadcasters, promoters and fighters
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