Boxing news: Paul Gallen vows to crush Darcy Lussick before Sam Burgess showdown
The first person who mentioned Sam Burgess as a possible opponent for Paul Gallen was television presenter Erin Molan, but Gallen reckons let’s get Darcy Lussick out of the road first.
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For a brief moment, Paul Gallen conceded he was “rattled” about the sudden change of his next opponent and shorter distance of their fight.
After weeks of preparing for Josh Aloiai in a fight scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, he now faces hard-hitting Darcy Lussick on December 22 at Sydney’s The Star over just three two-minute rounds, suiting the younger man.
But Gallen (11-1, 6KO) quickly regathered himself.
“I’m going to beat him, I’m going to smash him,” Gallen said.
“I’m just thankful that he’s here, I’m thankful the training I’ve done for the past few months isn’t going to waste.
“I’m going to win, I’m not trying to lull him into anything, there’s no doubt I’m going to win.”
Lussick, 32, is convinced Gallen’s comments at Monday’s press conference, where the 40-year-old revealed he’d stepped away from training last week to regather his thoughts and focus, was a ploy.
“I don’t believe it, he lost me at the bit where he said he hasn’t done anything for the last week, everyone knows how hard he trains,” said Lussick, who knocked out Justin Hodges in 39 seconds in his only professional fight.
“He would’ve been in the gym every day for the last week, I’m not buying into that.
“I’m expecting the best version of Paul Gallen.
“My mentality is kill or be killed. Four weeks prep, I’m just ripping in.
“I don’t give a f---, we will see what happens.”
Gallen has some serious readjustments to make after Aloiai withdrew because he contracted Covid last week.
“At my age, I don’t need this at the moment,” Gallen said.
“I was training accordingly for the other bloke, so now I’ve got to get switched on and train for this bloke.
“I won’t let myself down, I’ll be ready to go on the 22nd.”
And it seems inevitable that should he prevail, Gallen will be thrown in against another former NRL enforcer, Sam Burgess, early next year.
Promoters No Limit Boxing are in talks with Burgess, however no deal has been signed yet.
“I don’t decide who I fight, apparently I’m fighting Sam Burgess, I didn’t even know about it,” Gallen said.
“I’ve got no doubt No Limit are negotiating in the background, they’re not required to tell me, they’re not my manager.
“I’m sure they’re doing it in the background but I don’t know about it.
“The only time I’ve heard Sam Burgess’s name mentioned was at the start of last year, when Erin Molan asked me, ‘Are you fighting Sam Burgess?’
“I didn’t know what she was talking about, and I don’t know how she knew, and she said ‘Would you?’ I said ‘Yes’ but I’ve got no beef with him, I’ve got no idea where that’s come from.
“And the next I heard of it was in Sunday’s paper.
“I have no doubt Matt and George Rose are negotiating with multiple people but they’re not inclined to tell me, they just come to me when the deal is done and present it to me.
“I’ve got no doubt they’ve been talking to Sam in the background but it’s news to me, and the one bloke on my mind is Darcy Lussick, I’m not concerned about Sam.
“I’m going to get through this fight, enjoy Christmas, have a drink and chill out.”
Gallen said he was prepared to face Solomon Haumono, have a rematch with Mark Hunt, former Australian heavyweight champion Faiga “Django” Opelu, or face mixed martial artists Junior Tafa or Isi Fitikefu.
“When those three or four names popped up last week I rang Matt and George and said I’d fight any one of them except for Alex Simon because I was training with him, we spar so that was the only one I said I wouldn’t fight,” Gallen said.
“Darcy’s name wasn’t even involved then, all they said was ‘We’ve got someone and it’s what we want’.
“At the end of the day, they’re the boss. They’re the ones who decide who I fight because they’re the ones who put the money up. If they don’t think me fighting so and so is going to sell, they won’t put it on.
“I only found out about last Thursday when Darcy came out and said ‘I’ll knock him out’. That’s when I first found out, I rang them and said ‘Is it Darcy?’ and they said ‘Yeah’.”
League stars to face off as Gallen’s opponent locked in
Darcy Lussick has been confirmed as Paul Gallen’s next opponent, with the two former NRL stars to trade blows on December 22.
A press conference has been scheduled for Monday at 11am, to confirm that Lussick is the replacement for Josh Aloiai, who withdrew from the fight against Gallen after contracted Covid last week.
Numerous fighters threw their hat in the ring to face Gallen, but Lussick is the one seen by promoters No Limit Boxing and broadcasters Main Event as generating the most pay-per-view buys at this late stage.
Lussick has only had one professional fight, knocking out Justin Hodges in 39 seconds.
Gallen is coming off the only loss of his professional career, a 10th-round stoppage at the hands of Australia’s heavyweight champion, Justis Huni.
Because of the scramble to find a late replacement, it is expected the Gallen vs Lussick bout will be shorter than the original eight two-minute rounds scheduled for Gallen vs Aloiai.
Lussick, 32, is much taller and heavier than 40-year-old Gallen, but the former State of Origin captain will start as favourite given his vast experience advantage.
Earlier, Lussick vowed to knock out Gallen after putting himself forward to replace Josh Aloiai for the heavyweight fight.
Lussick, who knocked out Justin Hodges in 39 seconds in his only professional fight two years ago, would present a threat to Gallen as the younger, taller and heavier man.
“Give me a shot, and I’ll knock Gallen out,” Lussick told News Corp Australia.
“I am ready.
“People said Justin Hodges was going to destroy me and I knocked him out in 30 seconds, so put me in there with Gallen and we’ll see what happens.”
The 32-year-old former NRL star has recently been playing in the English Super League for Salford and Toronto Wolfpack but returned to Australia amid the Covid-enforced shutdowns.
He has continued to train with friends in Sydney and has a close relationship to Gallen’s fight promoter George Rose, boss of No Limit Boxing, with the pair playing together for Manly Sea Eagles.
“I’ve been speaking to George a fair bit and asking him to give the shot,” Lussick said.
“People know what I bring, I will have a crack, I’m not going to go in there half-arsed. I will have a red hot crack.
“I’ve been training.
“Gal is a tough guy, no doubt. He went 10 rounds with Justice Huni.
“People can say what they like about him, but he is a legitimate boxer.
“He’s not a footballer-turned-boxer, he is a proper boxer now.
“But I want that challenge, I want to meet him in the middle of that ring and see what happens.”
No Limit is weighing their options for Gallen’s opponent on December 22, after Aloiai was forced to withdraw from the bout after testing positive to Covid.
Numerous boxers and mixed martial artists have called out Gallen for the fight, including Solomon Haumono, Mark Hunt for arematch, Faiga “Django” Opelu, Junior Tafa, Alex Simon and Isi Fitikefu.
But given Lussick’s age, previous performance in the ring and profile beyond boxing circles, he may be deemed as the best pay-per-view option.
Lussick is 193cm and 114kg, while Gallen is 180cm and last weighed in at 99kg.
Lussick and Gallen clashed on the field several times during their NRL careers and both developed reputations as hard men.
Gallen, 40, has had 13 professional fights and suffered his first defeat in his previous bout against Australia’s heavy weightchampion Huni, via 10th round stoppage.
He had been scheduled to face Aloiai over eight two-minute rounds at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on December 10, as part of a double-header with former world champion Andrew Moloney leading the December 9 Fox Sports show.
Following Aloiai’s withdrawal, No Limit chose to scrap the Newcastle event and postpone it for two weeks, keeping the double-header format for December 21 and 22 in Sydney.
Moloney, Steve Spark and Lenny Zappavigna will fight on December 21 in a boxer-heavy card, while on the Main Event show the next evening, Gallen will headline a show featuring other NRL players and the debut of Olympic bronze medallist Harry Garside.
Given it is now less than a month to the revamped show, No Limit will need to make a decision on Gallen’s opponent withindays.
EARLIER REPORT: YOUR SAY ON WHO GALLEN SHOULD FIGHT NEXT
A frightening line-up of headhunters led by Solomon Haumono and Mark Hunt have put their hands up to fight Paul Gallen after his opponent Josh Aloiai tested positive to Covid.
Gallen’s December 10 fight against Aloiai in Newcastle has been cancelled, but promoters No Limit Boxing are scrambling to find a new opponent for him on a rescheduled show in Sydney on December 22.
Haumono, Hunt, former Australian heavyweight champion Faiga “Django” Opelu, mixed martial arts banger Junior Tafa and Australia’s strongest man Alex Simon are all desperate to get in the ring with Gallen.
Hunt wants a rematch after Gallen defeated him by points last year, but former league star Haumono – who has been Aloiai’s chief sparring partner – said it was his turn to have a shot.
“He’s fought the baddest man in Australia (Hunt), now it’s time for him to fight the baddest man to play in the NRL,” Haumono said.
“Let’s find out who prevails in the clash of the titans.
“It’s sad for Josh, I have been helping him out, he’s a wonderful kid.”
Aloiai confirmed he was double-vaccinated and the 26-year-old was uncertain where the infection took place.
“I got the test result last night,” Aloiai said. “I’m gutted – I’ve been in the gym six days a week to prepare for this.
“I feel really bad for Paul, hopefully he can find another opponent. It’s not easy training for a fight.
“Hopefully the fact I’m double vaxxed will take a bit of edge off the illness but I’m feeling pretty crook. “The doctors say it will be a couple of weeks before I get better. It might be longer.
“I was a close contact. The good thing is I haven’t been in contact with any of the footy boys at Manly. From here on I’ll just focus on football.“
No Limit bosses Matt and George Rose are trying to find a new opponent for Gallen, but will be heartened to see so many heavyweight figures lining up.
Gallen is frustrated about Aloiai’s withdrawal but doesn’t believe it was a deliberate strategy to pull out of the fight after weeks of bitter verbal sparring.
“I don’t think you get Covid on purpose, and I don’t think it’s something you make up,” Gallen said.
“I’m sure every man and his dog will be putting their hand up to fight me, they all want a payday, but the numbers have to make sense to Matt Rose, he knows the figures and he knows what works.
“I can’t just say ‘Yeah I want to fight this guy or that guy’ when the numbers don’t make sense to the promoter, it just won’t happen.”
Hunt has told his management he is in for the rematch.
Same deal 125kg knockout artist Alex Simon, who has previously held the crown of Australia’s Strongest Man.
While focused mainly on MMA now, Simon has already boxed twice — winning both by KO within 12 seconds – and would be an easy sell for promoters given his resume.
Despite having been a regular sparring partner of Gallen, he has no problem stepping into the ring in a main event.
The other early contenders are two of the country’s most exciting UFC prospects, Junior Tafa and Isi Fitikefu.
Both fighters are tipped to make their Octagon debuts in 2022, with Tafa already signed to appear on Dana White’s Contender Series in July.
Previously a Glory kickboxer, the 25-year-old spars regularly with the likes of Hunt, Tai Tuivasa older brother Justin, who is also in the UFC.
Of his 21 kickboxing wins, all but four have come via finish.
“So he’s ferocious,” said manager Zen Ginnen. “A guy who can absolutely knock Paul Gallen out.”
Fitikefu and his camp, meanwhile, are already accusing the Shire heavyweight of “running scared”.
Unbeaten in six MMA fights, and a training partner for Robert Whittaker, the rising MMA star has also sparred Gallen several times – prompting his management to make an approach to the heavyweight’s crew late on Wednesday afternoon.
“But they’ve turned us down,” said agent Titus Day.
“They’re running scared unfortunately because this would be a great fight and one the fans would love.”
The Gallen-Aloiai fight was the second show of a double-header planned for the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
Importantly, the rescheduled event for Sydney will remain a double-header.
Former world champion Andrew Moloney will lead the Fox Sports show on Tuesday, December 21, while other notables on the card will be Steve Spark and Lenny Zappavigna.
On the December 22 show headlined by Gallen, Joseph Leilua vs Chris Heighington will be the co-feature bout, while Olympic bronze medallist Harry Garside will make his professional debut.
Originally published as Boxing news: Paul Gallen vows to crush Darcy Lussick before Sam Burgess showdown
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