Sonny Bill Williams fires back as Jake Paul reveals his ‘hit list’

Sonny Bill Williams could land a monster fight deal after social media sensation turned boxer Jake Paul dropped a huge bombshell.

Sonny Bill Williams has responded to YouTuber Jake Paul’s “hit list” call out, saying he will hand the social media sensation his “first loss”.

Williams, a dual-code international in rugby league and rugby union, is now trying his hand at boxing, moving to 9-0 after a first round annihilation of AFL great Barry Hall last month.

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The next fight the Aussie boxing community wants to see is Williams finally settle his grudge match with NRL great turned heavyweight contender Paul Gallen.

Although his next fight is yet to be announced, Williams’ impressive KO of Hall has landed him on the radar of Paul, who told The Fight podcast with Teddy Atlas the footy icon was a potential rival for his next fight in August.

“We’re still locking down opponents, there’s a lot of names,” Paul said. “Floyd Mayweather, Oscar de la Hoya, (UFC legend) Anderson Silva, Tommy Fury, Sonny Williams comes out of Australia, so there are a lot of people on the hit list.”

Williams immediately responded via social media.

“Looks like I’m on the hit list,” he wrote on Twitter.

“I’m not gonna hate on this guy at all as I respect what he’s done. I also really respect his skillset as a boxer. But if he wants some he can get it! @jakepaul Yours respectfully – your first loss.”

The old dog is learning some new tricks. Photo: Instagram / sonnybillwilliams

If the option to fight Paul came up in August, it may end the hopes of Gallen lining up against Williams as the league great said last month he would hang the gloves up at the end of the year.

The news comes after Williams’ highly regarded trainer, former WBO middleweight world champion Andy Lee, floated the possibility of the ex-All Black fighting for a world title in the coming years.

“The blueprint is there. He’s a different person altogether but you’ve seen with Jake Paul, because of his profile – and Sonny’s is just as big – that will generate interest and interest will generate revenue,” Lee told The Age.

“With revenue, real fighters will want to fight Sonny. They will see how good he is, and they will want to test themselves against him, knowing they will get well paid for it.”

However, it would be a crazy weight rise for Paul after he defeated the 86kg Woodley in his last fight, while Williams weighed in at 109.1kg before entering the ring against Hall.

Williams was a superstar in rugby league before going to France to play rugby, making the All Blacks and being part of two World Cup winning sides.

He also represented New Zealand at the 2016 Olympics in Rugby Sevens, before ending his football career back in the NRL with the Roosters.

Jake Paul has made a huge impact in the boxing world. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Although his boxing career hadn’t garnered too much acclaim before the Hall fight, Williams has dedicated himself to the sport, even going on a six-week training camp where he sparred the likes of world champ Tyson Fury, former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker and European champion Tommy McCarthy.

Paul has also shaken up the boxing landscape, staging big money events and knocking out the likes of former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

A human headline who brings with him a loyal army of social media followers, Jake and his brother Logan Paul have been a part of the rise of YouTubers trying their hand at boxing and exposing their audiences to the sport.

Originally published as Sonny Bill Williams fires back as Jake Paul reveals his ‘hit list’