NewsBite

Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall: SBW first round knockout win

Sonny Bill Williams made a mockery of former AFL bad boy Barry Hall’s boxing experience after scoring a stunning knockout win inside two minutes in their heavyweight clash in Sydney.

Brendan BradfordBrendan Bradford
@1bbradfo
9 min read
March 24, 2022 - 12:13AM
Sonny Bill Williams and Barry Hall will let their gloves do the talking on Wednesday night. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage
Sonny Bill Williams and Barry Hall will let their gloves do the talking on Wednesday night. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

Sonny Bill Williams made a mockery of Barry Hall’s boxing experience, knocking out the former AFL bad boy inside two minutes in their heavyweight clash in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Williams’ power and speed was too much for the 45-year-old Hall who was sent to the canvas three times as the bout was stopped at 1:55 of the first round.

Screaming Jets front man Dave Gleeson’s two songs prior to the main event both lasted longer than the fight.

Williams rattled Hall with two big left hooks in the opening seconds. A third sent the former Swans premiership-winner to the canvas, but it was ruled a slip.

The finish wasn’t far off though.

A straight right hand rocked Hall again, and again he fell to the mat.

The fight was mercifully stopped when Williams swarmed his hurt opponent with a flurry of punches. Hall hit the floor again, referee Les Fear waved it off and SBW celebrated in the corner.

While Hall’s fighting future is in doubt, Williams immediately began talking about a long-awaited bout with Paul Gallen.

“Me and Gal go way back, and although there’s always words being said – especially from his half - but I said I wanted to do this for one or two years,” Williams said afterwards. “If it all works out, Paul Gallen’s a part of that.

“When and where, I’m not sure, but I’m sure we’ll be talking soon.

“I’m the A-side in this whole situation, but we just have to sit down and talk and see what happens. He’s always been part of that talk, so we’ll see what happens.”

Gallen, who fought a controversial draw with Hall in 2019, says he wants the fight too.

“You don’t have to ask me, you’ve gotta ask them,” Gallen told News Corp. “Ask them the question and we’ll go from there.

“How many years have I been saying yes? 10 years?”

Hall said the nerves of the occasion got to him.

“I wasn’t nervous before the Gallen fight, but I was tonight,” he said. “Kudos to Sonny Bill, he wasn’t and he got it done.”

Williams, who improves his record to 9-0, said his six-week training camp in the UK with Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker proved pivotal.

“I heard that he was going to try and come forward, so for me, I just wanted to stand my ground and let him feel my power,” he said. “We worked a lot on hand speed and technique. That was the reason for heading overseas to train with Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker.

“I hit him with one punch and he walked off. That’s how I knew he was hurt, so I went into freestyle mode, and just tried to get him out.”

In a contender for fight of the year, Paul Fleming scored a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Jackson Jon England, while Anthony Mundine’s son, Raheem, continued in the family trade with a four-round decision win over Lepani Levatia on debut.

Former Commonwealth Games representative Terry Nickolas scored a third-round TKO win over Jason Medawar in a heated super welterweight showdown, and took his moment on the microphone to make a big-name call out.

“There‘s a new guy in my division: Nikita Tszyu. I want him in the ring,” he said. “I want to fight the best on the George Kambosos undercard. The world title defence.”

Kambosos, who is good mates with Nickolas, is close to finalising his first lightweight world title defence against American Devin Haney in Melbourne in June.

Further down the undercard, Sydney slugger Bilal Akkawy ended a three-year ring hiatus with a six-round unanimous decision win over Sebastian Singh.

There was high drama before the first fight even began, with the heavyweight clash between Hunter Sam and Willis Meehan cancelled on late notice.

A furious Meehan was seen leaving the arena just hours before he was scheduled to step into the ring. Khoder Nasser told News Corp Sam “didn’t get registered” with the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales. A ringside official confirmed the 11-17-3 Sam, who is winless in his last 15 fights, didn’t have his papers in order.

SONNY BILL WILLIAMS VS BARRY HALL LIVE UPDATES BELOW (all times AEDT)

10:42pm - FIRST ROUND KNOCKOUT WIN!

Sonny Bill Williams has scored a stunning first round knockout win over Barry Hall, dropping the former AFL premiership winner three times before referee Les Fear stopped the action.

10:40am - WE‘RE ON!! Round one has begun.

10:35pm - Main event moments away. Dave Gleeson just sang a couple of songs in the ring, which Barry Hall walked out to. Sonny Bill Williams, walking out second, comes out to the sound of drums.

10:10pm - Fleming wins fight of the year contender.

In a scrap that will take some beating as the domestic fight of the year, Paul ‘Showtime’ Fleming scored a unanimous decision victory over Jackson Jon England in the co-main event.

The action was high paced from the outset, with former Olympian Fleming boxing with his signature style and high output, while England countered well and threw with power.

Fleming hit the canvas off a flash knockdown in the second round, and sported a cut over his eye from the very opening round.

Both men ended the bout swinging for the fences, bloodied and battered, before Fleming won with scores of 95-94, 95-94 and 97-92.

“What an animal that kid is,” Fleming said. ”He’s an absolute animal.”

9:15pm - The Mundine name lives on in boxing with Anthony Mundine‘s son, Raheem earning a unanimous decision win over Lepani Levatia.

The four-round bout was CJ’s (Choc Junior) first ever boxing match.

“I need the experience,” he said. “I haven’t even had an amateur fight, so it’s a good experience.

“I watched a bit of Mike Tyson, tried to figure out what he does.”

9pm - Paul Gallen’s prediction: We caught up with Paul Gallen at ringside for his thoughts on the main event.

“I’ve always thought Sonny would win, but I really don’t know,” he said. “A lot of people around me – who know boxing a lot better than me – reckon Barry’s gonna win by knockout.

“I’ll say this: If Barry’s going to win, it’ll be inside the first four rounds. If it goes past that, I think Sonny will win.

“From what I’ve heard, Barry’s going to go for the kill in this fight. I don’t think he’ll last eight rounds. From all reports, Sonny had a fight last year against a guy with a pretty ordinary record (Kato Falefehi), and was dropped a couple of times. Sonny’s chin’s a bit suspect and I think Barry’s going after it.

“Sonny’s fitter too, so if it goes past four rounds, I think he’ll come over the top.”

8:45pm - Michael Hall beats Mitchel Stapleton by decision in a six round welterweight bout. We‘ve got two more fights until the main event!

8:15pm - Zac Lomax prediction: “Sonny Bill in four rounds I reckon. I reckon he stops Barry Hall. I‘m on SBW.”

Lomax cornered his mate Tyler Sargent Wilson on the Paul Gallen-Lucas Browne undercard last year, and regularly does boxing training over the off-season.

“I’ve been doing a little bit of boxing, but definitely not on Sonny’s league, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t be jumping in with him.”

7:55pm - Super exciting super-welterweight prospect Terry Nickolas scored a TKO win over Jason Medawar in the third fight of the night.

Medawar hit the canvas several times, and was getting into a slanging match with Nickolas‘ mates at ringside. Nickolas played up to the crowd as well.

The bad blood between the pair didn’t end just because the fight was over, with both of them jumping on the microphone in the ring afterwards.

“I’ve got no respect for him. No respect. I’m here to box. I train hard and I want to box. I don’t want to fight guys like this.”

Medawar, who injured his knee, went back at Nickolas, before Nickolas made a big-name callout.

“There’s a new guy in my division: Nikita Tszyu. I want him in the ring. I want to fight the best on the George Kambosos undercard. The world title defence.”

Kambosos, who was in Nickolas’ corner, is close to confirming a world title defence against American Devin Haney in Melbourne in June.

7:20pm - After nearly three years out of the ring, Sydney‘s Bilal Akkawy returned with a six-round unanimous decision win in a cruiserweight bout opposite Sebastian Singh.

Akkawy mauled the southpaw Singh from the opening bell, hurting him to the body and barely having a hand laid on him through the opening two rounds. His three years out of the ring told as the rounds wore on though, and although he was never in trouble, he couldn‘t stop Singh.

Akkawy was last in action in a third-round TKO defeat to England‘s John Ryder for the WBA interim super middleweight title on the undercard to Saul ’Canelo’ Alvarez’s Cinco de Mayo blockbuster with Danny Jacobs in Las Vegas.

6:45pm - The first fight is in the books, with Khalid Baker scoring a third round TKO win over Filimoni Naliva.

6:15pm - The first fight is 15 minutes off and the arena is filling up. Dragons centre Zac Lomax arrived early, pumped for the first bout, and shared his predictions for the main event with CodeSports.

5:35pm - Early drama on the ‘Turf Wars’ undercard with the scheduled heavyweight clash between Willis Meehan and Hunter Sam called off.

A furious Meehan has just left the arena.

“His opponent didn‘t get registered,” Khoder Nasser told News Corp.

One boxing official at ringside confirmed there had been an issue with Sam‘s paperwork ahead of the bout. Both men weighed in on Tuesday.

5:00pm - We’re live at the Exhibition Centre in Sydney for Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall.

SBW and Hall ready to trade blows after trading barbs

Former cross-code great Sonny Bill Williams and ex-AFL star Barry Hall will meet in the ring on Wednesday night at Sydney’s ICC Exhibition Centre.

There was no love lost between the pair at Tuesday’s weigh-in, with Hall headbutting Williams as they faced off.

“I’ve always thought he’s a fake tough guy, so it’s good to see him up close,” Williams told News Corp afterwards.

“He seemed very fragile and vulnerable up close. I just saw a bit of anxiety and nervous energy.

“It’s gonna be a good fight — that’s why only one per cent of people do this kind of stuff.”

Hall said he hadn’t planned the head-butt, but needed to let Williams know he’s in a fight.

“It wasn’t intentional, it just happened that way. It’s a fight,” he told News Corp.

“It’s been respectful so far — that’s his character, and mine too for that matter. But it’s not trash talk when it’s the truth, and I’ve just told truth the whole way through.

“That’s the difference. He’s tried to trash talk, which has been a bit lame, so stick to your strengths. Stick to offloads.”

Sonny Bill Williams: Barry Hall ‘seemed very fragile and vulnerable up close.’ Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images
Sonny Bill Williams: Barry Hall ‘seemed very fragile and vulnerable up close.’ Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Williams, who made his boxing debut in 2019, is undefeated across eight fights, winning three by knockout.

He last fought in June, beating Waikato Falefehi in a 57-56 unanimous points victory. That was his first fight in six years.

Hall made his professional boxing debut in 2019, drawing with former NRL player Paul Gallen in Melbourne.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fight.

Start time

The eight fight card begins at 6pm AEDT on Wednesday.

Expect Williams and Hall to enter the ring around 9:30pm.

Venue

International Convention Centre, Sydney

Tale of the tape

Sonny Bill Williams: 8-0-0 (3 KOs)

Barry Hall: 0-0-1

Full card

Khalid Baker vs Filimoni Naliva Jr (4x3 minute rounds) RESULT Baker def Nalvia by TKO

Bilal Akkawy vs Sebastian Singh (6x3 minute rounds) RESULT Akkaway def Singh by UD

Terry Nickolas vs Jason Medawar (4x3 minute rounds) RESULT Nickolas def Medawar by TKO

Willis Meehan vs Hunter Sam (6x3 minute rounds) CALLED OFF

Mitchel Stapleton vs Michael Hall (6x3 minute rounds) RESULT Hall def Stapleton by UD

Rahim Mundine vs Lepani Levatia (4x3 minute rounds) RESULT Mundine def Levatia by UD

Paul Fleming vs Jackson England (10x3 minute rounds) RESULT Flemming def England by UD

Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall (8x3 minute rounds) RESULT Williams def Hall by TKO

Odds

Sonny Bill Williams: $1.56

Barry Hall: $2.33

Originally published as Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall: SBW first round knockout win

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

More related stories

Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/boxing-mma/live-updates-results-sonny-bill-williams-vs-barry-hall-fight-start-time-full-card/news-story/ce4e0e59d09de606a42abb2543df25bb