Ando’s Shout: Professional boxer Jason ‘Warrior’ Whateley envious of the money Barry Hall and Paul Gallen will take home from their bout
Emerging boxer Jason “Warrior” Whateley will pocket a fraction what debutant Barry Hall will earn against Paul Gallen when he attempts to maintain his unbeaten professional record and tells Jon Anderson what he thinks about that.
Boxing/MMA
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By way of introduction, Jason “Warrior” Whateley is an extremely promising cruiserweight who boasts a proud amateur record and five undefeated bouts in the professional ranks.
Next Saturday night he returns to his home lands of Bairnsdale as the headline act on a Wildfighter Boxing promotion that showcases a number of pugilists from the area.
For his efforts in taking on Argentinian Alejandro Emilio Valori, Whateley will receive roughly 1/100th of what debutant Barry Hall will be paid six weeks later.
JA: You train six days a week, all year long, and then see a bloke like Barry Hall come in and earn 100 times more than you can?
JW: You have to be realistic and understand that our profiles don’t match those of an AFL footballer, but to see someone who is probably an average fighter get that money naturally makes me envious.
JA: Come on Jason, you can do better than that. What do you really think?
JW: Really, what has he (Barry Hall) done as a fighter? As a spectacle it won’t be great, and as such those types of fights aren’t always sustainable. Neither of them are hopeless, but put them against me and they will both get knocked out. I would fight them today, tonight, tomorrow, whenever you want. One after the other.
JA: How did you get involved in boxing?
JW: I was playing footy in Gippsland where they asked for a couple of players to have a fight in the annual footy-boxing events. I used to scrap a bit on the footy field so that’s why they asked me.
JA: How do your parents feel about you fighting?
JW: My mum tried to get me to box in Grade Six, so you would have to say no worries. Boxing has taken me all over the world and to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games (silver medal).
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WHAT IS HALL-GALLEN FIGHT WORTH?
So, just how much coin would it have taken to finally lure Barry Hall into the ring for his professional boxing debut at Margaret Court Arena on Friday, November 15?
The exact figure is one that won’t be publicised, and one that may vary depending on the number of pay-per-view hits Hall and Paul Gallen can inspire.
But one respected boxing person who has previously worked with Hall said the figure a couple of years ago “was around $250,000, and that was against a spud”.
Meaning the figure against a “non-spud” in Paul Gallen would be closer to $500,000.
But the biggest question with 42-year-old Hall is: can he actually fight?
Will Tomlinson, a former WBO world junior welterweight champion, trained Hall two years ago when a professional boxing carrot was last being dangled.
“Barry Hall has a good technique, a good kit of punches, plenty of speed and some pop in his punches, but there are a few obvious questions, namely can he take a punch?” Tomlinson said.
“As you get older your resistance levels drop, plus his competitive instincts may not be where they were during his football career. And fighting Paul Gallen first-up is a massive ask because Gallen can definitely fight. Barry Hall deserves credit for taking on such a dangerous opponent.”
Or, to get the opinion of a man who has been in the ring with both Barry Hall and Paul Gallen, let’s hear from Brad “Hollywood” Pitt, the 2006 Commonwealth Games heavyweight gold medallist.
Pitt, who retired in 2016 after 18 professional wins from 19 fights, sparred Gallen in 2015 and Hall in 2017.
“I did notice his inside strength but I was a lot taller than Paul Gallen and I was quite comfortable with him, but I was a professional fighter and he was a rugby league player learning to box.,” Pitt said.
“Barry Hall appeared to have more boxing experience just from the way he handled himself in the ring. I tagged him a few times and he appeared fine or didn’t turn to water.
“I have no doubt Gallen would have improved a lot since then because he was just so keen to learn, but from what I saw Hall will be too tall and too big, just as long as he doesn’t get tagged. If he keeps it long he should win comfortably on points.”
FIVE FOOTBALLERS WHO BOXED PROFESSIONALLY
1. Ambrose Palmer (83 games, Australian champion)
2. Bob Rose (Collingwood, 11 fights, nine wins)
3. Mark Jackson (308 goals, two fights)
4. Shane Tuck (173 games, three fights)
5. Kayne Pettifer (113 games, three fights)