Barry Hall v Paul Gallen: ‘Code War’ declared a draw
Barry Hall and Paul Gallen went toe-to-toe for six absorbing rounds, with the former NRL star convinced he had done more than enough to win. But in the end the judges couldn’t separate them.
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Barry Hall stood inside the ring and conceded Paul Gallen had won the Code War.
Gallen, having proven the aggressor for the majority of the slug-fest, was convinced he had secured footy’s ultimate bragging rights.
But in the end, it was the war that nobody won with the much-anticipated AFL versus NRL stoush ending in a controversial draw.
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In front of a pro-Hall crowd at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, both fighters said immediately after the fight they would consider a re-match after going the distance in the six-round contest.
Gallen was deemed the 58-56 victor by one of the three judges.
The other two judges scored the fight a 57-57 draw.
The NRL champion was gutted with the decision.
“I hit him more than he hit me,’’ Gallen said.
“I was the aggressor, but it’s scored how it’s scored.
“Every round, there were (stoppages), 20 to 30-seconds a round, which gave him a break.
SEE HOW WE COVERED THE FIGHT IN OUR LIVE BLOG
“All he did was survive. I give him the credit for that. But how you get points for surviving, I don’t know.
“For him to say, ‘one judge scored it my way it’s probably right’ - I thought I won the fight.
“He won a couple of rounds no doubt by getting me with some clean shots, but I hit him more than he hit me.
“That’s not his fault - I’m not bagging Barry. He was a good tough challenge.
“It feel like I’ve lost, I’m so disappointed.
“One judge had it right, the other two had it wrong - I’m certain of that.
“I knew coming down here that I had to win convincingly.
“I said it in radio interviews all week, he will try and keep me on the end of his jab and then soon as I get inside he will grab me.
“That’s exactly what happened.’’
Hall, the former Australian amateur champion who was in his first pro-fight, used his 14cm height and reach advantage to frustrate Gallen’s efforts to apply persistent pressure.
Hall repeatedly grappled Gallen when the former NSW and Cronulla captain worked in close on his rival.
The former Swans premiership-winner showed superb ring-skills given he hadn’t fought since he was 15-years of age.
Gallen conceded Hall “probably won the first round” with several straight-right punches collecting Gallen on the chin.
Gallen dropped Hall in the third round wth the fomer AFL bad boy regaining his composure to respond with aggression.
However, after stating in the ring immediately after the fight that Gallen probably deserved the decision, Hall said he felt a draw was fitting.
“I spar all the time and think I don’t, but then I watch the video and I dominated, so it’s hard to tell,’’ Hall said.
“I thought I hit him with some cleaner shots. He may have hit me wth more shots, but mine were cleaner.”
The drawn contest leaves a much-anticipated match-up with Sonny Bill Williams uncertain.
Both Gallen and Hall said they had no immediate plans to fight again.
“I’ve got no plans at all - I just wanted this fight tonight,’’ Gallen said.
“I’m keen on going on a holiday.’’
Hall said he would need to consult with his family before deciding whether to step back into the ring again.
“I didn’t want to do a disjustice to boxing or make a mockery of it. I wanted this to be a serious fight,’’ Hall said.
“It’s a family decision now. My two boys haven’t had a dad for eight weeks and that kills me.
“It’s an option (re-match) - if Paul wants to do it again, I’d love to do it again but it’s probably a family decision, rather than an individual one.’’
Moloney wins world title
In the main event of the night, Australia has a new world champion with Andrew Moloney defeating America’s Elton Dharry for the super flyweight interim WBA title.
The Melbourne-born Moloney secured his dream victory by technical knockout after the doctor stopped the fight due to an eye injury suffered by Dharry.
“This is just unbelievable - I can’t believe this has happened,’’ Moloney said.
“I’ve sacrificed my whole life for this moment.’’
Originally published as Barry Hall v Paul Gallen: ‘Code War’ declared a draw