Behind-the-scenes photo says it all about Paul Gallen after boxing defeat

Paul Gallen held his own in the boxing ring against Kris Terzievski and a classy act behind the scenes was just as impressive.

Gallen and Terzievski share a nice moment after their fight.

They don’t call it the gentleman’s sport for nothing.

Paul Gallen’s boxing career may be over after his loss to Kris Terzievski on Wednesday night, but he can hold his head high for how he carried himself in and out of the ring.

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The former NRL star went the full 10 rounds but it wasn’t quite enough as Terzievski was awarded the victory via a unanimous decision (97-92 x 3) in Newcastle.

Gallen looked down and out after his opponent put on a clinic in the first five rounds. But in typical style, he somehow dug deep and came within a whisker of victory with an epic ninth round that had Terzievski more wobbly than jelly.

Terzievski danced around the ring to avoid any punches in the final round and it was enough to hold on to his Australian and Australasian heavyweight titles.

Gallen put up one hell of a fight and was gracious in defeat as he admitted it might be time to hang up the gloves.

The 40-year-old and Terzievski shared a nice moment in the bowels of the Newcastle Entertainment Centre as they reflected on their brutal battle in the ring.

Exhausted, bruised and sweaty — the pair were all smiles as they sat next to each other clad only in their underwear to speak to reporters — and even had a laugh about enduring a stinky fart in the tiny room.

Two warriors. Sharing laughs and a chat after their battle. And having to endure a stinky fart in this tiny room as a reward #GallenTerzievskipic.twitter.com/cMVwbmeVSz

— Jamie Pandaram (@JamiePandaram) May 11, 2022

Gallen had criticised Terzievski for not doing more to pump up the fight and even stormed out of their pre-fight press conference, but he confessed his opponent’s growing confidence in the lead-up to the fight took him by surprise.

“It’s my job to sell the fight,” Gallen said. “It’s what I’m here to do, to promote Australian boxing. That’s what I did beforehand.

“I could feel Kris getting more confident each day. I watched him in the media, I actually thought he got to the point where he was getting a bit cocky to be honest.

“I was hoping I was going to be able to catch up with him today to let him know that.”

“I reckon if you didn’t call me a soft c**k, you would have got me,” Terzeivski joked.

Gallen responded: “Let’s be honest, it’s doesn’t matter what you say before a fight, are you gonna punch me any less harder?”

“Exactly right,” Terzievski said.

Kris Terzievski throws a punch at Paul Gallen in their Australasian heavyweight title bout. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Was that the last time we’ll see Paul Gallen in a boxing ring? (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Gallen was philosophical in defeat but said he simply didn’t have that extra gear to match his quicker opponent.

“There’s nothing about the fight that surprised me at all except the fact that I got tired,” he said. “I’m humble in victory, humble in defeat.

“I tried to put the foot on the accelerator a bit (in rounds) five, six, seven and I just couldn’t. It wasn’t until he got pretty tired round nine I probably couldn’t lift the pace, I just managed to stay the same pace.

“I had him hurt then but just couldn’t finish him to be honest and he did exactly what he had to do in round 10.

“I just thought I’d be able to put the foot on the gas and come over the top. I was close. As he said, he was out on his feet.

“It was very close but just couldn’t get to that next level.

“That’s life. Everyone gets old. Whether I do it again or not, I’m not too sure. We’ll wait and see. It could be it. We’ll see.”

If that was the last we saw of Paul Gallen in a boxing ring, he did his legacy no harm.