Paul Gallen has ended his boxing career, and a decade-long feud with Sonny Bill Williams, with a split points decision victory.
But was it the right call?
The judges struggled to separate them after their eight-round bout at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night. One scored it 77-74 in Williams’ favour, the other two gave it to Gallen via cards of 77-74 and 76-75. A one-point penalty against Williams for holding in the seventh round became the deciding factor.
Williams was so disappointed in the result that he didn’t attend the post-fight press conference. Gallen, meanwhile, felt there was no doubt that he submitted the better performance.
“I mean you heard the crowd when the judge gave it to Sonny,” Gallen said.
“Please. I’m not gonna get involved because it’s done.
“It’s never gonna change, what’s done is done. I’m not gonna talk about this fight anymore.
“This part of my life is over. I’m done with it.
“Sonny came up to me then and actually seems like a decent bloke. Some of the things that were said leading into this were not great and we spoke about that.
“I’m happy to sit down and have a coffee with him and end it, end the whole feud. Look, I won the fight.”
Paul Gallen has earned a controversial victory over Sonny Bill Williams.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Not everyone was convinced. The boxing scribes covering the event were divided. Danny Green, commentating for Stan, offered this.
“For me, Sonny landed the cleaner, harder, crisper shots that were more eye-catching,” Green said.
“Professional boxing is scored on the cleaner, harder punches. At the end of the fight I had Sonny in front and I questioned, are the judges going to score those body shots? And if they were, Paul Gallen landed a tonne. And that was the difference, I guess.”
Regardless, the record will show that Gallen was the better man. In the lead up, the former Cronulla captain vowed not to shake Williams’ hand after the pair exchanged insults. But after the final bell, as they were waiting for the judges to deliver their verdict, they finally buried their feud.
Sonny Bill scored with an uppercut.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“I said, you really want to [shake hands]? And he said, yeah. I’ve got to respect the man for that,” Gallen said.
“What’s happened has happened in the past. I’m 44 years old in less than a month and I’m too old to be having gripes with other grown men. I’m happy to break bread with him and he asked ‘Do you want to have a coffee?‘
“And I said, yeah, so me and him we’ll go for coffee one day and have a chat. As I said I’m too old to be worried about silly schoolboy spats so to speak. I’m actually looking forward to it.
“I don’t know him very well, I don’t know him at all, to be honest, but I’ve seen him with his kids and he seems like a fantastic father. He’s highly devoted to his religion, you’ve got to respect him for that.”
The bout unfolded as most predicted. Just like he did in his footballing days, Gallen charged forward in a bid to press his advantage. Williams countered with his jab, trying to make the most of his superior reach. The most effective blows came early from the former All Blacks’ uppercut, and Gallen was surprised he abandoned the ploy as the fight progressed.
Depending on the pay-per-view numbers, both fighters could walk away with as much as $1 million. But no amount of money could interest Gallen in taking another fight.
“Boxing was a business to me,” Gallen said. “Thankfully, that’s all over now.
Paul Gallen got the decision.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“I love the sport, I’ve loved it since I was a kid and to be able to jump in the ring and fight, it’s pretty crazy to think of the rugby league career I’ve had and the boxing career I’ve had. 2000 was my first year in professional sport, so 26 years, it’s a long time.
“I’m just really happy it’s all over. I can’t do it anymore.”
Over the course of 16 minutes in the ring, Gallen and Williams earned each other’s respect.
“I don’t want to feud with Sonny anymore,” Gallen said. “I don’t want to feud with grown adults anymore.
“I really don’t want it.”
