TKO win the perfect start to NRL premiership year for Paul Gallen
Just two months before kicking off the 2016 season Paul Gallen made a decision that could have cost him an NRL premiership. We look back at the night the Cronulla Sharks and NSW Blues star went head-to-head with one of Australia’s top young boxers.
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Brendon Smith is a proud country Queenslander but the boxing promoter and coach admits he has a soft spot for NSW Blues legend Paul Gallen.
Just two months before kicking off his 16th NRL season, the year he and the Cronulla Sharks won the premiership, Gallen made the bold decision to fight one of Australia’s most promising heavyweights at the time - Toowoomba’s own Herman-Ene Purcell.
Purcell was looking to square the ledger on home turf after a TKO loss in Gallen’s first ever professional boxing match.
Gallen last fought in 2022 finishing his career with unanimous decision win against Justin Hodges but the heavy hitter has been formally approached to make a comeback.
No Limits boxing are trying to entice Gallen out of retirement for “one last hurrah” against Manly Sea Eagles forward Josh Aloiai – a player Gallen once labelled a “dog and coward”.
With Gallen back in the headlines we look back at how the 348-game veteran ended up fighting in the Garden City.
“We thought fighting Paul the first time was a good move for Herman,” Smith said.
“Herman was a young boxer and league player at the time so we reached out.
“They met in Sydney and it was such a good fight.”
Two years after that 2014 showdown Smith reached out to the Gallen camp in a bid to secure a rematch.
Terms were agreed and Gallen gloved up in the Garden City.
“It was an amazing fight,” Smith said.
“It was in the balance and could’ve gone either way right up to the moment Paul got the win in the fourth.
“I have a lot of respect for Paul, he’s never been the most liked bloke here in Queensland, so to come up here in the peak of his NRL career and fight an up and comer like Herman you have to give him the credit he deserves.
“He and Herman put on a show and I know Paul left here with a lot of love for the city and the fans had a lot of respect for him after that fight as well.”
Since that night Gallen has kept in touch with Smith and has visited the city a number of times – sparring with Purcell and promising Toowoomba league star and boxer Xavier Va’a.
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