Behind the usual pre-fight bluster and bravado there is a healthy respect between Sonny Bill Williams and Barry Hall.
Respect for each other’s remarkable football careers, respect for their willingness to put their creaking bodies and reputations on the line by stepping into the ring.
And respect for a commitment to sign up for eight three-minute rounds, longer and more taxing than your average footy fight.
Turf War: Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall – Live & Exclusive on Stan Event, March 23. Purchase the event now at stan.com.au/event
Both men understand they are staring down the real deal.
“He (Hall) grew up in a fighting household, he was (junior) Australian golden gloves champ so he’s not unfamiliar to the boxing ring,” Williams told Wide World of Sports ahead of March 23’s ‘Turf War’ bout in Sydney.
“So for him to come in and say that Sonny’s got the experience, I’m taking on the big challenges – I think that’s a joke because he has had the experience. He has had heaps of fights, he’s been around boxing pretty much his whole life.
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“So for me that’s the challenge. I think he won his last fight against Paul (Gallen).
“I think he’s really talented from a boxing point of view in that ring and for me these next two years I’m not mucking around too. Hence the reason I’ve taken this massive challenge against Barry.”
The 45-year-old Hall, meanwhile, remains adamant that he can beat Williams, a man nine years his junior.
“I’m not going to take away from what it is – he’s a good fighter,” Hall told WWOS.
“He’s 9-0, an ex-national champion, he knows what he’s doing in there. He’s a great athlete, he’s renowned as one of the best athletes in the world. So I’ve got my work cut out for me but I was an underdog in my first fight and this is no different.
“They don’t want me to win. There’s too much money to lose if I win but I understand that.”
Despite being the older man, a lean and mean Hall said he was more than happy to sign up for eight three-minute rounds.
His only other professional fight, against Gallen, was six two-minute rounds and ended in a draw.
“I was happy to fight three-minute rounds with Paul Gallen but give me time to prepare, you know,” Hall said.
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“Obviously my fitness base is far ahead of what it was, I’m so much more comfortable in there now than what I was. I was in a bit of a rush before.
“I’m a totally different fighter now to what I was. I’m a totally different beast now.
“If it’s close and I’m ahead I’m not going to win. I get it, that’s what I signed up for so I need to knock him out.”
Williams is also targeting a knockout but is happy to take the fight deep.
“I think it’s going to be a toe-to-toe type of fight, just his dynamics, the physical presence that he brings, I bring as well,” Williams said.
“It’s going to be a great fight. I’ll wear him down and then finish him.”
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