Sonny Bill Williams has won two Rugby World Cups, two NRL premierships and is an undefeated heavyweight boxer.
He has found joy as a family man and solace in his religion.
But for all he has achieved, Williams still struggles with a lack of self belief in the ring.
SBW sat down for a chat with Wide World of Sports at his custom built Carlton gym ahead of the highly anticipated March 23 fight with Barry Hall in Sydney.
TURF WAR: Sonny Bill Williams vs Barry Hall, live and exclusive on Stan Event, March 23. Purchase the event now at stan.com.au/event
WWOS: Your daughter will be happy with you after finding her shoes under the ring…
Williams: Bro, the kid’s shoes and that, that’s why I had to go over to (trainer) Andy (Lee), to Joe (Parker) and Tyson (Fury, for an intense training camp in the UK).
I’m just so comfortable here. I’ll come to training, hit the pads, the kids are playing and I needed to be a little bit uncomfortable. Being over in Ireland, for about four weeks with Andy, we’d go to different gyms, sparring good fighters. You rock up and it’s the unknown, that nervousness.
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Here, everything’s known, everything’s comfortable. ‘Hey, come down to my gym.’ Over there it’s ‘Sonny, tomorrow we’re doing this.’ That was the key. Fear of the unknown.
Andy harps on about the fight game being in the prep. It’s like 80, 90 per cent physical and 20 per cent mental but then when it comes to the actual fight the roles are reversed. The mental preparation is a big thing. Knowing that you’ve done that walk of walking into the unknown, on fight night, for me I’ve been in the ring once in the last seven years.
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But I’ve been there, I’ve gone to the unknown, I’ve been in other people’s gyms and fought guys that are prepared and ready in their home spot, you know what I mean.
So it’s that mental aptitude that I needed to get going.
WWOS: Andy just told me that he thinks you have the ability to fight for a world title. What does that sort of belief mean to you?
Williams: Everything. Everything.
Where I come from, how I’ve grown up, a lot of people don’t really amount to a lot.
So for me, I’ve always had the physical abilities and been blessed with God-given talent but it’s always that mental aptitude that I need to strengthen, about belief and about going out there and conquering. I’ve been able to do that in rugby and league and having someone like that in my corner is enormous, having that belief in me.
Because he trains the world champion, he’s in Tyson Fury’s corner and he’s a former world champion himself. So it means a lot.
And he lived with (legendary trainer) Emanuel Steward for 10 years so his knowledge and pedigree in boxing is almost second to none.
So for me to have that in my corner, telling me how good I am and seeing the strengths that I have, like it’s a massive confidence boost and I’m grateful that I’ve got him in my corner.
WWOS: Andy also said that your jab is your best punch. Do you agree with that assessment and how will that help you beat Barry?
Williams: I understand the simplicity of the game in the sense that rugby and league, it’s a simple game but we tend to over-complicate it.
Run hard, tackle hard, do all the little one percenters that win you a game, that punters don’t see on TV. That’s the same in a boxing sense that people don’t really appreciate the jab, punters watching on TV.
I’ve got a good jab, a world class jab and just understanding that that will take me further than any flash uppercut or overhand right will.
It’s been a great few months, had my last big spar this morning, now just looking forward to easing off and sharpening the mind and senses and getting ready to re-energise and get in the ring on Wednesday.
WWOS: You seem to be in a good place mentally for this. But how different are you physically compared to your previous fights?
Williams: I’m obviously a lot older, I’ve had one fight in seven years (beating Waikato Falefehi in Townsville last year).
And that last fight showed me that I needed to improve my fundamental skills because it had been a long time and I didn’t grow up boxing.
I’ve always been a fit guy, for a heavyweight I’m fit but I wanted to add the technical stuff as well and Andy’s been great in that. I think fundamentally I’m a lot better fighter than what I was and that’s off only a few months’ work.
So I’m thinking that’ll put me in good stead next week. But in 24 months, what type of fighter will I look like then? That’s what I’m working towards.
WWOS: Are you worried about a lack of intel on Barry? There’s not a lot of footage around after just one fight – have you been able to do much homework on him?
Williams: Not really, you can’t. He’s been very secretive with his stuff, his posts.
He’s come out and branded me arrogant but I just see him, the last few months just shows what type of character he is – very, very arrogant. Like he’s just going to walk right through me, fight Paul Gallen and then walk off into the sunshine.
He’s doing reality shows, saying he doesn’t need money, all this sort of stuff. It seems like all he’s doing it for is money.
But I’ve got to respect him as a boxer because he can box. And I do respect him – I know he doesn’t respect me as a boxer so that’s what’s fuelling me.
God willing, when I’m standing over him, picking him up for a hug after the fight, I’ll look in his eyes and he’ll say ‘yeah, you actually can fight, Sonny.’
WWOS: Is that what you crave most as an athlete? Winning the respect of your opponent?
Williams: It’s got to mean more. Yeah, dollars and cents, that comes with it but that doesn’t drive me every day, money.
A lot of people like to think it does, put me in that bracket but it never has. For me it’s about having comfort and solace in my heart and you’re a long time retired.
I wanted to scratch that boxing itch and I’m definitely doing that now. I don’t miss footy at all and after a couple of years I won’t miss boxing.
But while I’m here I’m going to enjoy it and I’m grateful for it. I’m going to use my platform to open up space for the next guys coming through.
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