Paul Gallen knows his fighting career is coming to an end – and that’s exactly why he’s so frustrated at the build-up to his penultimate bout.
Gallen said the most painful aspect of his second act was the constant scrutiny he faced from boxing purists, despite his performances and his willingness to promote the sport.
“I’m constantly under pressure by ‘boxing people’ who say ‘this is crap, you’re taking up real boxers’ spaces, etc’ – I’m getting these real boxers to fight in front of thousands of people and tens of thousands of people at home,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“They can go and fight at the leagues club in front of 300 people if they want, that’s the stupidity of it all, that’s what they don’t understand.”
Gallen walked out of the pre-fight press conference as he once again voiced his frustrations at opponent Kris Terzievski, who in Gallen’s mind, has not done enough to promote their fight.
“They don’t understand the platform that I’m providing and the boxing person that he is, to not promote the fight to the best of his abilities, it just does my head in,” Gallen said.
“No matter who I fight or what I do it’s not good enough, but then you’ve got this boxing person with a platform that most people would kill to be on, but he’s done nothing to promote himself or promote the sport.”
When and what time is Gallen v Terzievski?
The pay-per-view begins at 7pm AEST on Wednesday, May 11.
Where is Gallen v Terzievski?
Dubbed ‘King of the Castle’, the event will take place at Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
What are they fighting for?
Gallen and Terzievski, who are 12-1-1 and 10-1-1 respectively, will face off for the Australian and Australasian heavyweight titles.
Who else is fighting?
An absolutely stacked card includes Olympian Harry Garside, Nikita Tszyu, and Sam Goodman – the latter boasting the rowdiest fans in Australian sport, who will be keen to take over Newcastle on Wednesday.
Full card: Paul Gallen vs. Kris Terzievski, Nikita Tszyu vs. Mason Smith, Harry Garside vs. Layton McFerran, Sam Goodman vs. Fumiya Fuse, Hass Hamdan vs. Trent Girdham, Amber Wright vs. Sara Jalonen, Hironiri Mishiro vs. Francis Chua, Linn Sandstrom vs. Floryvic Montero.
Why is Paul Gallen upset?
When Terzievski spoke to reporters earlier today, he said that initially some of the promotional work for the fight was meant to be in Melbourne, before it was changed on him last minute.
Gallen scoffed at that, and also at the admission from the Victorian that he was still learning the promotional side of the sport.
“Why would it be in Melbourne? But he could have done his own media, in Melbourne, he’s done nothing,” Gallen told Wide World of Sports.
“He’s had as many fights as I had, and an amateur career – learn real quick. You get thrown in the deep end, you’ve got to swim or you’ll drown and die.
“He’s let down the sport of boxing, everyone involved in boxing, and the people that give it to me about being involved in boxing. He’s a genuine boxer with plenty of fights and he’s not promoting the sport – it’s crap.”
Despite the animosity, Gallen said it would be water under the bridge after Wednesday.
“He’s got no influence on my life, I’ve got no influence on his, I’ve never met him or spoken to him before. And when the fight’s over we’ll shake hands and go our separate ways.”
Will this be Paul Gallen’s last fight?
Now 40, Gallen said that he will finish fighting by the end of the year. This could be it, but it’s likely that he will step in the ring one more time, at the end of 2022.
“It’s a hard one, because I’m not even contemplating losing, to be honest,” he told Wide World of Sports last week.
“I’m retiring this year, I’ve told everyone that,” adding that if he does fight again, it will be around Christmas time.
How can I watch Gallen v Terzievski?
The card will be a pay-per-view event and can be bought for $59.95 on either Foxtel or Kayo.
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