Paul Gallen admits Sonny Bill Williams “might finally want to fight” him now, with the former Cronulla Sharks skipper weighing up whether to retire or commit to the last fight in his deal.
The 40-year-old has long sought a fight with Williams. The pair six years ago seemed destined to meet in the ring when Gallen agreed to take a reduced payment to get the deal done before it ultimately fell through.
In the aftermath of Gallen’s second professional loss at the hands of Kris Terzievski on Wednesday night, he admitted age was finally catching him.
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“Everyone gets old and whether I do it again or not, I’m not too sure. We’ll wait and see, but that could be it,” he said moments after the defeat.
Gallen currently has one fight remaining on the three-fight contract he signed in August last year.
And with all signs suggesting Gallen has one fight at most remaining, assuming the 2016 NRL premiership winner doesn’t head into retirement, Williams’ name has again been put forward to Gallen
“Wouldn’t that be funny if he came out and said, ‘Let’s do it now,'” A smiling Gallen told the Sydney Morning Herald. “That would top it off.”
But staring down the barrel of retirement, and after admitting age is finally catching up to him, Gallen was queried by the SMH on whether Williams would take the fight in the belief the former NRL star is no longer the same man he once was in the ring.
“Sonny might finally want to fight me now,” he said.
“I would like to say ‘yes’ but Sonny’s not a bad fella. There might be people around him that might think like that, but I don’t think Sonny will think like that.
“I just don’t know if I am totally finished, it’s hard to say.
“I don’t know when it will happen, but [a decision] will come soon enough.”