Paul Gallen‘s boxing career has gone far beyond what most people would have expected, with a resume far beyond fellow NRL players.
It’s well past the point where anyone questions his legitimacy in the sport – it’s no longer a carnival sideshow to watch the ex-footy player try his hand at boxing.
And truthfully, it hasn’t been for some time.
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But when did Gallen first notice the tide turning?
“I think probably when I fought Mark Hunt,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“There wouldn’t have been a person in Australia to fight Mark Hunt, Lucas Browne and Justis Huni back-to-back, and that’s what I did.”
Gallen stunned everyone with a decision win over Hunt, before following it up with a quick TKO victory over Browne.
He came up short against Huni in what remains his only loss, but he lasted 10 rounds.
“Of course, when I won two of those fights people said ‘they’re past it’ but before those fights, people were saying I was going to get killed,” he said.
“They literally said ‘you are going to die’. But when I went out and won, suddenly they were past it.
“But that was the time when people started to realise I wasn’t afraid of a challenge.”
Fresh off a brutal six rounds of sparring in Waterloo at the Bondi Boxing Club, Gallen said that the toll that boxing had taken on him both physically and mentally meant it had to come to an end soon.
“People underestimate this sport. They see me, and just think I’m a former footy player showing up on fight night and getting paid lots of money,” Gallen said.
“But the mental anguish and stress and the physical commitment that goes into this sport, it’s unbelievable. I’ve been sparring three times a week, getting punched, getting hurt by big guys over 100 kilos.
“To go through all that for five weeks – or longer – and to put yourself out there on show in front of thousands of people and not get a result, it’s mentally draining.
“And you’re in there alone – it’s not like you can blame your halfback or someone else.”
Gallen steps back into the ring next week in Newcastle, for one of his toughest tests so far – he’ll face Kris Terzievski, who only has one loss as a professional, for the Australasian heavyweight title.
“It’s a huge carrot – to be able to say I’ve won these titles is going to be good and to hopefully be the only crossover fighter to win the Australasian title as well.”
Now 40, Gallen said it could be his last fight – but there is potentially one more down the line.
“It’s a hard one, because I’m not even contemplating losing, to be honest,” he said.
“I’m retiring this year, I’ve told everyone that,” adding that if he does fight again, it will be around Christmas time.
Gallen said nobody else had been sounded out about that December card, but that it was extremely unlikely to be against Sonny Bill Williams.
“What else can I do? I’ve tried everything to the point where it’s almost like I’m desperate now, but I think it’s gone. It’s not going to happen.”
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