For Paul Gallen, the time for complaining is over.
After months of back and forth, postponements, changes of opponent and other obstacles, Cronulla’s favourite son is finally back in the boxing ring on December 22 against former Eels and Manly forward, Darcy Lussick.
Despite his grievances with fight promoters over a variety of issues, he told Wide World of Sports it’s all in the past.
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After a fight with Josh Aloiai was abruptly cancelled, Lussick stepped into the breach for what will be his second professional fight.
But to Gallen’s chagrin, it will be just three two-minute rounds.
“When it was brought to me, initially it wasn’t spoken about – when it was I said ‘we can’t do that’. And I’ve been trying to change it ever since, up until this week,” he said.
Even an effort to pivot to the same number of rounds, but three minutes in duration, fell flat.
“I can’t keep worrying about what the rounds are going to be, because they’re not going to change.
“Whether it’s No Limit refusing to or (Lussick) refusing to, it’s not going to happen. So it’s at a point now where I’ve just got to switch on to the fight – I feel like I’ve been complaining for months.
“I just feel like it’s been a constant battle with No Limit and my opponent.”
The problem is, Gallen is on a hiding to nothing against a relative newcomer to the sport.
He wins, and people quickly dismiss the fight as a sideshow given its length. He loses and it’s a terrible blemish on his record.
“I said a few weeks ago this feels like an absolute stitch up,” he said.
“It’s not boxing, that’s what frustrates me. I’ve asked for a rematch clause and they haven’t put that in the contract.”
Gallen said he had requested a rematch clause – to do a “proper fight” of six rounds in early 2022 should he lose. As of writing, that has not been accepted.
“This isn’t boxing, three two-minute rounds isn’t boxing – and all he’s got to do is catch me with one punch like he did Hodges, I can’t win the fight.
“Even if it doesn’t knock me out, a knockdown’s a 10-8 round so the best I could do is draw.
“I feel frustrated about the whole situation. I’m the one making all the exceptions with the rounds and the time of the rounds, but nobody’s making any to me.”
The short format should even the playing field with Lussick, whose knockout power was on full display in his one professional fight, when he stopped Justin Hodges inside a minute.
“His power wouldn’t compare to Mark Hunt’s or Lucas Browne’s but he’s still got some there,” Gallen said.
“I’m not going to be too hung up on it, I’ll just worry about myself.”
Lussick and Gallen crossed paths seven times in their NRL careers – but the Sharks legend says there’s absolutely no bad blood between them, unlike in some of his previous fights.
“I don’t know him as a person but he does seem like a good knockabout bloke that I’d get on with.
“I wish he was a Queenslander so I could find something to hate about him,” Gallen joked.
“I’ve got no issues with him at all, his dad seems like a good guy. I watched him train, we trained at the same gym when he was fighting Justin Hodges.
“Everyone in New South Wales loves him because he did that [knocked out Justin Hodges].”
Gallen’s premiership-winning teammate Chris Heighington will fight on the same card, against Joey Leilua in each man’s professional debut.
“(Heighington) wins, I think, unless Joey catches him with a big shot. I sparred with him six or seven years ago and even then he moved well,” Gallen said.
“I think Heighno will be too fit.”
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