Things got a little heated at the weigh-ins ahead of tomorrow night’s boxing fight night, which is headlined by Paul Gallen and Darcy Lussick.
But where the main eventers were quite civil to each other when they came face to face at the scales today, it was further down the card where the fireworks were found.
Joey Leilua and Chris Heighington – who will fight in each man’s respective professional debut – had to be separated when their confrontation nearly turned physical.
ULTIMATE GUIDE: The reality check that sparked ‘passive’ Gallen
READ MORE: Australia take giant step towards Ashes glory
READ MORE: Ultimate recognition for born-again Aussie star
Of course, most of this is for show – that’s the fight game – but Leilua seemed genuinely ready to go when he made a throat slitting motion, and was then asked what he’d said when the pair were face to face.
“I’m going to take his head off his shoulders, that’s what I’m gonna do,” he said.
Heighington – a two-time NRL premiership winner – was in a more jovial mood.
“See you tomorrow, Joey,” Heighington shouted back.
Elsewhere on the card will be Justin Hodges fighting Nathan Ross, the former stepping into the ring for the second time after losing to Lussick in 2019.
Ross, a former Newcastle winger, will be making his fight debut.
They also had to be pulled apart by promoter George Rose after a quick handshake led to the two leaning into each other’s heads.
https://twitter.com/MainEventTV/status/1473105119080161284
The card will also feature the professional debut of Harry Garside, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Garside is the co-main event and will take on Fijian southpaw Sachin Mudaliar over six rounds.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!