Sonny wants Gallen
‘ I don’t back away from a challenge. Let’s get this thing cooking.
SONNY Bill Williams is ready for his next sporting challenge – taking on former Blues captain Paul Gallen in a boxing bout that will be of huge interest to league and union fans in New Zealand and Australia.
The fight has long been mooted, but there has been no confirmation the bout would happen – until now.
‘‘I’ve heard for some time now he has wanted to fight me,’’ Williams said. ‘‘Well, provided we both get through our seasons OK, he will get what he wants.
‘‘I don’t back away from challenges. Let’s get this thing cooking.’’ And, with that, it will be on. There is no question it will be a great fight: the grace and power of Williams up against the brute force of the bull Gallen.
The fighters don’t have the skills of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green, but at this point SBW and Gallen are younger and arguably better athletes.
And, in many ways, it’s a similar clash.
Gallen is more likely to be the salesman – he is more outspoken and happy to bait Williams – and SBW sells the fight on reputation alone. He is a figure of intrigue in Australia and a huge star in New Zealand.
Gallen will use his usual team PHOTOSPORT to prepare for the fight.
At this stage it remains to be seen who Williams will train with.
The pair will need a six-week preparation for the fight, so it will most likely be after the All Blacks end-of-season tour.
Both have huge seasons ahead. It will be Gallen’s last NRL campaign, while SBW will need to come back from the Achilles injury that he sustained during the Olympics, and he will be a leading figure in the quest to beat the touring British and Irish Lions this year.
Both fighters stand to make big money from the clash and the negotiations will be interesting.
Gallen will need to decide if he gets a flat fee or a percentage of the TV revenue.
It will also be interesting to see if there is government support for the fight. The South Australian government got behind the Mundine-Green fight, and it was a huge result.
They estimate they received A$28 million worth of exposure from the mentions they received surrounding the fight. It will be interesting to see if an Australian state government wants to back a Williams-Gallen fight.
There will be plenty of interest from New Zealand, and Brisbane needs a kill after the rugby 10s flopped in a big way. The Sun-Herald