Gal v Hunt in Fright Night
PAUL Gallen and Mark Hunt are poised for a Halloween showdown, with details being finalised for a boxing bout between the former NRL hardman and UFC knockout king.
A trans-tasman battle is brewing with four venues in the running to stage the heavyweight fight; Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, Spark Stadium in Auckland, Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium, and Carrington Park in Bathurst.
Negotiations are at such an advanced stage that a proposed fight date of either October 30 or 31 (Halloween) has been pencilled in, with the four venues now competing for the event, fight promoter Matt Rose confirmed.
“This fight has attracted huge interest and will be a sellout where ever we decide to take the fight,” Rose said.
“Gallen is an NRL legend and one of if not the toughest footballer in last 20 years and Mark Hunt a UFC legend that hits harder than any fighter in country. It’s scary and makes for perfect Halloween showdown. I hope to lock away the venue in the coming weeks before getting the final sign off from both fighters.”
Ill feeling between the pair is high and speculation was rife earlier this year that Gallen could fight Hunt – who had signed a contract for the fight in March - however the COVID-19 lockdown put a halt to talks.
Gallen, 38, has not signed any contract to fight 46-yearold Hunt so far. Hunt had suggested Gallen was cowering away from the fight after he had signed on, however the former NSW State of Origin enforcer hit back immediately.
“Mate, you signed your contract today and you’ve released it and made it public,” Gallen said. “How long did it take you to sign that contract? Three to four weeks, and you’ve made it public today that you’ve signed it and you expect me to make a decision today.
“You know exactly how contracts work, they don’t happen overnight. I’ve had my first conversation with the promoter about 4 o’clock this afternoon, you’ve had three or four weeks to get it done.
“Rest assured mate, I don’t need any encouragement. We’ll get the deal done, and the fight will happen. Just give me a week, and we’ll see what happens.”
The coronavirus lockdown then stopped all plans for a live boxing event, and it appeared the bout may not come about.
But the proposed fight date and narrowing of venues is the biggest sign yet that the showdown will take place in 2020.
This will be the biggest fight of Gallen’s boxing career, and will have crossover interest from mixed martial arts fans given Hunt’s storied career in the UFC. Hunt was released from his contract by the UFC 12 months ago, but is still in the midst of legal action against the organisation for allegedly allowing drug-cheating fighters to compete against him in the Octagon.