Unbeaten Gallen in it only for the money
WOLLONGONG: His stocks continue to rise but Paul Gallen maintains he is only in boxing for the money.
The retired rugby league great’s firstround knockout of Lucas Browne, Australia’s only world heavyweight champion, has sent shockwaves through the sport.
Pocketing $A450,000 ($NZ485,000) for his troubles, Gallen’s latest triumph also set up a potential blockbuster later in the year with budding Olympian Justis Huni.
The undefeated Queensland amateur has already welcomed a ‘‘State of Originlike’’ battle with the former New South Wales serieswinning captain.
Such a showdown would ensure another monster pay day for Gallen — and that is all he wants.
Cronulla’s only premiershipwinning skipper once again insisting that he could not care less about building a boxing legacy.
‘‘While I know I’m a good athlete and I can adapt to anything. I just don’t have that ambition,’’ Gallen, still unbeaten after a dozen fights, said.
‘‘It’s about providing for my family and having interesting fights for the public, and that’s what I’m here to do.’’
Little wonder the reply when Gallen was asked, who’s next?
‘‘Whoever pays the most. Simple,’’ he said.
The 39yearold was nevertheless thrilled with his spectacular win over Australia’s most accomplished, albeit underdone, heavyweight exponent.
‘‘It’s great individually. I just beat the most credentialled fighter in Australia,’’ Gallen said.
Browne, captured on social media eating a sausage roll before the bout, rejected suggestions he was not fit for the fight.
But, tellingly, when asked if he respected his footballer opponent enough, Browne said: ‘‘I do now’’.
The 42yearold conceded he did not know what hit him after Gallen sent him crashing to the canvas twice inside two minutes with a series of devastating blows to the head.
‘‘I don’t know where exactly I got hit the first sort of shot, but basically I can’t hear out in my left ear,’’ Browne said.
‘‘It just took the equilibrium off me and I couldn’t recover.’’
Despite his brutal beatdown, Browne was unsure if Gallen had the capacity to go the distance with Huni.
‘‘I don’t know. Justis is definitely a crafty young fella,’’ he said.
‘‘Apparently he doesn’t have much power in terms of like heavyweight power, but he’ll just hit you all day.
‘‘But it all depends. He [Gallen] is 11 and 0 now.
‘‘Again, he’s not a boxer. He’s a fighter and there’s nothing wrong with that.’’ — AAP