Tag: Paul Gallen

Former rugby star Paul Gallen outboxes Mark Hunt in Sydney, then calls out Robert Whittaker

Mark Hunt showed he still possesses his famed power, but couldn’t find a finish against former rugby player Paul Gallen.

Former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight contender [autotag]Mark Hunt[/autotag]’s return to competitive action after a three-year hiatus ended in defeat to former rugby star [autotag]Paul Gallen[/autotag], who promptly set his sights on another Antipodean MMA hero, [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

Gallen showed a solid chin and remarkable powers of recovery, as he took some thunderous shots from “The Super Samoan” over the course of their boxing match in Sydney. But Gallen’s work rate overall meant that the former Australia international rugby league player took home the win after securing a unanimous decision after six hard-hitting rounds, with the three judges scoring it 58-56, 58-56, 59-55 to extend his professional boxing record to 10-0-1.

Seven years his opponent’s junior, Gallen outworked 46-year-old Hunt over the course of their six-round co-main event, but it was Hunt who came closest to ending the fight inside the distance. The notoriously heavy-handed Kiwi found a home for his powerful punches throughout the fight. But, while he managed to rock Gallen on numerous occasions, he wasn’t quite able to finish the job as the Australian fought through adversity to run out the victor on the scorecards.

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After the fight, Gallen set his sights on former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker. Speaking in the ring during his post-fight interview, Gallen said, “What’s next? Robert Whittaker, I watched you about a year ago, you had an interview, and you were asked if you’d fight me. You said, ‘Yeah I’d fight him, but he wouldn’t fight me,’ and you gave a condescending laugh.

“I’m here, mate, and I’m happy to meet you in here (the ring), but stop pricing yourself out of it. I’ve got nothing but respect for Rob – I know him reasonably well – but I’m just going to beat him. I’m going to beat him like I beat Mark. I’m going to train hard and prepare for it. I’m going to have a good game plan. I’m just going to get in there and smash him.”

Hunt’s defeat means that he remains without a win as a professional boxer, with the fight seeing his record under the Queensberry Rules drop to 0-2-1.

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Video: Watch Mark Hunt trash talk former rugby star Paul Gallen ahead of boxing clash

Mark Hunt showed the fire still burns as he engaged in pre-fight trash talk with former rugby star Paul Gallen ahead of their boxing bout.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen [autotag]Mark Hunt[/autotag] in action, but if his pre-fight press conference for his upcoming boxing match is anything to go by, the fire still burns strong inside “The Super Samoan.”

Former UFC and Pride FC heavyweight contender Hunt is set to take on former rugby league star [autotag]Paul Gallen[/autotag] in a six-round heavyweight bout in the co-main event of a fight card in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday and, during the pre-fight press conference it didn’t take long for the temperature to rise ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash.

Hunt had already said that he’s looking forward to making his return to competition after three years away, but after hearing Gallen’s confidence in his initial remarks, Hunt responded with a strong warning for the rugby star.

“This ain’t footy. This is fighting. You should be thanking me, boy. I was talking to other people, overseas. Keep talking (expletive). … You’re going to sleep. I’ll put your ass to sleep. … I’m gonna fix you, man. I’m gonna fix you good!”

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The pair continued to verbally spar back and forth, with 39-year-old former Australian international rugby star and undefeated professional boxer Gallen accusing Hunt of making excuses ahead of the fight.

But Hunt warned Gallen that he was stepping up to the top level by facing him, and vowed to add him to his list of victims on Wednesday night.

“My belief is we’re only here because of him. He wants to get to the next level. That’s what he wants to be doing here, so this is the next level,” he said. “I haven’t boxed in 20 years and I’m still gonna clean him up. That’s how I feel.”

Hunt then mocked Gallen for a prior injury he sustained in the lead-up to the bout, saying, “I ain’t the one calling ‘injury,'” he said. “You called me up and said, ‘Hey Mark, I can’t fight.’ Why? ‘Because I’m weak-ass.’ … ‘I can’t fight you. I pulled my bicep from jerking off!’ That’s the bottom line, he’s a jerk-off. Which hand did you use? Use the left hand, man, not the right hand!”

He then issued a final warning for his opponent, as he reminded 9-0 boxer Gallen of his own extensive experience in the fight game, and the veteran of 74 professional bouts across kickboxing, MMA and boxing said that he was in no mood to let anyone tell him when to retire.

“I’ll retire when I’m ready to do so,” he declared. “When I’m ready, and when I’m happy, is when I’ll retire. Not when no company tells me to retire, or no fighter, or a part-time fighter like you. … You’re not even on my level. I’ve been sitting at the top table of combat sports for two decades.”

Gallen’s response was instant. “And you’ll be finished on Wednesday.”

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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