Sonny Bill’s bout almost starts early

Only some unfortunate Auckland bouncers have really seen Kiwi boxer Gary “The Baboon” Gurr in full flight ahead of his bout with Sonny Bill Williams in Brisbane.

But the self-confessed bare knuckle fighter is clearly determined to turn heads in Australia after ending an expletive-riddled weigh-in for Wednesday night’s bout by getting physical with SBW.

Gurr was more known for knocking out hotel security rather than boxers in his homeland before agreeing to challenge Williams in the rugby convert’s first – and only – professional bout.

Their fight will be on the undercard for Anthony Mundine’s showdown with IBO world middleweight champion Daniel Geale of Tasmania.

But the lead-up to their IBO undercard fight has been more like WWE.

It was a hard act to follow but Gurr backed up from gatecrashing Monday’s press conference with a weigh-in performance SBW won’t soon forget.

After using language at the weigh-in that would have made “Chopper” Read uneasy, Gurr then tried to start a fight with Williams during their official photo shoot.

“I don’t want to speak to any of you c…s,” Gurr said when addressed at the press conference.

“F… you guys speak a whole bunch of crap. Let’s just get it done.”

When one reporter cheekily asked if he planned on going further than one round, Gurr replied: “Are you planning on getting out of here?”

While Gurr appeared angry at a lot of things, he was particularly miffed at being “snubbed” at Monday’s press conference.

“It’s a f…..g joke. I’m the f…..g main event,” he claimed before promoters wisely cut the cord.

But Williams also got a few pre-fight jabs in.

“He doesn’t look like he has too much to offer so it should be a quick fight,” Williams said in front of a surly Gurr who tried to heckle the former Bulldog.

“He’s a bit of an idiot. He doesn’t know how to string words together – I will have to sort him out tomorrow night.”

Gurr’s finale was being physically restrained after violently pushing Williams in the chest during their photo shoot.

He then surprisingly rushed out as he was pursued by the media.

Williams agreed to fight to raise awareness for Mundine’s “KO to Drugs” campaign, with $50,000 to be presented to the St Vincent’s Hospital drug rehabilitation ward in Sydney as a result.

Williams may be confident but many punters are not.

Sportingbet Australia said Gurr had shortened from $8 to $5 since the market went up on Sunday, but Williams ($1.15) was still favourite.

Williams is in Australia for the first time since infamously ditching NRL club the Bulldogs to take up a lucrative French rugby offer.

“It seems the punters will be barracking pretty hard for the former Bulldog to be put on his backside,” Sportingbet Australia’s Michael Sullivan said.

“(But Gurr) will be learning that taking on an athlete in the square circle is a completely different proposition from a bar room brawl.”

Discover the best in new art and culture at our sister site, Lost At E Minor

© 2010 AAP