It’s been on the rumour mill for weeks, but now it’s been confirmed that former AFL star Barry Hall and recently-retired NRL hardman Paul Gallen are set to face off inside the ring.
To be held on November 15 at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, the fight will serve as Hall’s professional debut.
The fight, while big in its own right, will actually be on the undercard of Andrew Moloney and Elton Dharry, who are set to fight it out for the Interim WBA Super Flyweight Championship.
While this fight will be Hall’s debut, Gallen has never lost since his first fight back in 2014. Since then, he has gone undefeated in nine professional bouts, all the while juggling his NRL career.
Gallen retired at the end of the 2019 NRL season, having played 349 NRL games. At 38, he is four years younger than Hall, however, what he has in fitness and fight experience might be overshadowed by the fact Hall will have an advantage in height.
Hall retired from the AFL at the end of 2011 after playing with St Kilda, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs. While he has never fought professionally, he contested 15 fights as a junior and had a controversial reputation in the AFL, with a seven-week suspension for striking Brent Staker still popping up in highlight reels today.
The NRL star though, who spent much of his career in the representative limelight where he captained New South Wales and played for Australia, was holding no punches when talking to the media.
“AFL vs NRL, so it’s not going to get much bigger,” said Gallen.
“I’m getting in there and I’m going to beat him. I’m not going to let him just stand there and punch me. It’s a fight, and as (promoter Danny Green) said at the start, I’m here to win. I’ll be training to win.
“Come November 15, I’ll be getting in that ring ready.”
tisme
Guest
"We are talking about a professional boxer...".gimme a break,gallen isn't,never was or will ever be a professional boxer.he is a footballer who trades on his name to make money off gullible people by engaging in glorified street fights.that's why the closest he has come to fighting a real professional boxer(as opposed to someone who gets paid to fight in a ring),was john hopoate who had last fought 9 years previously & was 44 at the time of the fight & didn't start his career til the age of 31.
macho
Guest
Gallen is a brute - the Wallabies would love him in the front row with a bit of prop tutelage
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
Bruno towerd over Tyson and never got close.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Well that was inevitable for a short heavyweight who was between 178 cm - 180 cm tall. He beat most boxers who were much taller. So what's your point?
mushi
Roar Guru
Do you realise that Tyson only lost to taller fighters?
Bernie Vinson
Guest
We dont have Horn, Mundine, Green anymore and to counter big UFC fight in Melbourne we are stuck with this - seriously hall hasnt played seriously for 8 years - this is akin to celebrity boxing
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Conflation much
Gary
Roar Rookie
So you know the correct name but wittingly choose to call the game by it's league initials... because some ignorant people you know call it that. Hope you are not this apathetic towards other terminolgy... you know, racism and stuff.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"but the old adage of a good big man vs a good little man comes to play" You do realise that there was the same height difference between former world heavyweight champ Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson? And look how that fight ended. ;-)
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Jeez, l agree with you on it's [proper] name. You are preaching to the converted. ----- But in this neck of the woods they call it AFL whether its the actual AFL or whether it's AF, Australian Football, Aussie Rules, Australian Rules Football or footy or whatever it's called. I've coached it in High Schools and everyone refers to it as AFL. You can't convert n correct every person who calls it by it's erroneously applied shorthand.
Gary
Roar Rookie
And I live in a non-league state, but no one here refers to it as NRL. The only football code born in Australia is Aussie Rules, EVERYBODY in Australia knows this fact... the AFL has only been around since 1990.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Ya lost me????
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
Not really... Discuss Socialism in AFL at your risk. Player benefits for such outlying areas like Sydney etc?
mushi
Roar Guru
Either! I think he's signed up as the key note speaker at a physics symposium
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
Nah, if I was good enough I'd aspire to represent my country at my sport... oops sorry about that rowdy ol son
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
His mum fought better than the fodder he has beaten
Seymorebutts
Guest
Gallen is undefeated, has a respectable record and has done at least one 6 rounder,he has a high work rate and I suspect he will pummel Barry Hall. Out of all the footballers the only one who has done better is Sonny Bill Williams Big difference between fighting 3 rounds as an amatur and going 6 rounds against a guy who is fit and knows what he is doing. Barry Hall wont survive past the third round IMO.
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
John Setka or rugby?
Brian Westlake
Roar Rookie
If Gallen has to reach that high with an uppercut, he'll more than likely dislocate his shoulder. I'll watch it for sure and be glad I'm not on the end of any of it, but the old adage of a good big man vs a good little man comes to play, and Gallen is a fair dinkum oompah loompah
Republican
Guest
......ah the culture wars continue to expose the great Australian divide.......