#55 | Paul Gallen

Rugby league legend Paul Gallen opens up about his upcoming boxing match against Sonny Bill Williams. Get the inside scoop on the long-awaited grudge match years in the making.

Overview: In this episode, Gallen discusses the lengthy negotiations leading up to the fight, including disagreements over financial splits and round lengths. He also analyzes Sonny Bill's fighting style and strengths in the ring. 

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0:00-KIIS Prank

2:00-Manly Offer

6:00-Sharks 2000

10:00-Paul Mellor

12:00-Sharks

14:00-Chammas v Gus

17:40-Gallen v SBW

29:00-Tickets

29:15-Walkout Song

30:10-Boxing & Fear

34:00-Sparing

41:00-Challengers

46:00-CTE

49:00-Family

50:00-Sharks 2025

52:30-Jimmy Maloney

55:00-6 to Go

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you to all the all listeners who continue to
listen to us. Look, if you're enjoying the podcast, just
do us a favorite. Hit that follow button on your
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Whether you're on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or anywhere else. Just
tap follow or subscribe and stay in the loop. Anyway, Guys, cheers.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Now, don't say any of that stuff that you don't see,
any of that swinging stuff you're just talking about. It
takes really good offense.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
You don't mean mat I'm a puritan. I again, Well,
thanks for coming over it. Yeah, we're gonna talk about
the fight in the second against Sonny. But you come
over this way much.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Not often. But I do have a good maiden want
to grow with. He's a builder of this way. He's
partners with Jake Wall and that they got a pretty
good business going. So I do come over and see
him every now and then, but you're not that often.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
I was just going to say, so, then, why did
you win so much? When I asked you to come
over here. You made such a big fuss about it,
like you would just traveled to the other side of the year.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Well, I'll be honest, I worked for TGIBI, but I
do like your radio station when I listening to be
listening to you guys, and I really like you know
obviously Colin Jackie A and Intern Pede and I actually
had a phone call from intern Pizza. I was pretty
tough to get a phone off from him. And then
he told me what he was ringing me for to
get you, and then I just got caught.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
At the moment. Just get caught at the moment.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
You just get asked about things, and I just got
caught up in it and I felt really bad after it.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
So I message, happens, happens.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, I'll let me see he's he cops ten times
worse than that. But yeah, you're the star of the
Pedophiles as they call it.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, it was a real blindside because you and you
messaged me like the day before. I didn't even know
the ambush was coming, just with an apology and saying
how you love the show. And I was like, why
what are you apologizing before? Girl? And then he just
never got back to me, and I was like something
he got me on the path. I was like, something's
fucking going on. Someone, someone's coming for me. And then

(01:56):
it still hit me, still ambushed me.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
I didn't even realize knew it was something's going on
because I woke up up in the morning and there
are about fifteen miss calls from inter Pete, what's going
on here? And Matt Maddie, how a mate? What are
you doing? Pet I'm just on the road of the moment,
the road.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, did you really.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Sign for Mainly? At one point?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah, I was very close two thousand and seven. So
into two thousand and seven, got the deal for Manly,
which was pretty much just significantly more than we had
at Cronulla, and I was all but done. I was,
I was pretty much I hadn't signed the contract obviously,
but I was all but done. Me and my wife
now it was my partner of the time. We come
over here for the weekend to spend some time over

(02:41):
here for the weekend, just check it all out. And
we went back home and she goes, you know what,
I really don't like people to road. I was, oh, okay,
So did I listened to her?

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Was that enough?

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well?

Speaker 4 (02:54):
That was enough? Fair enough? So we didn't sign.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
And then mainly when the commed two thousand and eight
Tom kicking meself, so that Bosa was I was trying
to get me. Yeah, And the funny thing was Boso
had a fair bit to pull out of in Origin.
And when I met met Ricky Stewart, who was a
cronelicache at the time, he said, mate, if you leave
the club, I'll be filthy.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
And he goes, what do you want to do about
red footy?

Speaker 3 (03:16):
And I said, what do you What do you mean
I want to play red foot He goes, if you leave,
you plan any brit footy And I sort of believe
him at the time, and I thought, well, now I
realized Bozo was one to try to get me, probably
looked after me anyway. But then then I had to
get out cause in my contract, if the coach left
the club, I could leave the club. So Ricky Steell
get sacked in twenty ten mainly popped back up again.

(03:38):
Now I was look, the money was no different at
this stage I'd been money wise, was okay cronel at
the time.

Speaker 4 (03:45):
Like back in two.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Thousand and seven, it was a lot big, not double,
but significantly different. Twenty and ten it wasn't was pretty
much the same. But my missus said again, No, I
don't want to go people who won the comic twenty eleven. Yeah,
and then all of a sudden two thousand, everything happens
at corn we know about, like and I'm going to
sit there.

Speaker 4 (04:05):
I was that angry missus.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Sure you could have put people have run two comps
when we're going for all this crap, And it was
just like, yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Given the fact that when you just won the comp
at twenty sixteen, to even think for a second that
you might have missed that would have absolutely killed me.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
I'm so happy I stayed. And I think I was
just true to myself too, like I like to think
I'm a little guy, and yeah, I stayed true to
the club. And I remember when I signed that contract,
that that contract twenty ten, I promised myself. So I
promised myself, IM going to beat this club. When when
we went to Calm, I promised myself and obviously a
lot of things happening between that and I remember, Okay,

(04:42):
I'm going to beat this club. I didn't from a
strap up, I'm going to beat this club.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, Sure we turned it around and we got the
job in twenty sixteen, which may have absolutely made it
all worth it say, so glad to stay.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
You're one of the rare blokes to reject Bozo and
him not told a grudge against you. Halfway through the
ninety three season, I got a call from those on
Frank Stanton and said, mate, Cliff, he's getting on. Cliffe
would played for another four or five years. Mateh we'd
like to have Andy because I say, okay. So I
traveled down here and meet with Frank Stanton Boza. At
the end of the year. I still hadn't made him

(05:12):
made up my marble. I had, but I didn't know
how to tall Boza because he go he ring out
what's doing? And I go, oh, hollo, Bob, how are you? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (05:19):
Mate?

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Anyway, we get to at the end of the season
what's doing and I went, oh. Before I answer, he go,
you know the kangaroo tool takes off in a couple
of weeks. He goes, well, I'm telling you that there's
a player in your position who mate, you know he
might get ruled out.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
You know I worried about he's grownd bake it.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Ruled out And you know, anyway, I said, look, I'm
going to stay at Newcastle. Oh yeah, no problem. Bang
didn't get picked a course and Benny Alias told the
same story. Going in ninety four he got offered Bozo
Mate come to Manley a couple of years yep, and
he was going to be on the key grou tour
is going to be named. I think he was might
have been New South Bolles captain that year. And he goes,

(06:04):
oh yeah, and anyway, knocking back Ben a lie shock
o mission from the tour.

Speaker 4 (06:11):
Benny's story. I get up pretty good with Benny. He's
a fantastic.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Fella and he told me that story.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
You know what's weird? Dad told me last night your
last year in the NRL. Was it your first year?

Speaker 3 (06:22):
You guys played on you and your brother since you
were this big, And yeah, when I was twenty years old,
Maddie john someone at the club, and yeah, I like
to play Maddie Johns.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Obviously I knew exactly who he was.

Speaker 3 (06:34):
Coming back from England one watching win premierships was it
was a pretty pretty cool thing for myself.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
And I do remember Maddie.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
We remember our Harveys to train Chris mate, he's a
trainers really so wes to train so hard we went.
We lost like six in a row. We're not winning
like eleven or twelve games straight to finish inside the
top four. He just me's down in the Grand Final.
But we trained so hard and we do it.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
It was an aw sort of thing. So I remember me.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
All I remember about Maddie Johns was running sea.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
It was one day got down to his Undy's. I think,
I think you might.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
One day and I'll never forget a bloke you might know.
You probably remember Pat Gibson. I still taught to Patty
Gibson all the time where it was still good mates,
and Paddy Gibson was his young Mike my age, fit
as fit as you can imagine.

Speaker 4 (07:20):
Blake just powering up these heads. Come on, Maddie, you
can do it. You can do it.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
Shut the fuck up absolutely where to look like Maddy
John's just hamming him. I was actually thinking about YouTube
boys on the way over there. You guys used to
come to train and run around this big but I
remember one time I wrote the doctors maloof doctort his
just little thing, and I just remember he used to
in this wait we're waiting, there's about three or four

(07:46):
three or wait around you were just running around like
little rash, just going berserk.

Speaker 4 (07:51):
It was so funny. He had pure black hair, you
had pure blonde hair.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
So different that that year.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
I tell people all the time, and people always taken
with grain of salt because most teams trained hard, but
that year I'll never forget it. I'm talking like two
or three incredibly hard fitness sessions a week when you're
playing during the season, even really were gonna be playing
on the Sunday and we beget hammered on the Thursday.
And Chris Anderson was like, when I arrived at this

(08:18):
club for the previous few years, they hadn't trained hard enough. Mate,
I'm going to harden these blokes up. And I was
thinking myself, mate, for killing us. We lost. We lost
seven in a row at one point, and I remember
getting up at the Loose Club and they just booed him,
and he goes, don't worry, he goes where that he goes.
We're that close to turning things around, he said, And
you'll be cheering at the end of the end. I'm thinking,
there's no chance. We went on this amazing run qualifier

(08:43):
play the Warriors to make the Grand Final, and unfortunately
they beat us.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
But that was that was pretty good. To play for
your dad was a good thing.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
I thing the way that those like ninety eight, because
he coached Melbourne in ninety eight ninety nine, right when
they first came into the calm, The way that they
talked about him, it was like they they worked hard,
but they were just like on the piece and that
all the time. He liked that too, Okay, was he was?
He very work hard, play hard kind of guys.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
There be times he takes off the train to the
pub and I remember I was pretty serious that I.

Speaker 4 (09:11):
Wouldn't really drink.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
But I do remember one time the next year we're
going He got sacked the next year, but we're going
through an ordinary stage. We lost a game at home.
He goes, that's everyone get out of the clubs. We'll
get out of the locked us in a room. He
wheeled in two like we'll like in a shopping full
of alcohol. Said we are not leaving it until we
finish that, mate, Chris beating young Birdie, Greg bird punched on.

(09:36):
By the end of it, Nick Graham left, Deean Teresa
left the club. There was three or four, but Paul Miller,
like three or four blokes left the club. When I
receved to England and Hope's got sacked by the year.
But we at the Phisio that night ended up in
hospital without we're just the hoodoo Guru's Blake was there
sing songs and maybe it.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
Was just something I will never forget, but it was
b big no.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
But he used to get to the point, like toward
the end of the year that our strength conditioner started
pushing Blakes a little too hard. Like by the end
of the year, everyone's made caren injuries. And remember once
we're doing a rehab session in the pool. This is
the day after the game. He said, right out, everybody out,
We're going to go. We're all going to jump on
the rowers and do like fitness tests on the rowers
and mate, like sometimes we do five k runs. Remember

(10:21):
after after the day after a game, day after a
game we made it the Canels, we'll do a five
k run. I just ended up saying, Hopes on past thirty,
my fucking knees are screaming, I just can't run on
the road, like the day after a game, I can't
do it. And he said, ah, right, I don't worry
about I'll tell him you've got the flu or something.
But this certain day he said right out, everyone out
of the pool, and Pully Milloy just refused to get out. Pullyes,

(10:43):
I'm not getting out of the pool. He goes, get
out of the fucking pool and Pullymelo goes no, and
Pullly Mello is a massive man, but so passive and
so nice. You know, Pully Mellod had enough. Pully Mello
just chumped out and grabbed him by the throat and started.

Speaker 4 (10:58):
I remember.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
Killing to do these National Park runs, all sorts of things.
I remember one day in the bush we all got back.
He's put water himself and just walked in like you
just finished. But he Paul Miller hated this. The train
Aaron Aaron Saws for his name was that's right. Maybe

(11:23):
he was a hard do it for me personally, it
actually helped me and helping good Stead for the rest
of my career. But I can understand a blake and
was at the back end of it. Was just like
over it.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
But there was so many like that year. So talking
about Manly, you know, we played Manly that year and
I think it was something like cron had never beaten
Manly and Manly, so we're getting the bus over and
beautiful day, and there was the mood on the bus
was so pessimistic. I'm going this is weird and chronologist

(11:53):
don't win there, and I said, okay. So we played
the first half. Half time they're beating us twenty nil.
I remember going in the shed's going in the hell
this is true, and Hope's is just sitting in the
sheds and he's sort of going counting on, like right,
I'm not going to waste my breath on these sore
obviously not gonna. So we come out of half time,
we score after half time. The final score was we
beat him fifty four to twenty six.

Speaker 4 (12:14):
Yes, really, and that was started my career. I remember.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
And the next year we played him it might have
been the same idea it would have been. The next
year I got moved to five eight because there was
injuries everywhere else playing fight. Remember Danny Utley, there's a kickoff,
there's a kick off my way and Danny you fat,
you know what, you better pass me the ball. I
has to catch it, look at him to run, but
I got but I was got to double there. The

(12:38):
next year against Manly once again we beat him again.
So I was like what's his crap?

Speaker 4 (12:42):
We can't win over. This is easy. But then things
turned a bit off.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
Couldn't you know what's funny? You get like I remember
it would have been early in your you might have
been playing back roll at this stage. I used to
run like when I was young, a bit bow legged,
like you know how they teach it, like run all
the way through through your toes and like I used
to flick out at the back, and Billy Slater used
to do it at a young when he first come
into first game. Remember, like Billy was showing me some
of his stuff and show like why it's bad to

(13:06):
run like that, And he showed me his first ever
try in the NRL. He was playing center, got out
of dummy half, went down the blind side, made a
lineback and he's running and he's like showing me his
running ticket. He goes, see, like see how I'm not
effective and it slows me down after I get past
the twenty thirty meter mark, and he goes and nearly
got chased down by forward and I'm looking I go
he said, he said, Gal, it was you that you

(13:28):
like nearly stopped him in the corner.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
I was pretty good. Made other ten's enemies.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
I stopped him there, so that's yeah, at the start
of his career, didn't it obviously tend to be an
absolute superstar.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
But was sixteen dollars half we got beating game, we
got beaten.

Speaker 4 (13:40):
So that was round one.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Melbourne had never lost a round one game under Bell
and winning sixteen neil. They scored a try right in
the game towards the back end of the game. Not
he just tried to put a gruber kick through a
ricochette of someone's knees. Guy picked up, got pass the
ball in the lake and scored.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
Yeah, that was Bell's first game.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
Right, it would have been, would have been.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
I might have been proud to start anyway, but yeah,
Slater tens him as I stopping.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
Oh what you've been a chill mine. You see more
of uncle Joey than we do as you go and
uncle Joey.

Speaker 3 (14:07):
Yeah good.

Speaker 4 (14:08):
I get a good with Joey. He's good. It's a
good fellow.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
I don't know that, so I don't know. Obviously the
family issue good now is are a complicated thing.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
I took a nine. I see what chamis versus Gus.
That was that was that was riveting to you V
was good.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
But segment one, I sort of actually asked us a question.
I could see Chems in the background like looking at me,
and I'm like, anyway, that had come? The air break
come and and I respect when Gus when I know
he doesn't want to talk about and Gusta looked at me
and I knew we didn't want to go, so I
didn't keep proving it all and shemers come out. He goes,
that's that's what I want to do for my segment,
the scuttle but segment. So I saw it, but I
didn't know I was asking the questions. And I actually

(14:48):
had to go home that night. I had to train
for the fire. I said, I do the first three segs,
but that's it, and they said okay. So I went
home and I landed, landed back in Sydney and just
turned my phones just blowing up and Samers and Gusts
into it.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
Because you and you and like you're one of the
few that will you will go at each other quite
a bit. It's all in jest, but we ever go.

Speaker 3 (15:10):
I would say, mate, I don't know how to how
to I don't know.

Speaker 4 (15:13):
Gus is a guy, You.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Just a complex try.

Speaker 3 (15:16):
I don't really have too much relationship with him, like
I really respect him.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
I've got to be honest.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
He's probably one of the the probably smartest bloke I've
ever seen. The way he talks about the game, the
way he knows the game. He is He's very very
unique like that he knows the game inside out. But
you know, I don't always agree with what he says
or think what he says is right, and I'm happy
to challenge him on that. But he's a pretty good argument.
He's got a lot of experiences, did very very well.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Gus can be very intimidating. He's an incredible orator, and
he can sit and can hold his nerve in an argument.
It's the first time I've seen sort of Gus. I
wouldn't say he was rattled, but mate, it was two
blokes really going back with forwards and champis not at
the end.

Speaker 4 (15:57):
Where he said, what's what you're saying?

Speaker 5 (15:59):
Boy?

Speaker 4 (15:59):
I think that was that was that's not Gus doesn't
normally say.

Speaker 3 (16:03):
I really really compose and really contried him what he says,
and that was probably where you.

Speaker 1 (16:07):
And also also when he went to you know, you
don't realize what you do to players and all that.
There was a little bit of that. I thought that.
But Gus, yeah, you said, he's an incredibly complex guy.
Tear what mate, coming through the all young guys. He
was so good to Andrew and I and I'll never
forget that. But I think the important thing is when
you meet Gus, is you when you meet him is

(16:28):
you don't have any expectations. So when I used to
work with Gus or even I see Gus, now Gus,
here you're going and now Gus might want to talk,
you might want to I've got no expectations. So I
arrived with no expectations. And but yeah, you're right, he's
brilliant as far as football and what he's done.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
Mate, it was great. It was great TV, Like from
a from a from a fan perspective, it was just
I can imagine all the partners were just absolutely loving it.
You saw everything that want.

Speaker 4 (16:56):
To see what happened. I wasn't there. I don't know
if ayth happen.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
Like on a lot of those shows, right one hundred
forty three sixty, when it gets quite like intimidating and
they go at each other. You've been like there in
the flesh does it get quite awkward in ad breaks
and depending sometimes.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
There's an awkward silence and no one really says too much.
But I haven't been in that big run on radio
app like Leavia. At times, Levy just cuts me off something.
He's got to control the penalty me off. But so
probably with like Leav's a blake is not afraid to
say what he thinks. If he's off your he'll tell
you which which I which I respect about.

Speaker 4 (17:29):
That's good. I get him, good with it, really good
with him. But yeah, Gus is sort of a bit.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
I've never had an argument adying with him on air
and then he's got off air and carried on, just
remains quiet. So on radio, I've had a couple, but.

Speaker 4 (17:41):
Not on not on TV.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
Soney Bill, Sony Bill, been a long time in the
making this one. Gal, Why it's so long, mate.

Speaker 3 (17:50):
I'll answer and see something. They have a different opinion.
But I just don't think you every wanted to do it.
And I just think that I had my first fight. Look,
I come, it might have been twenty twelve thirteen ish
he had. He fought sometime around them as well, and
straight away it's just had my first fight in one
it was like, oh, fight Sonny Bill, and it got
spoken about, I admitted at the start. I said, no, look,
I'm not ready for that. You know, I've had one

(18:11):
amateur fight. Let me see if they ever want to
keep doing this. Kept doing it probably once a year
for the next five years, and every time I thought
we would get asked about it and I said yeah, yeah, okay,
let's let's do it.

Speaker 4 (18:20):
And that was it.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
Two probably twenty nineteen twenty, when I started saying, look,
this has got to happen. Let's let's ramp this up bit.
So I'd often say on TV, yeah, let's do it.
I'd lask Sunny Bill, let's do it, and he said mate.
The first time I went, when I stepped back in
the square circle, he quarter it, you'd be the first
person I ring. He fought for one twenty twenty two.
He had three fights on never a single phone call.

(18:42):
I started ringing Codery's manager twenty twenty twenty one, say, man,
we're going to make this happen like I'm going.

Speaker 4 (18:49):
To retire soon, veryvery soon.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
I got this last contract with no limit was with Fox,
and part of one new nine deal was I couldn't
fight with Fox anymore. They were they were going to
allow me to finish my contract, which is fine that
they said after that, no more, and I said, that's
I'm going to retire anyway. So I met with Coder
a couple of occasions. Last I met with him was
at Brighton Sands on the beach there and beautiful. Yeah.

(19:12):
Basically said mate, we're going to give you fifty fifty.
I said, it's got to be fifty to fifty and
then he said, how much do you want? Do you
want of New Zealand? So what happens with boxing, Everything
goes into a pool, you get a percently split and
it goes out. He said, how much one New Zealand?
I said, well, whatever the splitze it is fifty to
fifty he has you're not getting one cent in New Zealand.
I said, mate, you don't want to do this fight.
He's a full of shit. You don't want to do

(19:32):
it on that out. So when I am nothing else
happened a couple more times what I've been spoken about,
But then i'd done a story in twenty twenty one,
whenever I knew I was retiring, I said, Sony's going.

Speaker 4 (19:43):
To wait till I retire.

Speaker 3 (19:44):
He's going to wait till I finish up and well
passed my best for he says he wants to fight me.
And sure enough, on the around the twentieth and May,
I've got the emails. I've got an offer from stand
to fight. It's only built twenty May twenty twenty three.
And still, I said, seven months after I retired, is
exactly what I said would happened. And still I said, look,
I'll fight him if I get a guaranteed figure. I
want a guaranteed figure. Sony can have every dollar up

(20:06):
until that guaranteed figure, and then we go fifty to
fifty from there. So it's going to be a fifty
to fifty fight. But I want one guarantee. They said, no,
that's not fair on something. I said, Fuck Sonny, I said, mate,
he's waited this all this time. I told you exactly
what would happen. I told you back in twenty twenty one.
He'd wait for me to retire. That's what's happened. Now.
I'm getting it off the contract. If you guarantee me
the figure, I'll do it. If you're not, I'm retired.
They said, we can't we can't guarantee the figure. It's

(20:28):
fifty fifty all the way. It's the way we're doing.
And I said, well, I'm retired. I've been retired for
seven months. I'll stay retired. In twenty twenty three was
my was my gap year, so to speak. When you're
retired foot you let your head down. And I probably
did a little bit too much that year, and twenty
twenty four odd around sort of got me laugh on. No,
not that I was off track, you know, just straighten
up bit. And watched Mike Tyson fight Jake Paul and

(20:52):
Jake put doesn't getting near Mike Tyson when they're doing
it properly.

Speaker 4 (20:54):
We all know that. And Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson.
And I was that way Graham.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
So I thought, you know what, tomorrow, who's going to
remember this like the remember? But professional sports are winning
to lose. I thought, you know, if I gonna be
forty three years old and make a dollar, I'm going
to do it.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
So I rang stand.

Speaker 3 (21:10):
I said, it is this fight sttle possibility. And they
said we'll ring Sonny. We'll let your name, so they
rang Sonny. He said yes, and here we are. This
This was in November last year twenty I've got Texas
starting about negotiation.

Speaker 4 (21:23):
I actually wanted to have to fight over in Vegas
for the NURL.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
Oh yeah, I said.

Speaker 3 (21:27):
I said it was going to be thirty thousand asses
over there. Nothing to do. Watch me in Sunny fight.
It's Truman back in Australia. Will fight whatever Tom necessary
over there. But Monday wouldn't have been ready then, and
he said, no, I'm not gonna be ready, so I
wouldn't do it. And obviously here we are in July.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
I'll tell you what he's he's a good negotiator, coder,
he's a good negotiator for his fighter. He's incredible. What
do you did for Chock? So it must have been
that must have been a tough negotiation made.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
Seven months in negotiation. And then that's what frustrates me that,
like Sonny says things like at the press coms over day,
what happened twenty twenty two were right the end of
the world. We're just about to sign a contract, just
about to sign the contract. Ten rounds, twelve rounds or what.

Speaker 4 (22:05):
Was it ten or twelve? We're just about to sign
the contract. What was it ten?

Speaker 3 (22:08):
Where was it going to be who was it with?
Like the thing that I get frustrating work. You know,
when two blokes are telling a different story, that the
stories are similar, and then you know the true summer
in the red. You got to work it out. I mean,
we are so far apart in what we say, like
he like, so far apart. We're not even on the
same page, like he says. We were just about to
sign a contract in twenty twenty two. I've said to him,
I've said publicly, I said, show me one bit of

(22:29):
correspondence from me to you, or to your manager or
to stand or whoever from from twenty twenty two.

Speaker 4 (22:34):
Just one email.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
I've got seven months of emails for this fight, seven
months worth of emails and texts. I said, just produce
one email or one text about me. You fighting you
in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yes, because you've always you've You've always had good likes,
particularly around state of origin. You're always good at hyping
up in an event, Sonny. Sonny's been particularly vocal like
leading up to this fight.

Speaker 1 (22:56):
Unusual.

Speaker 2 (22:58):
Is there, like is there bad blood between we.

Speaker 4 (23:00):
Don't like to look.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
I can't say I hate him because there's lots of things,
something he's done in his past that would be easy
for me to bring up, but I think would embarrass
his family, and that's I'm.

Speaker 4 (23:11):
Not about as a blake. I'm not about that.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
Look, I'm happy to sell a fight. Do I need
to talk about the fight, talk about certain things, but
I'm not going to intentionally bring things up that will
embarrass other people, particularly.

Speaker 4 (23:21):
Innocent people that don't deserve it.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
So now that's and that's very with this bloke after
what he said. There's certain things I'd love to say,
I'd love to bring up, but again I wouldn't being
true to myself and just wouldn't be the person I
want to be.

Speaker 4 (23:35):
Oh no Angel, watch want to someone angel.

Speaker 3 (23:37):
But you know, there's certain things I'm just not going
to bring up aout him because would affect his family,
and I don't think that's fair.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
What what's his strengths as a fighter.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
He's range, he's a big bloke and he's six six.
I think he says says on his players one hundred
and ninety one cents, he's a lot bigger than that.
He's put six four, he's got big range. I think
he's going to be powerful. I didn't he's everyone who's
went over nd. As you punch someone in the rights
on the chin, it's going to hurt him. So he's

(24:06):
got that ability. I just I've got no doubt if
he had done it before, I win. And I think
he knows that. That's like, actions speak loud than words.
I've repeatedly said, let's do it, let's do it, let's
do it. I've had nothing from me, as I said,
for three times before this discussion even happened, So actions
speak loud the words. I've got no doubt he knows
you would have been beaten. But this time, I think

(24:26):
probably the fact he has waited. He's four years younger
than me. It probably is a fifty to fifty five
now it's going to be very very interesting. But I
just think I've got too much, too much for him,
I really do.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
How hard do you mean? How hard do you mean
because you're a fit dude and you work very hard,
How hard have you been training?

Speaker 3 (24:41):
Oh? Look, no, than I normally would, to be honest, Obviously,
the sparring is a part I've got to pick up now.
Six weeks out, got to pick up the sparring. And
that's you know, I love training. I train every day.
I think that's mental health and it's just something I
liked to do so, but sparring is different.

Speaker 4 (24:56):
Sparring is not healthy.

Speaker 3 (24:58):
You get you got bigger. And look, I was spoken
to doctors about somebody's talking about concussion that these days.
I was spoking the doctors about it. And they tell
me that that getting knocked out was not good for you.
Ain't me wrong, but I getting knocked out is not good.
It's it's it's the constant. It's the repeated rattling of
the brain, repeated ratling, week after week, month after month.
You after you, that's what that's what builds issues with

(25:19):
your brain. So look, they've sort of said to me,
doing this one more time, we can't say it's gonna
be good for It's.

Speaker 4 (25:26):
Not gonna be good for you.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
But you know hopefully that you ain't got too much.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
My question I was going to ask you, is okay
he going to fight Sonny? But I was blatantly clear
because his style is range, you're getting in nice and
close to him. I remember asking Hopper once just as
you were just starting, we were about to start your
your boxing career. And I said to the Hopper he said,
I'll do a bit of sparring with goal. I said,
how did you go? He said, fuck, couldn't coop your
He said he was just kept coming at me and

(25:51):
coming at me and coming at me. He said he
was fucking relentless and he hit me on the elbow,
and just I mean, that's so, that's like, I mean,
that's clearly obviously going to fight, you know, the two
different styles, just getting in tight with him.

Speaker 4 (26:03):
That's why he wants two minu rounds.

Speaker 3 (26:04):
Like I'm like, it's this is one of the most
embarrassing things we're talking about.

Speaker 4 (26:09):
Something to people.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
William's Cross Coade superstar claims his one title boxing titles
and he wants to fight two minute rounds. It's it's
for me. It's just guards to show how much his
fight means to him. Like for me, it's professional sport.
There's a winner and a loser. I win this fight,
how's my life change. It doesn't. It's not gonna change.
So where we get paid the same amount of money,
life goes on. We foundly still there to my if

(26:30):
I lose the fight, same thing. So but I just
feel like this, this fight to him just means so
much like it's just it's like his legs, he's going
to change and he loses. And that's why he's never
want to do it, no Doubt's where I never.

Speaker 4 (26:40):
Ever wanted to do it.

Speaker 3 (26:41):
So to put he put his stamp on and say
no Monely fighting too minute rounds And basically that's what
the seven months of Negaisha was about. The rounds got
to the point where Ben kimber From stands, end of me, mate,
this is it, take a leave. He's not gonna he's
not going to do nothing else, which for a bloke
of his stature, he's so embarrassing to fight two minute rounds.
It's like it's like having a one hundred and twenty
k and monsters in your rugby league team, powerful fit fast.

(27:03):
At the fifty minute mark, they'll be up sixteen to
twenty fifty five minute mark, but by the eightieth minute
you're going to come home and get him every time.
That's that's just it's embarrassing for him. That's and when
you think about our styles, he wants two minutes because
you try and walk backwards while someone's trying to punch that. Yeah,
you can do it for a round or two. This
is three minute rounds. You do it for a round
or two, four or five six rounds, you're going to

(27:23):
get caught. So they're going to catch up out and
they knock you out. And he and he knows that.
That's why he does not want to do three minute rounds.
He knows he can't beat me out of three minute rounds.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
How monumentally different because a lot of people will listen
to who aren't fight people and will go, oh no,
two minutes, three minutes. How monumentally different is two to three?

Speaker 3 (27:40):
That's here in rugby league terms, is different between playing
eighty minutes and fifty five minutes. It's it's sure, we're
going for a three k run, but you only run
two and you've only run two k's not three like
it's it's it's hugely different. It's it's so different, it's
and he knows that. And then you get a minute
break in between, so he's got to work for two minutes.
They get a minute break. And as I said, look,
there's eight round is positive for me. You know if

(28:03):
he can't knock me. Look you I'd say this, if
he knocks me out in the first round, I'll shake
his hand and I'll say you're better than me, you
deserve it well done. If you can't do that, I've
got no interest in shaking his hand. I'll been polite
of him even after.

Speaker 4 (28:13):
I don't like the bloke.

Speaker 1 (28:14):
And things ever nearly got physicals right word, But have
you bloke's been in the same building or at the
same place at nine and had it clashed only once.

Speaker 4 (28:27):
It was sort of late twenty twenty two.

Speaker 3 (28:30):
Yeah, that was the only time we spoke about it,
coming away like let's get it done time thing and
he's like, sign the contract, mate, there is no contract.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 3 (28:38):
And that was only ones ever before that. We haven't
worked together often. But yeah, at the end of day,
you tell you to be professional and you go am.
You do your job and you go aim. So that
was the only time we had arguing about it back
in twenty twenty two, but we haven't nowther th Nay,
he's been fine.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
Let's talk about now boxing.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
Can we just just quickly just want to shout it
out because if if our listeners want to get tickets
on ticket Tek. July sixteenth, Sunny Bill Williams Versusaul Gallan
Kudos Bank Arena I'm sure you can watch it online
and stand as well. But just before we move off that,
do you have a walk out song? Is there one
that you always walk out?

Speaker 3 (29:14):
I do, and the only reason I've got it is
because my first ever fight, I didn't have a clue
what Chad Townsend picked it for me.

Speaker 4 (29:22):
It's played it all the origin.

Speaker 6 (29:26):
The cage Man Cashmere led Zeppelin did, Yeah, cash led
Zeppelin because there's a variation of Kashmir, but it's at
the moment I don't think it'd be politically correct to
play it.

Speaker 1 (29:40):
Oh, Chaddy, there was a remix where they used the
riff for Kashmere and the theme song of god Zillap,
but it was produced and.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Oh that's yeah, that's what I know.

Speaker 4 (29:51):
It's a good Zilla soundtrack. Yeah, well original, I know
what you're talking about. Now change.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Yeah, you want to to pick one for you.

Speaker 3 (30:02):
I'm a stick consistent. I'm very consistent, keep things the
same when things are going okay, and.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
Get do you your love rugby league and boxing? Which
one did you love more?

Speaker 4 (30:13):
Rugby leg Yeah, rubular man. I'm a rugby leage player.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
I'm a rud league player who I think reasonably tough
I did fight as a kid. Sorry, I boxed as
a kid. I never thought, never ever had a fight.
I never thought I'd have a fight. But I do
have a little bit of background in it as as
a kid, as a youngster going to going to the
local PC and Jim's at Marylands.

Speaker 1 (30:32):
And yeah, yeah, like rehab and or one.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
Day Chris Beatty ripped Nick young Quest and he's had
on his birthday or something, and I said that and
be sort of half hod to go at me. Chris
Anderson goes, let's gether, Let's gether gym Chris Beatty, and
I'm like, I was so scared. I've never been more
scared of my life. I'm walking out of Jason Steehens
and like, what do I do?

Speaker 4 (31:01):
I pray for you? So there, please anyway punch a
pissy out of him?

Speaker 2 (31:09):
What did all the boys like get around.

Speaker 3 (31:10):
And watch everyone was watching. I would never be more
scared in my life.

Speaker 1 (31:14):
They put the gloves and the head gear on, or
sometimes you didn't wear her gear and they just go
right o gal Chris Boody right over next Nick Grahame Maddie.
Remember once I had to fight David Tanger To tell
you my tangles had thirty on me.

Speaker 3 (31:27):
But we did do it all the time. It's Jason
Stevens not Carlove that one day like we're doing a
two on one. Johny Lewis used to come and do
with us and and Steve you got punching.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
The bait turned around that it was a body body spark.

Speaker 3 (31:38):
One punch was showing the gin knocked him out cold
in the ring. That's how he was a train They
can imagine that.

Speaker 2 (31:44):
You go, that's when you were fighting, like the end
of a season when you're still playing. Was that tough?

Speaker 5 (31:49):
Like?

Speaker 2 (31:50):
Was that was that hard on the body?

Speaker 3 (31:51):
No, it depends if I had any injuries from the
footy season. But like the thing, the thing that I
found I worked out was hard about it. The club
wouldn'tlet me allow me to fight after Crew Smiths and
then eventually has things and on they let me have
one or two and my body shape I can't say
totally change. But you don't need the more must you've got,
the more oxygen you need to move around, and boxing
is like a very cuddier based sport, you know, so

(32:13):
you don't really need to be that must. You don't
need to do that much weights. So I'd be in
the preseason, I'll be boxing and I'd be flying at
all my all my running stuff. I'm not a great runner,
but i'll be I'm really good all my running more
testing times. I'll be flying. I'd be about one hundred
hundred and two kilos max footy would start to meet
coupleies of work and I would get injured. I'd get hurt.
I just have so many bumps and brutes had no

(32:34):
fat on me, hadn't they wait on me? So I
worked that out by the sort of the last three
of weeks in my career. Once once I finished fight
and I had to get back in the weights, had
to put weight back on, and they had to change
my body shape again. So yeah, well the preseasons were
good when I was boxing as far as quitness and
wise guys, Yeah, I just I couldn't play that.

Speaker 4 (32:50):
But that light away.

Speaker 3 (32:51):
Yeah, it wasn't a lot like probably four kilos to
play one hundred and sort of six kilosa, but it
doesn't And a lot of it was was mainly my body.
My whatdy fabercents. We get down below ten percent and
then all of a sudden you get back up to
fifteen sixteen, which was healthy for me.

Speaker 1 (33:05):
Get like when people talk about rugby league right in
professional sport, and I'm interested in wanting to say about
boxing because that's next level two up. People say, do
you get scared when you played rugby league? And you
weren't scared. What you're scared of was letting your mates down?
Make it an err or something like that. But boxing,
like you know, I suppose fear to a certain extent
isn't essential. Do you feel it when you walk out?

Speaker 3 (33:29):
I'm not.

Speaker 4 (33:30):
I'm not tough enough for craze or something ever. Scared.

Speaker 3 (33:32):
I was scared playing rugby league. Scared fear. There's fear
and everything you do, I think, and A really doesn't
have it or I think that line. Particularly in rugby league.
I I was scared of failing, and I think maybe scared.
Probably that was about letting your teammates down. But I
was also scared about getting hurt, getting smashed. There's lots

(33:52):
of things you're scared about, and boxing is the same.
You absolutely get scared, if we got it walking out,
like when you walk out, when you jump in that ring,
when everyone clears the ring, but you and the other
Blake in the ram. It's the biggest adrenaline dump I've
ever heard. And that's and that's it. I gotta be honest,
I'm looking forward to that again.

Speaker 1 (34:10):
That's why boxes come out of retirement all the time.

Speaker 3 (34:12):
That's what happens all and like certain guys have that
person that they chase that and they try to chase
it through otherwise when you're tiring. That's probably something I'm
gonna be careful, but I'm looking forward to that adrenaline
dump again. I can't wait for it to be honest.
But you know, as I said, it's all going to end.

Speaker 1 (34:28):
Let's get like comparing like nerves apprehension, Like you're coming
down the tunnel Grand Final Night against the Melbourne Store
on twenty sixteen, and you're walking walking toward the ring
against Justice Honey. Fear apprehension, nerves.

Speaker 3 (34:45):
I gotta say they're both. They're both similar. Yeah, they're
both similar because it's what you're trying to do. Maybe
you remember, like people like you think you get to
the ring and fights justice honey. Guys are that and
people are amazed by it, and but for me, it's
just what I've done. It's just what you do. Same
as rubby lock. People can't believe front rows send back
and run straight as hard they came at thirteen blocks.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
They can't.

Speaker 3 (35:05):
That's why it's so popular because the four hundred people
playing in a reality each year are doing whatever the
rest society can't do. No matter how much people think
they can do it, want to do it, and they
judge them they can't do it. That's what makes rugby
league so popular. And that's a similar thing to boxing.
So it's whatever you're prepared to do. So I prepare
to fight. I spar a hell of a lot leading
into a fight, so I sort of know what to

(35:27):
expect and I'm just prepared for it.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
But a state of origin, you oftentimes played eighty minutes
in the state of origin wherever you're more fatigued final
around the boxing match, well, seventieth minute. When you're playing
eighty minutes in an.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
Origin, that's that's a that's a hard yeah, probably probably origin,
Probably origin because in boxing year so you want to
be throwing punches all the time, but you've got to
cover up, is real. You can't just be throwing punches,
really know, You've got to be able to cover up,
and you've got to defend. So probably probably boxing, but
it's a different sorry, probably origin, but it's a different fatigue,
like again the tenth round verse. Justice here and I've

(35:59):
got to be like one thing that annoys you. What
something said the other day he said, I look at
this guy. I thinks he's so tough, walks around talking
about all the fires he's had. Man, I don't talk
about any fight I've had ever. And if you can
find any any footage of me or any tape of
me talking about any fight I've had, I'll take it back.

Speaker 4 (36:15):
But I don't talk about him now. I don't talk
about no one.

Speaker 3 (36:17):
I'd thought the only one I've ever spoken about when
asked about it is Justice, honey, because the step in
the ring with that bloke was unbelievable, like it was
a something going effort. He's fighting this weekend aver in
Wembley against Ward in the bloke's name. He's he Winsy's
fight at acceleration to a chance at the world title.
He's now ranked number one in the wall. But there

(36:37):
was a guy we flew in for sparring who we
got told him and who he went neck and neck inspired.
That'd be neck and like fifty to fifty, and I
was and I was sparring this boke and I was
going pretty good. I thought I was almost fifty fifty
with him, like he's a good fight. He' Olympics and
all that. So I went into horney confidence. At the
end of the first round, I turned around to my coin,

(36:58):
Oh fuck, like it was made. I have sparred everyone
in Australia from joy Ape and tire Mark. Can't everyone?

Speaker 4 (37:06):
All the good fighters hop it?

Speaker 3 (37:07):
Back then when I was younger, I'll spart everyone. Jason
Waiteley's a bloking forth football title cruise. We'll spark everyone.
And I have never experienced speed. And they broke me
two of my ribs in the first round, like precision punching.
It was amazing. And now that I've done it and
I've experienced it, like I know, it's a weird thing

(37:28):
to say, but it was. It was a pleasure being
in there with him, just to be able to go
into experience. That's what everyone said. It said, when you know,
would you find Mike Tyson for a million bucks? Like, oh, yeah,
of course, but that's just because you want to be
a tough guy and say yes. But I legitimately think
to be able to get in the ring of that bloke,
maybe look at it. You didn't want to get killed,
but in his prime to say you foughting would have.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
Been it'd be a good experience if that's.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
What you want to do, if you got out of
her life. Yeah, as I said that, that's why I
think of who he find I'm just like, what an honor.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
To go in the ring with bloke.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
It was unbelod Do you have him as the best
fight he ever fought against?

Speaker 4 (38:02):
That by far? Mate?

Speaker 3 (38:05):
Like, like I said, I'll sparred everyone. Sparring is not fighting,
but the speed and the precision and the skill. And
he's here one second, there, the next, there the next,
like the angles he could do and just just what
he could do, how fast and precise he was.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
If you got sparring with your net, are you still
sparring with Curtis?

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (38:25):
I do spy with Curtis Big Jackson.

Speaker 3 (38:27):
Murray is a bloke who he's a really good He's
one of I was Anders the world champion, is one
of his spying partners for for a couple of his fights,
So he spired everyone all around the world. Is actually
on his way to think Argentina on Monday for a
fight over there. He's really good to me. Jason Waiteler's
a bloke reviews.

Speaker 4 (38:45):
In the past.

Speaker 3 (38:45):
He fought for the world title in the cruiseweight division.
So there's a number of guys were gathered. There's you
got internal to gyms and you just spy whoever you can.
It works, yeah, sometimes. I remember one time we went
out went out to camp but then you've got to
travel a bit for sparring too. I went out of
Campbelltown and I went to spar one bloke and want
to do six rounds. We've done the first round against

(39:07):
him and I did keep a fairit of pressure on
him and he didn't come out for the second round.
So I said the bloke. The trainers said, well we
need to spark mate. I sparred five different blakes in
six rounds. So he done the first round. I sparred
four other blakes and he done the last round just
fresh blow.

Speaker 4 (39:25):
Actually yeah, one of them was the old footy player
I just played for Power. I feel so bad forgetting
his name Brown No no, no no.

Speaker 3 (39:36):
From's from Penrith and played for Para. I remember his
name by then, but yeah, it was a really nice
fellow sparred him, and yeah, got a good working out
of it.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
That just certainly when you see he broke your ribs
in the first round and you get in there and
you realize, mate, I'm against a true pro technician. What
was what went through your mind when you walk back
to the to your corner and sat down on the stool.

Speaker 3 (39:58):
Well, then in the first I was like wow, like
I remember walking back on this place is fucking unbelievable,
Like I just I couldn't believe how fast. I couldn't
believe the angles he could produce and how fast he
could produce them. And then I don't really remember too
much about the rest of the fight.

Speaker 4 (40:13):
What el was disappointed.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
I won one round, one run, and that's what clained
the fame. One round against the world champion. But what
frustrated me was the last round, round ten, I actually
tacked him. He sort of tried to push me aun
we fell on the ground. The floor got really wet
and slippery, and we actually both slipped. I fell over
the death of ref count as a knockdown, and then
after I got up and he stopped the fire about

(40:35):
a minute ago and that sort of a I would
have liked to finish the fight. I'm not sayingly he
wouldn't want not knock me out at last minute. I
was pretty out of my feet, to be honest, but
I thought, you know the referee is going to stop.
Then he probably would have stopped at the fifth or
sixth round when I couldn't win the fight, rather than
stopping with one minute to go in the last. But yeah,
what mate, I just remember, I remember got me trained
just trying to turn hit him too the body more.

(40:57):
That was one thing I remember. But yeah, man, it
was just too good.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
Yeah, yeah, he seems like a tough I wouldn't get
in the ring. Is there any of the NFL players
right now?

Speaker 4 (41:07):
Finish?

Speaker 1 (41:08):
Just finish that sentence you started like you had the
common sense to just I said.

Speaker 2 (41:12):
I wouldn't get ring worm. That's what I said. Definitely,
I jump in the ring, and I knock most lightweights out.

Speaker 3 (41:17):
I'm talking to you, seeing Walker.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
I wouldn't say he probably still knocked me out. Who
in the NFL, because there's a few boys of box
like Nelson Nelly from Welly. He's bocked that guy in
Bali and he's boxed a few boys. Yeah do you
who do you look at of the carr and crop
and go like.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
Yeah, I don't. I haven't haven't seen any fighter. Would
like to see Big Nelson doing. He's a big enough body,
so I've heard he goes okay, so that'd be pretty
cool if you can jump in, But I don't know
who else. There's always chat about blakes. Yeah, you never know,
Like I'll be honest with that. So many blayers can fight,
like jump in the street fight and punt someone. But
when you when you're in a ring.

Speaker 4 (41:52):
It's just as different.

Speaker 6 (41:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
Yeah, when you're in there for three minutes at a
time or two minutes out of time, whatever it might be,
it's it's a whole lot different than what you think.
And a lot of guys who think they can get
in there.

Speaker 1 (42:04):
Like a lot of football players, when they go out there,
some people will see them and they'll see them as
a target out and about. And you're the double mate,
You're not just a well known football or a football legend.
Is to make your boxer as well. And I've read
a thing with Mike Tyson where Tyson said you would
not believe this When I was young my prime, I
would walk out and someone would still want to have
a go. Do you get that?

Speaker 3 (42:23):
It's it's torture, It really is.

Speaker 4 (42:25):
It's it is. And I'll be honest.

Speaker 3 (42:28):
Last year I said twenty twenty three was my gap year,
and I did let loose a fair bit. I've been
off for drinks since twenty twenty four. I slip up
it in Vegas ever this year, but that but I'm
back of it again, so I don't drink as much
as I used to. If it all the moment I'm
not something I'm gonna drink again, I will.

Speaker 4 (42:46):
But yeah, it is.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
It is hard, death, very and there's nothing you can
You can't throw punch. If you go and throw a
punch and hurt someone, that's.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
Well do you do the old Hey, I can't legally
hit you because my hands are classes.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
That I was unforgaping a fair but there was actually one.
It would have been last year. At some stage I
was down by the worst of this is worth him
and a bloke come up behind me and like you know,
the mate comes up behind him grabs you on the neck.
He grabbed me on it like hard, hard, too hard.
But you know, I thought I just thought of the

(43:20):
mate and I turned around. He's like, hey, mate, and
just went to shook my hands. I shook his hands
to day and I was just nice anyway. Sure enough
he's fucking pricked some prickers video on his mate mates
the video, so they've obviously wanted me to react and lucky,
if you listen, you're a low pricker.

Speaker 4 (43:37):
And then they stuck it on social media.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
And the only reason I knew about it was because
a friend of mine knew them and said, what happened here?
And I didn't actually do any actually turn shook the
bloke's hand, but there obviously wanted me to react.

Speaker 4 (43:54):
You're a distrass.

Speaker 1 (43:56):
What's the matter with some people?

Speaker 4 (43:58):
They want to see that these days?

Speaker 3 (43:59):
But the war.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Eving, you'd think you'd think like you wouldn't. I personally wouldn't.
You wouldn't go up to a bloke who you know
you can fight, and it's been playing regularly for a
long time, try to pull him one. I remember when
we were in Byron Bay twenty twenty in Covid we
had a big trip after the premiership for Storm. Me
and Cheese were at the pie shop in Byron Bay,
which if you're in Byron on a late night. Usually
there's kebabs around here. You go and get a pie

(44:20):
at like three am. It's awesome. They got the best pastry.
Gy appattire was there. We're talking to Giant. This bloke
comes up to him, knew he was a fighter and
like this young surfy dude would have been like nineteen,
and just sledged him like relentless, almost wanted him to
knock him out. And Brandon was holding the kid back, going.

Speaker 1 (44:38):
Like you might die the you literally may like it.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
It's not even I don't know what you're trying to
get out of this, like just a drunk idiot obviously,
but I cannot understand the some of the judgment on
these days, going oh, like this would be funny.

Speaker 3 (44:53):
We talk about Gian the best cruise wait in the world,
so it can happen to anyone, and unfortunately does that
for me.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
Yeah, Gal, last fight.

Speaker 4 (45:03):
I'm forty.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
I'm forty four in August, which is three or four
weeks after this fight. I've been retired for a class
of three years now. I never thought i'd in boxing.
I'm a footy player. I wonder when the premiership done.
That played from my stay player for my country. Boxing
was as something I never got to do for money.
That's the reason I've accepted the two minute rounds. I've
called myself a prize spot from day one. I'm not

(45:24):
going to change that. If I can get the same
amount of money for fighting for sixteen minutes as I
can for twenty four, might as well do it.

Speaker 4 (45:30):
So I'm going to do it. But this will be
the last fight.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
You've been torturing, so don't I mean, you play it
till the toughest been evolved, till the toughest sports since
You've been a very young boy, you know, and and
a lot of blakes. You know, we always talk about,
you know, rugby league and rightfully sail about the CTWO.
But boxing is a whole nother level. And I've heard
you before talk, I've had conversations before, and i've heard
your slur before. Today you're as good as goal right,

(45:56):
You're clear as a whistle.

Speaker 4 (45:57):
I did know I slurred before.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Actually maybe I was just run in Vegas.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
Have not heavily. But you know, I don't know if
anyone said that, but I've picked it up before, but
today I don't know whether before you're tired or whatever.
But you you're sweet. Do you ever think about it?

Speaker 4 (46:14):
Gal?

Speaker 2 (46:15):
Do you?

Speaker 4 (46:16):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (46:16):
And it's because there's so much chat about it's not
to not to think about. Because I talk in the media.
I do notice, like on radio, by the back end
of a seven hour day, I do get tired, and
I actually think myself. Am I speaking clearly so that
that does happen. But I said, I've had I've had
my brain scammed, my brain tested. I went, I went
and spent two days with professors up in Newcastle, and

(46:37):
that everything tested.

Speaker 4 (46:38):
They set them in a good spot.

Speaker 3 (46:40):
But they said, we just don't we can't give you
a long term diagnosis because we just don't know how
it's going to be. Like five years. They said, for
five years you'll be okay. And I said, and I said,
in five years, that's like's three years ago.

Speaker 4 (46:52):
Now, Yes, we just don't know. We don't know.

Speaker 3 (46:56):
But they they said, the brain can heal, can heal.
That does get better. So I think there's a lot
of people that say they did say to me, if
anyone tries to tell you got CT or you're going
to get CTE, don't listen to all they're trying to
do is create a hysteria because they're probably looking for
funding as far as doctors go, right, So these doctors said,

(47:17):
you cannot at the moment. I don't know if it's
changed the last three years, but we cannot tell you
have CT into your diet cut your brain open. And
he said, there's been lots of cases where there's been
boxes fight, There's all sorts of different people have had
head trauma. Alcoholics, drug addicts who cut their brain open,
not a problem with them. And then there's women who
have never had contact in life get dementia and things

(47:38):
like that. So it's look, obviously, going and standing on
a highway your chance to hit by a car. And
that's that's what I'm doing. I'm fighting. I'm playing rugby
league for a long time, so my chances might be more.

Speaker 4 (47:50):
But you know, we just don't know. How are your
kids now sixteen? Fourteen?

Speaker 3 (47:55):
I was skilled sixteen, My son's fourteen, and then two
girls are ten and seven.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
How did they go?

Speaker 1 (48:01):
Like your wife, she's a pretty tough woman. I've meant
a couple of times, and she's seeing your play football
all the time. So step on the What about the kids?
As they started to get older and they're seeing dad
hopping the ring against like a justice Hernie in that.
Did it impact them much?

Speaker 3 (48:16):
No, they like My oldest daughter is at sixteen, she's
sort of in the rain world at the moment, so
she doesn't care too much about it. My son, my
last couple of fights, I let him come due respect
to high John that I was pretty certain I was
going to win if I if I just sort of
turned up and had to do. And the first one
was was going to be dusty there for a while.
But yeah, they forgot the just he come to those fights,

(48:37):
and I was happy to let him be there.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
He'll come to this one, but I'm not golowd to
be in.

Speaker 3 (48:41):
The corner of this one. This is a bit a
bit different on there. There's going to be a few
more people at these ones. But he'll come to the fight.
He's okay with it. He was looking he wasn't the
first fight off what up in coins and he was.
He got scared. He got scared they getting punch. He
wasn't happy with it. He doesn't come and watch me
spar anymore after that. After that night, he won't come
watch me spa. So I think he's at the age

(49:03):
now around the stands and he's a little bit concerned
that the two the two young ones.

Speaker 1 (49:07):
They just they's going on, Yeah, you're worse at home.

Speaker 3 (49:13):
Sharky supporters, Yeah, yeah, I think so. Yeah, they don't
really talk about anyone else, but they like going down
the Sharkis games and yeah they Sharky.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
Who's their player?

Speaker 3 (49:23):
I think Nick is probably everyone's player.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
A just finally gout what do you think about? What
do you think about the Sharky's issue, Because I just
as soon as I fall in love with them and say, yep,
they were definitely a top full side. Yeah, they're a contender.
They put in a blood of performance.

Speaker 3 (49:42):
Yeah, and that's been a little bit frustrating when you're
sort of in This is the thing about rugby league
and you know, as your name maybe like you, what
you do on the field, all that matters. It doesn't
matter what your week's been like, how you prepared, what
goes good, what goes bad, what you do on the field,
all that matters. And yeah, a couple of weeks ago
the Sharks had a really poor lost. I knew they
had a bad week that week. They had a lot
of players in trains a couple of injury clouds and

(50:03):
they went out there and performed like that. But the
fans don't care about it. They don't care about what's
happened during the week. They care about the performers that
you put in and they've they've let themselves down on
a couple of occasions like that. So they've just got
to get better at that. And they're probably getting towards
the stage now this year, next year maybe where you know,
the learning phase or they're getting together phase is gone.

Speaker 4 (50:22):
It's about what you do as a team and they.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
I think time's been Playing together is pretty important in
this competition, and they've had they've got that start. This
year is the Yeah, they've got that. They've got some
guys coming towards end of the contracts, so they want
to keep this team together and do something together. They've
got to do it Adam Adam Fan or Blake at
the side, which is probably the best middle of the competition.

(50:46):
So they've got the makings there. It's just up them
to start believing in themselves and in big like this
is the thing about the Sharks, and you know, they
seem to be so good for the majority of the game.
But sometimes at the back end of the game, when
there's big has come up where you that's when your
big name players stand up and get it done. That
they've probably fallen over a couple of times there. And

(51:06):
you know, I don't at him even and Nick Everyone
looks at Nicko and I love Nick is a great guy.
He's terrific, terrific. And what I felt so so for
was the Tigers game at like heart hit the forty
meter field goal and they hit the post and bounced
directly that way, like five cent to meets hits going
straight through the post. That's all he needs, That's all

(51:27):
the blatant needs some to fall his way. And I
just feel it, like Niko, if you listen, keep doing
what you're doing, keep working hard, because it's going to
turn like look, not that not that he's done anything wrong,
but he's going to have one of their moments four
for him, and when he does, the lords click friends.

Speaker 4 (51:44):
But about the previous the rest of the game, he's
a gun.

Speaker 3 (51:48):
But when you're that I understand the pressure and the
expectation in that position. But he's so close.

Speaker 1 (51:53):
To getting It's funny ga watching him in the last
four or five weeks. I think he's been really good.
It's almost almost back who's gally in form. But what
happens is there's so many people in the game that
don't know the game, and so when someone starts saying,
oh geez, he's struggling, he's struggling, he.

Speaker 2 (52:08):
Starts I know.

Speaker 4 (52:10):
You know what. You know.

Speaker 2 (52:11):
The worst thing for that has been super Coach because
people go if people look at super shows goes. But
this look at he only got sixty points, whereas this
half got one hundred and ten points. He was quiet.
But you look at the you look at what they
do for the team, how they create for other players.

Speaker 3 (52:23):
The week of the Nick thing, I think we were
or two later, Latrell kicked the fifty minute field goal
and scored a try. I'll be honest, Latroll done nothing
and I love the Joys and absolutely superstar, superstar and
he's awesome. But for the previous seventy nine minutes of
the game, he just cruised around, caught the ball, passed
his wing as you take it back. But you know what,
when the big moments come around, who puts his hand

(52:45):
up fifty meter field guy and then scores a try?
At the back end of the game is to obsult
in the wound. But yeah, like this plays with that,
especially the special talents. But again I feel sorry for
guys that Nicola, who are doing killing it for seventy
nine minutes of the game.

Speaker 4 (52:59):
Then when the games are want everyone was to judge.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
You on that.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
Yeah, did you have any players like that? Like who
you were someone that grind out eighty minute performance, show up,
fill the space, do the ship that people didn't want
to do. Who was the player in your career that
you looked at and you go like you used to
try to fucking get the best out because you knew
how fucking talented they were.

Speaker 3 (53:16):
Ben Pomo was probably one of them, Oh really, because
he made up they ever met a blake stronger or
more athletically gift than he was.

Speaker 4 (53:23):
But it was just so lazy.

Speaker 3 (53:25):
It was like poor Pronsee was another one made Poor
Fronsi was the most talented gift the club ever seen,
but he was just he was just too lazy. Jimmy
Mulaney was a jim Mulaney was. It was probably a
little bit like that, remember one day and that Jimmy
wouldn't do waight you'd muck around the gym all the time.
The trainer said, anyone, Jimmy, pull your head in, start
training or go on, yes okay, and turn up the

(53:47):
next day like nothing happened. And I'm just like, are
you fucking serious? Like he guess what he told me
to go am? I said, to give you the option,
hopefull you pull your head and he goes you just
have to go on one name like he was just
but then I meet once semi finals rolled around. I've
never seen a changing attitude. He led led like in
video sessions he'd bring a pack of chips in and
purposely just to take the piss and.

Speaker 2 (54:11):
Just I'll tell you what Flannel would have hated.

Speaker 1 (54:16):
I'd heard he get it once with belly ache. There
was a morting video session when he was Melbourne his
first year and they're all doing something and also you
know what, and he's just gone.

Speaker 2 (54:27):
You know what? That was That was pre game, so
he was he hadn't even debuted yet pre and for
those people who have seen Craig Bellamy before a game,
you don't even speak to him like before the boys
go warm up, because he's just an anxious mess. And
he used to try to get anybody who wasn't in
the eighteen get out of the change room, just get
out of belly ACH's way under the boys as a
sort of plane to Maloney went in there, got a
coke zero from the fridge and a pack of Smith's

(54:48):
crips and were sitting on the massage table while everyone
was stretching, just eating him. Apparently it was like just
so fucking loud, says, get the fuck out of this change.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
But as soon as semi finals right around, mate, lead
lead video sessions, lead train sessions, an amazing guy. We
wouldn't won the comment about him. I remember that we
played the Dogs when the Dogs have been as eighteen
and il we come back and we scored. They scored
three tries, kicked all the guys. We'd got four tries
by the back end of the game, and we're on
eighteen points each with them. So Jimmy must kick one goal,
couldn't couln't keep nothing else. He kicked from the sideline

(55:21):
to win the game. Bell rung and everything I said,
Jimmy would want to give it to someone else because
you kicked one from three, because you're fucking serious, Like
it looked at me like I'm a dickead. I said, no,
he please kick this easy, kicks it from the sideline. Oh,
right now it's on the side to win the game.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
But that's just a h was a free.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
Remember Nathan Nathan Cleary were saying that when Jimmy Maloney
went to Penrith with him, it was just like I
just learned like everything that I sort of learned coming in.
It was like such a such a nice lesson from Jimmy,
just to see how you make an error and in
five seconds it's just like water just roll straight off in.
You're just rare blokes.

Speaker 4 (55:55):
Oh it wasn't five seconds, it was point five on
the second.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
Really slayer a clipping lines. Those blokes are blessed. We
just just got.

Speaker 2 (56:04):
Joe like that.

Speaker 5 (56:05):
Actually, I got a question for Gal for his finish up. Actually,
I found it really interesting when you spoke about back
end of your career when you're boxing and then going
back to pre season you lost your tread weight and
you'd come back and you get injuries at the early
part of the year. Obviously in the like, I'd love
to see what your stance is on the last five years.
The game's quickened up so much it's actually forced middle

(56:25):
forwards mean coop debut through COVID, it's actually forced middle
forwards and pretty much all forwards in general to be smaller.
And obviously we're seeing an increase in particularly soft tissue
injuries in forwards like Jacob Sophieti, for example, has had
two calf injuries to start the year in twenty twenty five.
What do you think on do you think there's a correlation.

Speaker 3 (56:44):
There, Well, probably has to be somewhere. I mean, I
think how many forwards you see to hamstrings back in
the day. Now, I know everyone's getting bigger and fitter
and faster. I do think when they the sixty Gay
come in that changed the game. And I remember when
it was sixty go all over the park big, like
I was a big Nelson almost lost to the game,
Like Nelson was non existing.

Speaker 4 (57:03):
He just he couldn't.

Speaker 3 (57:05):
The game was too fast and it was too big.
Now it's come back a bit where I think that
they'd come back in the game a little bit. But yeah,
I do agree that the bigger players than Nelson's like,
they still got a part in the game, but they're
probably not playing it for as long as they once
did could injury wise, I'm I'm not a doctor or
phys he had to know enough about the injuries. But

(57:26):
you know, I think if it's if we're seeing more
while the game's gotten fast, there probably as to be
some sort of correlation.

Speaker 4 (57:31):
They're how we get around it.

Speaker 1 (57:33):
I'm not too and but you know, and the thing
about it is gal Jack Coops is that every time
you change the real or a certain rule, there will
always be injuries as they're different injuries. And I like
the I like the limited inner change and I like
the speed of the game because what it does it
does take juice out of the really big blokes they're
like for me, a fatigue injury is less than an

(57:54):
explosive injury. Like if you've got blokes on the field,
big blokes that are fresh, unlimited in the change back
in the mate, they'd just be charging at you like
all games. And you know, have fresh blakes on the field.
Just who one hundred and twenty one hundred and twenty
five kilos made the damage that they would do Like
it was just it was just over the top.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
See like it allows it allows bokes like Kurtman when
he plays lock when even when Connor Watson plays plays
stints at Locked. It brings those blokes into the game.
It'll it'll be good for cheese l Brandon Smith at
South if they put him at Lock.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
Yeh.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
Like it brings those kind of players in.

Speaker 1 (58:29):
And the other thing it does it actually you get
it rewards blokes like Galmore because blokes who train their
asses off to play eighty minutes and can do those
long minutes. Mate, what used to happen. We used to
get repeat sets and the opposition two middles to put
their hand up, go have their ball one blake come
on and when they got possession back hands up again.

(58:49):
Like you were playing against some teams that did over
forty interchanges in the.

Speaker 2 (58:53):
Gaar shit, unless you're paying ass who just he's just
got sized power and stays out there's okay, Well mate,
you're going to hit up the highway.

Speaker 4 (59:02):
Gal up to new corts of the night.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
Appreciate your time, Gal. That we do to you again, brother,
Thanks you to you guys, and good luck, good luck
to fight man.