Latest news with #PaulGallen
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How Anthony 'The Man' Mundine will bring 'purest form' of fighting to Australia with bare-knuckle boxing
Former world super-middleweight champion Anthony Mundine has urged the Australian public to embrace what he dubbed the 'purest form of fighting', bare-knuckle boxing. Mundine, 50, launched his venture this week ahead of the World Bare Knuckle Fighting card in Brisbane this September. 'I just want to put on the best shows, the best fights, and have the best entertainment and bring something different. There's something new. That's why I got involved,' he said. 'I'm a pioneer of a lot of things, and this is another thing that I'm pioneering. 'The fans are going to go crazy…it will sell out pretty fast. 'We are looking to bring an amazing show. An exciting, explosive show. And we can't wait.' Also speaking on Channel 9's Today with Karl Stefanovic, 'The Man' stated bare-knuckle boxing is the 'purest form of fighting' in his eyes - and actually safer than entering the ring with gloves on due to less head trauma. 'Look at the statistics,' he said. 'We will also have paramedics and doctors ringside.' Meanwhile, Mundine remains adamant his close friend Sonny Bill Williams won his recent bout against NRL legend Paul Gallen. Mundine, 50, launched the venture this week ahead of the World Bare Knuckle Fighting card in Brisbane this September (pictured, fighting Garth Wood in 2011) 'I thought he (Williams) outpointed him easily,' he said. 'And look at Gallen's face compared to Sonny's once the bout was over.' In May, Mundine attended his first official rugby league function in 25 years following his shock retirement in 2000 to boldly pursue a boxing career. Mundine burst onto the footy scene in the mid 1990s, signing with the Dragons at just 18 and making his first grade debut the following year. By the end of the decade he was a State of Origin representative with the NSW Blues, and his electrifying ability suggested he might go on to become one of the all-time greats. However, he walked away from the game in 2000 after growing disillusioned and bitter.
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Non-negotiable for me': The crazy numbers that have Blayke Brailey eyeing off contract extension with the Sharks
Blayke Brailey isn't focusing on a contract extension because he fears it could affect his scorching form, but the Sharks hooker can't see himself elsewhere with the dynamic runner playing better than he ever has. Cronulla's fortunes have often been linked to his running game, and it's no surprise to see them back in the top eight and winning games with Brailey setting up four tries in his past two matches. The man who never misses games has won the club's player of the year award in each of the past two seasons and would be high up on the leaderboard again in 2025. The local junior still has another year to run on his contract but must be a top priority for the Sharks given other clubs would break the bank for a player with his speed, durability and toughness in the middle. 'When contracts come up, you can get a bit sidetracked and your form can dip,' he said, revealing he's left it up to his manager to sort out. 'I'm just trying not to worry about it. I know that if my footy does the talking, that's all I'm worried about. I'm more focused on winning the next few games and cementing our spot in the top eight. 'I love this club, I grew up here and I was there when Gal (club legend Paul Gallen) lifted the trophy in 2016. 'I've never even given any thought (to playing for another club). I grew up in the area and played footy on the hill here at Shark Park, so this place is home. Hopefully, the club sees that as well.' Brailey ran for 78m in the win over the Dolphins and backed it up with a season-high 93m against the Roosters on Friday night to go with 45 tackles. He'd only run for 40m in one of his first 13 games of the season, but he's done it in each of his past five matches to go with five line breaks. 'I feel like I'm in a really good space at the minute with my defence and my running game, which is probably been the one thing that's everyone's noticed,' he said. 'I'm seeing the game really clearly and it makes the game a lot more enjoyable when I'm not just tackling the whole game. 'It's been a really good period for me and hopefully I can continue that going forward.' Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon was glad that other people were noticing how good Brailey is, while skipper Cam McInnes – who used to be a hooker before he moved to lock – spoke highly of what Brailey has brought to the club. 'If I played hooker and he plays hooker, then I didn't play hooker,' he said. 'I'm nowhere near that level of capability, so we're lucky to have him.' An incredible run from Blayke Brailey! ðŸ'¥ — NRL (@NRL) July 18, 2025 Brailey's running game is only possible if the forwards are winning the ruck, and it's vital for him to run amok to take pressure off the halves who have the time and space to finish off the attacking raids. There used to be a weekly obsession over his running numbers given Cronulla's winning percentage was linked to his darts from dummy-half, with Brailey declaring it a 'non-negotiable' for him to run, run and run again. 'It does slow down at times and I can see it unfolding and see myself running before it even happens. That's what's happening at the moment,' he said. 'I'm pretty happy with the patch I'm in, and hopefully I can run more, attack more and give the team whatever it needs to win. 'Fitzy always encourages me to run, and I'm at the point now in my game where if I don't run, I'm not happy. 'It's working out well for us that when I do run, we get on the front foot and it makes our side flow a lot better. 'I've put a lot of pressure on myself to run and it's a non-negotiable for me. I know if I don't run that I'll be pretty cranky and upset for the week.'
NZ Herald
17-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Why Sonny Bill Williams wore Johor flag on his strip in Paul Gallen fight
As Sonny Bill Williams walked into the boxing ring to fight Paul Gallen, he had two flags proudly displayed on the chest of his jacket and the back of his trunks. One was a Palestine flag, while the other was navy blue with a red section in the upper left
News.com.au
17-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Paul Gallen delivers huge ‘up yours' to Phil Gould after defeating Sonny Bill Williams
Paul Gallen has delivered a brutal 'up yours' to Phil Gould after beating Sonny Bill Williams by split decision on Wednesday night. After narrowly edging Sonny Bill in a main event classic, 'G-Train' brought an end to his boxing career that saw him take on some of Australia's biggest names in the sport, such as Justis Huni and Lucas Browne. Speaking in the mixed zone after the fight, Gallen said he was motivated to go out on a high, but the win was made even sweeter by the fact that, in doing so, he could give a big 'up yours' to Bulldogs supremo Gould. 'Do you know what I'm most happy with today? Gus Gould backed Sonny Bill Williams,' Gallen said. 'Let me tell you now, there's not a single person or single thing that someone can say that's going to motivate me more than I motivate myself, but every now and then I'm happy to say up yours. 'Gus, up yours. Got him!' However, Gallen's win didn't come without plenty of controversy, with many feeling Williams did enough to get the win. Williams looked far fitter and fresher in the early rounds, using his jab to good effect, before Gallen produced one of his trademark comebacks to take the win and all the bragging rights by split decision, 77-74, 74-77, 76-75. However, Aussie boxing legend Danny Green saw it differently. 'It's very difficult to score a fight when ... you're so involved in calling it; you're not really counting the punches,' Green said. 'But for me, Sonny landed the cleaner, harder, crisper shots that were more eye-catching, and professional boxing is scored on the cleaner, harder punches. 'I said, I questioned, 'Are the judges going to score those body shots?', and if they were, landed a tonne. So that was the difference, I guess.' Stan Sport commentator Renee Gartner also thought Williams did enough to get his hand raised. 'Yes, there were body punches from Gallen, but I just didn't think there was enough. I didn't think the workrate was there, and I don't think the defence was there, either. 'I do love Gal, he's one of my favourites, and I was backing him to win the fight, but I just thought it was more steered towards Sonny.' 'I was steering more towards Sonny. I thought even with the point off, I thought he was still in front there,' Gartner said. 'I thought he was a lot more tactical, he was a lot more evasive ... he landed more [punches], he was cleaner. And safe to say Williams didn't take the decision loss well either. Such was his dismay that he stormed out of the ring after the result was announced and refused to do a post-fight interview or address the media. After pushed for a comment on the result from the Sonny Bill camp, they came back with: 'You saw it, you can report on what you saw.'
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The two stupid mistakes that doomed Sonny Bill Williams to a loss against Paul Gallen in their controversial fight
Paul Gallen claimed a narrow win over bitter rival Sonny Bill Williams in their long-awaited grudge match on Wednesday night, leaving fight fans debating who really won the bout - but the result would have been very different if it weren't for two shocking errors by the former All Black. The Cronulla Sharks icon took the verdict with two judges awarding him the eight-round bout on scores of 77-74 and 76-75, with the third giving Williams the edge, 77-74. The heavyweight clash, fuelled by more than a decade of animosity, saw Williams make a couple of critical errors that cost him dearly. The first issue was the Kiwi's persistent holding throughout the bout, which Williams relied upon heavily to neutralise the pressure from Gallen. The tactic backfired in the seventh round when referee Les Fear penalised Williams with a point deduction after repeated warnings. Had that point not been deducted, the 39-year-old would have walked away with a draw. Williams continued to hold after the penalty and was threatened with disqualification in the final round, which saw him booed heavily by the crowd. The former Bulldogs and Roosters star's other mistake was his pre-fight insistence on two-minute rounds instead of the three minutes that is customary in professional boxing. The former All Black came into the bout in tremendous shape and had Gallen badly hurt in the second round after landing a series of punishing shots that left his rival in deep trouble. If Williams had another minute to keep blasting Gallen, he had a great chance of winning the bout then and there. Before the bout, MMA legend Mark Hunt - who fought both men - predicted that the shorter rounds could favour Gallen's sprint-like approach, and he was right. After he had his hand raised in victory, Gallen voiced his disbelief at the scoring, insisting he had only lost the second round. 'I definitely lost one round, I think the second round, and there was one other pretty close one and he got a point taken off, so how the hell is he winning [on one judge's card]?' a visibly angry Gallen said. 'I got the win. That's all that matters and it will be there forever,' he continued. 'I'm 44 years old in less than a month's time. 'Sonny just came up to me and said he wants to have a coffee man-to-man and I'm on for that. 'I've finished my fights, I'm getting on with my life. 'I'm not going to gloat, it's been a long time coming. I got the job done and that's all that matters,' added Gallen, while also revealing he had come down with COVID two weeks before the fight. Williams sought Gallen out to shake his hand before the scorecards were read out, but got a frosty reception as his rival argued and pointed his finger at him. Williams' camp was furious with the result, with his manager Khoder Nasser calling the decision 'criminal'. 'Only in Australia. No other [boxing] commission in the world would have a referee like that,' he told Stuff. '...the last judge lives in Cronulla [Gallen's home town]. A judge from Cronulla. Can you believe these authorities? To have a bloke from the same neck of the woods as the other guy. It's criminal.' Other boxing experts watching on, including Danny Green, believed Williams had done enough on the night to edge the decision. The result leaves Gallen with a pro boxing record of 15-3-1 with eight wins by knockout, while Williams sits at 9-2, with four wins by KO.
