Paul Gallen believes he is ready for Sonny Bill Williams, claiming that most of the men he has trained with in preparation for the long-awaited showdown would beat his opponent.
The pair faced off at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday afternoon, with tensions nearly boiling over as they prepare to settle their rivalry that has been building for over a decade.
While Gallen recently said he was doing less sparring than he normally would in this camp, he reinforced that his sparring partners held him in good stead for the fight.
Sonny Bill Willams vs Paul Gallen at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on July 16 is available to order live and exclusive on Stan Pay-Per-View for $70
“I’ve sparred really well,” he said at Tuesday’s weigh-ins.
“I’ve sparred with some really good guys. I think most of the guys I’ve sparred with would have beaten Sonny, and I handled myself OK.”
His sparring partners have included former NRL player Curtis Scott and undercard fighters Johan Linde and Kane Baker, who will go head to head on Wednesday night.
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Paul Gallen during a training session at 43 Kingsway. Getty
Gallen then doubled down on his statement when speaking with Wide World of Sports afterwards.
“That’s my opinion – they’re experienced fighters,” he said.
“I just think a lot of them would beat him, yeah.”
Paul Gallen stands on the scales during his weigh-in at Qudos Bank Arena. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
With Williams standing around 12cm taller than Gallen, the former Blues captain opted for height with his training partners.
“Sonny is 6’3 tall (191cm) while Johan is 6’6. The other guys are sort of 6’2, 6’3,” Gallen said.
“Obviously, the height is something we’ve got to get used to, and they’re all good boxers with experience.
“I’ve been lucky, I’ve sparred pretty much everyone in Australia when I was doing it properly years ago.”
Ultimately, Gallen believes his training has been optimal given his age.
“Obviously, sparring and fighting are two different things, but I take a lot of confidence out of the sparring that I’ve done over the years. I’ve got the runs on the board there,” he said.
“I’m just confident in the preparation I’ve had, and that’s all I can bring it back to. I can’t worry about what [Sonny’s] done or anything else. I can only worry about what I’ve done, and it’s been pretty good.
Ahead of their heavyweight bout on the undercard of the SBW v Gallen fight, Baker and Linde both backed their training partner to stop Williams.
“A big shout out to Gal,” Linde said.
Kane Baker and Johan Linde have been training with Gallen. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
“If I had to pick someone, I reckon it’s going to be Gal. He’s going to be tough. It’s been a good prep. Obviously, for me, it was somewhat of a similar demographic, with Kane at cruiserweight. So he’s been good for preparation.”
Baker is also mates with Gallen and believes his resilience and strength will see him get the job done.
He says he’s sparred about 50 rounds with the former Sharks captain in recent weeks.
“Gal, in the most positive way possible, is a dog, and I think the dog is going to win the fight come Wednesday night, 100 per cent,” he said.
“I’ve probably done over 50 rounds with him for this camp. He’s a massive reason why I’m on [the card].
“I back him 100 per cent.”
With both Linde and Baker hoping to have absorbed some of Gallen’s strength and mental toughness to bring down the other, they saw eye to eye on one thing.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Gal,” Linde said.
“That’s the one thing we probably can agree on before Wednesday night is that we think he is going to give Sonny Bill a good run for his money.
With both Williams and Gallen making weight, their next encounter will be in the ring on Wednesday night.
