No Limit Boxing/Stan

The long-awaited clash between Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallen has finally been locked in, with the boxing showdown to take place on July 16 at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.

Streaming platform Stan will host the pay-per-view event, which is expected to garner significant attention despite both men being past their athletic primes.

For years, the former footy stars have traded barbs over a potential match up, but an agreement could never be reached.

Most recently, the sticking point between the pair appeared to be the length of rounds, with Gallen pushing for the standard three-minute rounds, while claiming SBW would only agree to fight over two minutes per round.

The card will also feature the rescheduled Tyson Pedro vs. Kris Terzievski fight, seven months on from the initial bout being abandoned due to a contract dispute.

More to come.

SBW vs. Gallen: Who will win?

It’s an interesting question. And that’s why people want to see them fight.

Each has impressed along their boxing journeys, often managed while juggling careers at the highest level of rugby league, and in Williams’ case, union.

Sonny Bill Williams boxing record:

The 39-year-old Williams holds a professional record of 9-1.

SBW’s boxing journey began back in 2009, during his stint in French rugby, and saw him claim the vacant NZ heavyweight title three years later.

His biggest win came in 2013 in controversial circumstances against a diminished Francois Botha, who had won the IBF world title in 1995 before being stripped after failing a drug test.

The taller more athletic of the pair, Williams would certainly be considered the “boxer” and Gallen the “fighter” when they meet in the ring.

Williams’ last fight also came in November 2022 and is the only loss on his record, a fourth-round knockout defeat to Mark Hunt.

Paul Gallen boxing record:

Gallen, 43, currently holds a 15-2-1 record in professional boxing.

While many of those wins came against fellow footballers, he did claim impressive scalps over legitimate fighters in Herman Purcell, Hunt and, most notably, a first-round knockout of former world champion Lucas Browne.

His two losses came in Australian title fights against Justis Huni and Kris Terzievski.

Gallen’s strengths in the ring are undoubtedly his stamina and his durability, more often than not wearing down his opponents with a high pace and an aggressive inside game.

His last fight came back in November 2022, a win in a rematch with Justin Hodges.

SBW vs. Gallen: Common opponents

The pair have two common opponents on their records.

In another hyped footy fight, Gallen faced off with AFL great Barry Hall in 2019, sharing the points with a majority draw over six two-minute rounds.

When SBW took on Hall in 2022 it was a different story, with Williams stopping “Big Bad Barry” in the opening round.

In 2020, Gallen claimed a unanimous-decision win over combat sports icon Hunt, while “The Super Samoan” stopped Williams in four rounds two years later.