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.

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Paul Gallen earned boxing bragging rights over rival Sonny Bill Williams, claiming a contentious split points decision in their Sydney showdown

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Williams’ persistent holding throughout the bout cost him dearly on the close scorecard

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.

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The Cronulla Sharks icon took the verdict with two judges awarding him the eight-round bout

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Some fans believe Williams did enough to get the decision, including his manager Khoder Nasser, who called the result ‘criminal’

‘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.