A UFC great has been in the ring with Gallen and SBW. This is who he thinks will win

6 hours ago 2

Now that Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallen have finally come together at the official weigh-in and face-off before their anticipated fight, it’s time to separate them and find a winner.

The pair finally eyeballed each other at Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday, on the eve of the fight, with Williams weighing in at 106.5kg, slightly heavier than Gallen at 100.5kg. There were no pre-fight punches or high jinks, with neither prepared to risk the biggest payday of their career, an anticipated $1 million each via a 50-50 split.

Most bookmakers struggled to separate them for much of the lead-up, although the man known as SBW has shortened to become a slight favourite. So, who will win a grudge match that has been more than a decade in the making?

That was asked of Mark Hunt, who has been in the ring with both men. Hunt suffered a unanimous points decision loss to Gallen in 2020, before coming back to beat Williams in a fourth-round TKO two years later. That was the last fight for Williams before this one.

Even the UFC great struggled to pick a winner.

“It comes down to who brings it on the night,” said Hunt, who has been invited to witness the bout.

Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallen face off.

“They are both on the same level of fighting. They both want to prove a point, and that’s to shut each other up.

“It depends on if Sonny Bill knows how to use his advantages. He’s got the height and the reach, but he doesn’t know how to use it; he’s pretty raw in that sense.

“If Sonny Bill uses his length and the advantages that he does have, it will be an easy night for him. If he doesn’t, he will lose the fight.

“I think the advantage is for Gallen if he goes in 100 miles an hour and stays in the pocket.

“What it comes down to is who turns up on the night and who wants it more than the other person.”

Pressed to pick a winner, Hunt said: “That fighting dog comes with Gallen.

“He’s in for a scrap, it’s going to be a dog fight, and he has a lot of mongrel. Like me.”

After stepping off the scales, Gallen claimed he had fought sparring partners that were capable of dispensing with Williams. That barb aside, neither fighter was particularly interested in trading insults, figuring words would be meaningless once they stepped into the ring on Wednesday night.

Sonny Bill Williams in Sydney on Tuesday.

The bout - which will be shown live and exclusively on Stan which, like this masthead, is owned by Nine Entertainment - will be held across eight two-minute rounds. Gallen’s biggest fear is that Williams will either try to dance to safety or clinch whenever the Cronulla captain attempts to get inside.

“People like to watch me fight because I throw down,” Gallen said. “I’m going forward, I’m there to fight. I’m not standing off and going tap-tap-tap.

“I’m just hoping that we see a fight, and we don’t see a cuddling match and him being able to hold and get away with that.

“You’re not allowed to hold in boxing, the combat sports authority should hopefully be all over that.

“I understand you get tangled up at times, and the referee’s gonna have to separate us, but you can’t intentionally hold in boxing.

“If I get on the inside of him, and he does that, he should have points deducted.”

After the face-off, Williams was asked what he saw in the eyes of his opponent.

“A driven individual,” Williams replied. “But you have to understand that he’s looking at a driven individual too. I’ve done my due diligence.

“I win because I’ve got the better boxing IQ. I win because I’m the better athlete. I win because when you remove all the fluff and all the talk, and you see the attributes of what we bring into the ring, I’m better than him.”

All the action in a stacked SBW v Gallen card will be streaming live and exclusive on Stan Pay-Per-View on Wednesday 16 July.