Gallen gracious in defeat
Paul Gallen is on the mic now and admits he knew by halfway through the fight that he wasn’t going to win - and revealed that Huni broke his ribs in round two!
“He knocked me down fair and square, I thought maybe the referee stopped it early but I was never going to win the fight,” he said.
“I think he broke my rib in about the second round and I couldn’t get off, every time I moved it was clicking. He’s just too fast and he probably punched a little bit harder than I thought he was going to punch. It hurt.”
Gallen then dropped the facade, after all the pre-fight shenanigans.
Paul Gallen reflects on his defeat.
“I wish him the best,” he said. “All the chat before, it was chat.
“I know I’m here for the cash but to fight for the Australian title is pretty cool, you know. I wish Justis the best at the Olympics and I hope he can win a gold medal for Australia - maybe we can do it again in a couple of months.”
There is a rematch clause in this contract - surely he’s not keen?
“I’m not against it,” he said.
“I was the fittest I’ve ever been ... that was a good challenge. That’s where I want to be as an athlete, pushing myself as hard as I can aginst a champion. I did that tonight and we’ll weigh it up in the future what’s going to happen.”
Gallen finished with some free advice for Huni. “You’re a terrific fighter but you’ve got to start selling fights brother,” he said. “If you’re going to make some cash and make a living out of this you’ve got to start selling fights, I’m happy to teach you if you want to learn - maybe after the next fight though.”
As it happened: Justis Huni claims final-round stoppage win over gritty, gutsy Gallen