Barry Hall fires back at Paul Gallen after being called ‘Noodles’ – slamming the rugby league star with a brutal sledge about his new book
- Paul Gallen has nicknamed opponent Barry Hall ‘noddles’ ahead of boxing clash
- Gallen said it was ’embarrassing’ they would fight for two minutes during bout
- Hall has unleashed on Gallen on Instagram after he was given the nickname
Barry Hall has hit back at Paul Gallen after the Cronulla Sharks legend called him ‘Noodles’ ahead of their cross-code boxing clash.
Gallen announced the nickname while speaking at the launch for his autobiography Heart and Soul on Monday, and explained the nickname was inspired by Hall’s refusal to fight three-minute rounds.
‘Barry refuses to fight three-minute rounds. We’re fighting two-minute rounds. So I’ve nicknamed him ”two-minute noodles”,’ Gallen said.
Hall fired back with a sledge of his own on Thursday.
‘Judging by Paul Gallen’s latest attempt of trash talk… I wouldn’t be surprised if his new book is written in crayon,’ Hall posted on Instagram.
Barry Hall (pictured right with wife Lauren Brant) has fired back at Paul Gallen after he was nicknamed ‘Noodles’
Hall slammed the rugby league star with a brutal sledge on Instagram (pictured) after he was labelled ‘Noodles’
Gallen will fight Hall in the boxing ring at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on November 15.
Hall slammed the rugby league star with a brutal sledge after he was branded with his nickname.
‘I am a serious fighter and I am prepared. Two minute noodles might the food for him after this fight!’ he wrote on Instagram.
He then took a stab at Gallen’s previous boxing fights, suggesting his victories were due to mismatches.
Gallen said Hall’s requirement for two-minute rounds was ’embarrassing’ and found the decision ‘disappointing’.
‘This fight has been spoken about for two or three years, so it’s not like he just started training for it,’ Gallen said.
‘Everything is in his favour. He’s six foot six, big long reach, can jab me, and he gets to work for two minutes and then gets a minute rest. It’s not right.’
Gallen (right) will fight Hall (left) in the boxing ring at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on November 15
It will be Hall’s first professional fight, but Gallen says the two-minute rounds will work to his advantage.
‘I’ve messaged, emailed, rang the promoters over and over,’ Gallen said.
‘I’m there to win. I’m not trying to sit here and make excuses, I’m more annoyed that other people around boxing seem to not like me fighting or other people fighting for whatever reason.
‘When they see us fighting two-minute rounds, I can understand it. It’s embarrassing. I don’t think it’s right. I’m still going to win the fight. Whether I knock him out or do what I have do for six rounds, I’ll win. I just think for an event this big it should be a real fight.’
Gallen has confirmed he won’t pursue a career in boxing after the Hall bout despite hanging up the boots with Cronulla in September.
However, he has long spoken of his desire to fight former NRL and rugby union champion Sonny Bill Williams, and would jump at the chance to get in the ring with him.
‘The Sonny Bill one, that’s the one we want. I do hospital visits, school visits, business visits, luncheons, two weeks in the UK, everywhere I went I was asked about it. Everywhere I go. I’m not the one you’ve got to ask, it’s him,’ he said.
‘It would just be a spectacle and a professional event. I would just love to give the people what they want to see.’
Gallen (pictured left with wife Anne) said Hall’s requirement for two-minute rounds was ’embarrassing’ and found the decision ‘disappointing’