Former AFL great Barry Hall says he will be a much smarter fighter when he faces Sonny Bill Williams in a highly-anticipated boxing bout on Wednesday night and believes he has a distinct edge on the New Zealand rugby legend.
‘Big Bad Barry’ returns to the ring for the first time since he fought to a draw with former NRL star Paul Gallen in their ‘Code War’ bout in 2019.
While Gallen was ‘filthy’ at the result of the bout, believing he did enough to get the judges’ nod, Hall was left with a feeling of what might have been.
Hall feels he left plenty in reserve and could have – and should have – put away Gallen early rather than trying to pace himself.
He has vowed not to leave anything in the tank this time against Williams at Sydney’s Darling Harbour.
Hall and Gallen were both left disappointed after their bout was ruled to be a majority draw. Hall has promised to push harder against Sonny Bill Williams.
‘I was ahead in that fight, four rounds to two and [would have] cruised to victory if I had of really, really pushed,’ Hall told the Daily Mail.
‘I finished the fight with a full tank, I could have done some more rounds.
‘To push and put the thing beyond doubt was something I have learned.’
There has been plenty of trash talk between the two in the lead up to the fight, but it was Williams who was continuing the verbal jabs, labelling former Sydney and St Kilda AFL star Hall as ‘arrogant’.
Sonny Bill Williams v Barry Hall Turf War will be held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on March 23.
‘I don’t think it’s outrageous talk at all,’ Williams said of the lead-up talk.
‘I’ve just stated the facts. For him to call me arrogant is laughable in the sense that he’s already said that he’s going to fight me and Paul Gallen and then walk off into the sunset.
‘In his head he must be thinking that it’s a foregone conclusion that he’s just going to walk straight through me and then onto Paul – I think that’s arrogant.
‘I’ve been over to Ireland for six weeks to prepare for Barry, that’s how much I respect him as a fighter. Obviously he doesn’t respect me as a fighter.’
Sonny Bill Williams throws a right at Chauncy Welliver during their heavyweight bout during the Footy Show Fight Night at Allphones Arena on January 31, 2015.
Sonny Bill said the training camp in Ireland with the Tyson Fury camp had been eye-opening and he was in peak condition and ready to keep his 9-0 unbeaten record intact.
‘It was a very tough campaign over there but in the same breath it was one of growth. I am grateful that I went through that experience,’ he said.
While his opponent has left no stone unturned in his preparation, Hall knows there is one thing that Sonny Bill doesn’t have – knowledge on how Hall fights.
Hall is reunited with his celebrity wife Lauren Brant and their new baby at the airport as he takes a break from preparing for the fight with Sonny Bill Williams.
Hall’s camp have the luxury of watching nine professional fights to get a read on Williams’ strengths and weaknesses, whereas his Kiwi opponent has only the brief fight with Gallen to get a read on his opponent.
‘I do see that as an advantage,’ Hall said.
‘But watching him and his technique and all those sort of things he has improved as well, so we can’t discount that.
‘They’ve only seen me with a limited camp where I hadn’t really worked on technique or boxing or ring IQ and all those sorts of things which has come a long way in this camp.
Hall had recently starred on SAS Australia, with the physical conditioning on that show to be put into use in facing Williams in the ring.
‘But he’s got a good corner, I am sure after one or two rounds they will share some instructions and find out my weaknesses. But I do think it is a strength.’
Sonny Bill is not concerned with that fact, though.
‘Not really, you just have to have that mindset where you’ve still got to fight at the end of the day,’ he said.
‘He knows his way around the ring.
‘He’s grown up with boxing so he’s got all the type of experience and you can see it.
‘For me, that excites me, knowing that I’ve got a real fight on my hands.’
Paul Gallen and Barry Hall compete during the Code War Boxing night at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne. Hall said he had ‘a full tank’ left after the bout.
Hall said there was only so much preparation he could do from video footage and expected a stern test from Sonny Bill.
‘It’s hard to emulate an athlete like Sonny Bill to be honest. I think the sparring that I’ve had, it’s all about being put under a lot of pressure and seeing how you shine through it,’ he said.
Hall had a junior background in boxing – guided by his trainer dad Ray – before turning to Aussie Rules, in which he became a star player, known for his aggressive on-field approach.
His knockout punch on West Coast opponent Brent Staker made national headlines, and he said on A Current Affair that his hot-headed ways had been mended and his relationship with his father was now effectively at an end.
‘I’d have a fight at school and go home and brag about it because I knew he’d be happy about that, and he was rapt about it, you could see the smirk on his face,’ Hall said.
‘Like any young kid, all I wanted to do is impress dad.
‘It’s mind boggling now, as I sit here as a father and think that was OK, and I thought that was a way of approval from him, it’s bizarre.’
Hall’s mental health deteriorated after his retirement from the AFL and identity struggles only got worse in his retirement.
He credits his wife, Hi-5 presenter Lauren Brandt, with helping turn his life around, and the loving family environment with their three boys.
‘You don’t realise you’re in something until you’re out of it, once I got out of it and cut ties, no longer have a relationship I actually feel sorry for him (his dad), actually I felt sorry for him until I had my own children,’ Hall said.
‘I’m here for my boys, I’m fighting for my family, and it can really do great things for us.’
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