Sonny Bill Williams has announced that he’s not retiring from boxing, but won’t be fighting ‘narcissist’ Paul Gallen who he ‘can’t stand’ – and the former Sharks captain is ‘amazed’ by the attack.
Williams said he will be returning to training after Ramadan ends in April and didn’t rule out trying to tee-up a bout with Gallen after trading shots with the NRL great for more than a decade.
‘With that guy, I can’t really stand him, the narcissistic type of man,’ Williams explained to the Herald.
‘For me, those types of guys aren’t in my circle. It’s not that I don’t respect what he has done in the sport, but as a man, I wouldn’t ever say we would be friends or let a guy like that in my circle.
‘Am I willing to give him a hiding and make some money off it? Of course. But he’s retired, so good on him. He’s done well, he has come out and said he has made all this money and whatever it is, so good on him.’
Sonny Bill Williams is not retiring from boxing and hasn’t ruled out fighting longtime rival Paul Gallen after branding the Sharks great a ‘narcissist’
Gallen (pictured) has traded shots with Williams for more than a decade and said if they ever do meet in the ring, he must get the lion’s share of the purse
While Williams didn’t rule out a future blockbuster bout between him and Gallen, he’s certainly not chasing it.
‘It’s not as simple as that. I don’t need him. I have my Creator, I don’t need anyone,’ he said.
‘What I’m saying is nothing is off the table when it comes to this space. Any good plan, you’ve got to be versatile in your thinking, you can’t be set in stone. What I would say is I don’t need any of these guys.
‘I am my own man, I wake up and the first thing I do is put my head on the ground and say thank you to my Creator for everything I’ve done and have. I’m my own man, I’m not chasing anyone or any fights. I’m just saying part of my journey and growth is getting back into the ring.’
Gallen, whose last fight was a victory over former Maroons star Justin Hodges, was stunned by Williams’ latest comments, and says the former All Black has no right to judge him as a person.
Furthermore, Gallen believes if they ever stepped into the ring together he’d be the bigger draw and should receive more of the earnings.
‘He says he’s the drawcard and it’s a payday for everyone else. There’s no way I’m fighting him unless I get the lion’s share. I’m the one coming out of retirement, I’m the one who’s had bigger fights,’ Gallen told Wide World of Sports.
‘I don’t know what to make of it all. As a person who feels he’s so holy and nice I’m just amazed by his comments.
Gallen, whose last fight was a victory over former Maroons star Justin Hodges, was stunned by Williams’ latest comments, and says the former All Black has no right to judge him as a person
Gallen says he predicted Williams’ tactics to wait until he was ‘past it’ to try and make the fight
‘I’ve never passed judgement on him as a person. The worst thing I’ve said about him is he’s scared of fighting me.
‘The only time I called him dumb is when he said I’m not a good person. Who is he to judge anyone as a person? He’s got no right to do that, no one does. I think people are sick of it. It’s bulls**t.’
Gallen says he predicted Williams’ tactics to wait until he was ‘past it’ to try and make the fight happen.
‘(In) November 2021 I said he’s going to wait until I’m too old and past it and then he’ll call me out. He reads like a book man, it’s so obvious,’ said.
‘I’m retired. Realistically, if we fight, when are we going to fight? June? July? August? I’m 41 now, I’ll be 42 then.
‘At his age I still played in the NRL. I couldn’t play in the NRL today, neither could he.
‘My main thing is I’ve never gone below the belt with the guy and he wants to get personal. He says I’m not a good person (and) I’m a narcissist. It contradicts what he thinks he’s about.’
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