Paul Gallen reckons Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech may be correct when suggesting his famed chin no longer exists, saying: “Have I gone on one fight too many? We’re about to find out”.
On the eve of his hyped farewell from Australian boxing Pay-Per-View stardom — and over 20 years as a professional athlete — Gallen has admitted he is no longer the same fighter who, as recently as 12 months ago, would have “killed” Wednesday night’s rival Justin Hodges.
Only last week, four-time world champion Fenech also made headlines when he surprisingly predicted Gallen would be KOd by Hodges in their Sydney International Convention Centre rematch.
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Fenech suggested that not only had Gallen gone on “for one fight too many”, but predicted a softening of that famed chin which has seen the now 41-year-old survive more than two decades in rugby league and heavyweight boxing without ever being knocked unconscious.
To which the NSW Origin great says what?
“Have I gone on one fight too many? We’re about to find out,” Gallen told Fox Sports Australia at Sunday’s open workouts in Darling Harbour.
“Same with my chin.
“If it’s gone, we don’t know.
‘I don’t enjoy this’ – Gal calls time | 01:08
“But what I can say is that boxing, it’s an emotionless sport for me.
“So I don’t care what Jeff Fenech says.
“Everyone is entitled to an opinion and Jeff is allowed his.
“It doesn’t worry me.
“Doesn’t affect me.
“Obviously, I know I’m at the back end of my career now.
“So can Justin Hodges beat me at my worst? That’s the question.
“Because if this fight is 12 months ago, I kill him.
“We all know that.
“But can he get me Wednesday night? We’ll see.”
Privately, Gallen has been telling close friends for some time that his great concern before hanging up the gloves is losing to a fighter who, not so long ago, he would have beaten easily.
Pushed on if he feared his farewell fight against Hodges would prove to be one too many, the Cronulla premiership hero continued: “The only way you know if you’ve gone one fight too many is when you lose.
“So nobody knows.
“It’s the big question faced by athletes all over the world: when do you get out?
“Nobody knows that.
“But what I do know is that in the first fight between us, I didn’t respect Justin.
“But I do now.
“And I respect his power.”
Elsewhere, Gallen revealed Hodges has been disowned even by a large chunk of Queenslanders following his decision to backtrack on an agreement to fight rounds of three minutes.
Immediately after their first fight in September — which Gallen won via contentious stoppage — the pair shook hands on a Sydney rematch where the rounds wouldn’t again be two minutes, but the traditional three.
Yet in recent weeks, Team Hodges have reneged on that deal, with promoters No Limit Boxing instead imposing rounds of two-and-a-half minutes.
“So this preparation, it’s been s…house,” Gallen conceded.
“Although I can’t tell you the number of Queenslanders who’ve reached out to me on social media saying ‘mate, I’m from Queensland, have always hated – and still don’t like you – but Hodgo isn’t a Queenslander fighting those rounds’.
“They reckon the way he backed out of our agreement, it’s not what Queenslanders do.
“They’ve told me ‘Queenslanders are true to their word and Justin hasn’t done that’.
“So it’s come back now to bite him on the arse.
“Because there are so many people from up north who’ve said they never liked me, and still don’t … but they want me to beat Justin Hodges.”
Asked last week if he thought Gallen’s famed chin was going, Fenech said: “Oh, definitely.
“And I can say that from experience.
“You get hit enough, get hurt … there’s nothing can help your chin.
“You can go get yourself a knee replacement but for the chin — there’s nothing.
“And no disrespect to Gal.
“I love the guy. Think he’s an absolute warrior.
“When you look at some of the guys Paul Gallen has beaten, too – wow – you wouldn’t think of putting Justin in against them.
“But it’s all about timing.
“And Gal, he’s not getting any better.
“Every fight he’s losing a little bit.
“So when things happen at the right time, or the wrong time … I think it could spell disaster for Gal.”
