Gallen taunts “coward” Huni ahead of Australian title bout
Former rugby league star Paul Gallen has taken aim at Justis Huni and held nothing back, ahead of their eagerly anticipated pay-per-view fight on Wednesday night. Due to take place at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney on Wednesday, the pre-bout press conference on Monday was filled with expletives and insults from the challenger.
With the Australian heavyweight title up for grabs, the latest Paul Gallen vs Justis Huni betting odds are heavily in favour of the current champion. 22-year-old Huni is priced at 1/6 to get the job done with little difficulty, while 39-year-old Gallen has been handed a 7/2 chance.
Considering the huge age gap and with both boxers boasting unbeaten records, it will certainly be interesting to see the outcome of this fight. Gallen first turned professional while still playing rugby league at the highest level, back in February 2014. His unbeaten record of 12 fights includes just one draw, with six knockout victories and five by unanimous decision.
By contrast, Huni is less than a year into his professional boxing career, although his desire and hunger for success have made the man from Brisbane determined to triumph. Since winning the Australian heavyweight title in his first professional bout, beating Faiga Opelu via a seventh-round knockout in October 2020, Huni has defended his title three more times.
Arsene Fosso was beaten in just 4 rounds in December 2020, then Jake Maris was quickly demolished by Huni in April 2021, winning via a first-round knockout in just two minutes and fifty seconds. The only fight that lasted the distance was in May 2021, when Huni earned a unanimous decision victory against Christian Ndzie Tsoye.
This next bout will undoubtedly be the toughest test of Huni’s credentials, given that multi-sports veteran Gallen really has nothing to lose. The former Cronulla Sharks rugby league star has always claimed that when it comes to boxing, he’s purely in it for the money. Already a huge personality in Australia, he will reportedly earn more than AUS $1.5 million from the bout with Huni.
While he will be taking a much smaller slice of the promotion pie, Huni is more focused on what he considers much bigger and more prestigious objectives. His promotor Dean Lonergan has battled to get the fight sanctioned with the International Boxing Federation, which could thrust the winner into the IBF world rankings.
Thus far, both have only fought fellow Australians, although featuring in the IBF rankings would set up future bouts with even more worldwide appeal. However, at their pre-fight media appearance on Monday, Gallen accused Huni of being a “coward” for something which happened two years ago. Back in 2019, Huni withdrew from the final of the World Championships in Russia, citing ill health for the decision.
Huni also aims to fight at the Tokyo Olympics this year, although Gallen threatened to destroy that dream. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you don’t go… Whether it’s break your jaw, break your face, break your arm. I don’t care,” he insisted. Huni laughed off those taunts and if bookmaker predictions are correct, he should get the job done comfortably against Gallen, where actions always speak louder than words.