'I won all the rounds': Inside disbelieving Sonny Bill Williams' dressing room after stunning split decision
Sonny Bill Williams was in a state of disbelief in his dressing room after a stunning split decision loss to Paul Gallen on Wednesday night.
He said he thought he won every round, while revealing what was said in the moments after battle in the ring.
One judge scored the fight 77-74 to Gallen, another 77-74 to Williams and the third 76-75 to Gallen - making a point deducted from Williams by referee Les Fear in the seventh round for persistent holding the crucial moment of the fight.
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Speaking to New Zealand publication Stuff, an upbeat Williams greeted supporters in the dressing room and was adamant that he had won the fight.
"Even if they took one round off me, I won all the rounds," Williams said. "I almost dropped him in the second. I went to the corner in the fifth, they told me I'm up every round.
"He said afterwards, 'You went personal.' I said, 'You went personal too.' It was tit for tat like little kids. But I said 'We'll catch up for coffee, just me and you.'
I said 'There's one thing I didn't want to hurt, is your family.' He said the same thing to me."
Sonny Bill Williams speaking to Stuff. Stuff
Promoter and former Australian champion Danny Green stood by his comments during the fight, where he said Williams landed the more telling shots.
While speaking to Stuff, Williams interrupted and said: "The reality is - look at my face. Can you go and get a close up of old mate's?"
He told Green: "I appreciate you speaking the truth, because a lot of people wouldn't."
Green told Stuff: "I had Sonny Bill wining the fight - he landed the cleaner, crisper more damaging shots.
"He got him hard in round two and then found his rhythm in rounds six, seven and eight with those uppercuts.
"Those last two rounds he found the rhythm and I said to myself, 'Sonny has got this fight'. My commentary is there as well."
