'Hurt my family': The SBW claim that incensed Paul Gallen as tickets go on sale for Sydney boxing fight
Updated . First published at
Paul Gallen said Sonny Bill Williams had "hurt my family" by Williams referencing the Cronulla Sharks supplements saga that rocked the NRL in 2011.
After revelling in NSW's 18-6 State of Origin win on Wednesday night, Gallen turned his attention to Williams, who he will fight on July 16 in a boxing grudge match a decade in the making.
And the 43-year-old claimed Williams had overstepped the mark by accusing him of dodging drug testers at a press conference earlier this month.
Sonny Bill Willams vs Paul Gallen at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on July 16 is available to order live and exclusive on Stan Pay-Per-View for $70
Gallen pleaded guilty in 2014 to having unknowingly used banned peptides and reportedly received a payout of $700,000 in 2020 to stop him taking legal action against the Sharks.
"Sonny went below the belt on a few things, said some things that just weren't true and insinuated things that just weren't true," Gallen said on Nine.
"You know, Sonny's got a pretty chequered past himself, but one thing I promised myself going into this is that I wouldn't bring up things that would hurt his family.
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Paul Gallen at Suncorp Stadium. Nine
"Hurting him is a different story, but I wouldn't bring up things that would hurt his family. He hurt my family.
"He said things that were just wrong in the way he said it and the way he put them. But luckily for me, I get to slap him for it.
"I get to make up for it and give it to him and slap him the way his daddy should have slapped him when he left the Bulldogs the way he did (in 2008)."
Gallen has a 15-2-1 record as a professional heavyweight and last fought in 2022 - beating Justin Hodges by unanimous decision.
"You're gonna cop it, Sonny. You're in big trouble boy," he declared.
Tickets for the super-fight at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena are now on sale via Ticketek.
