If you enjoy watching big, bad untrained brutes engaging in brutal pub-style brawls with gloves on then you'd agree last Friday's Charity Fight Night involving several rugby league stars was a massive win.Rugby league in Australia famously belongs to the working and welfare classes. It is also constantly mired in controversy for ugly acts of violence that would earn you serious jail time, if they had occurred anywhere other than on the field. NSW Origin enforcer and premiership winning Cronulla Sharks prop, Paul Gallen is very much of this mould. As was his opponent in Friday night's main event, 123 kilogram Canberra Raiders prop, Junior Paulo. Together they put on a real show.
Advertisement
Despite it being Junior Paulo's first fight, he showed impressive footwork, mobility and hand speed. In the second round he even looked to have the much more experienced Gallen (6-0) in trouble following a couple of giant hammers. But Gallen, whose superior fitness, mobility and technique eventually prevailed, was able to absorb the punishment and chalk up a points victory in the three round abbreviated format. Nevertheless, the sheer brute power of the punching combined with the at-times shoddy defensive technique of the fighters made for an engrossing affair.It was superseded, at least in terms of novelty value, by one of the undercards, which pitted two of rugby league's more controversial figures, in serial bad boy Todd Carney (most famous for his human bubbler impression) and former-South Sydney, Parramatta Eels and Warrington halfback, Chris Sandow, against each other. The pair, who both play in the halves position reserved for the most diminutive players on the field, put on a ballistic display of punching. In what was a plenty spiteful affair, the two boxing debutants traded aimless flurries much to the amusement of the dozen or so high profile NRL players watching on from the crowd.Sandow, who had prepared for the fight by training with former Aussie champion, Chris Mccullen, had said depending on how he went he would contemplate joining the long list of NRL players who have pursued a professional fighting career (Anthony Mundine, Sonny Bill Williams, John Hopoate, Garth Wood and several more among them). The bout was scored a draw by the judges with the pair also being gently mocked by the commentary team for their mediocre boxing talent."This is the thing about footy player's boxing. They forget there is a body," said one of the broadcasters.