{"id":252468,"date":"2022-11-23T14:32:08","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T15:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=252468"},"modified":"2022-11-24T04:59:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T04:59:39","slug":"gallens-grim-admission-after-crunch-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=252468","title":{"rendered":"Gallen's grim admission after crunch finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

A visibly weathered \ufeffPaul Gallen<\/a>\ufeff made a frightening admission moments after beating Justin Hodges<\/a> in his boxing farewell.<\/p>\n

The rugby league legend\ufeff said after his unanimous-points win over Hodges in Sydney on Wednesday night<\/a> that, although his passion for throwing fists in the ring hadn't waned, he was afraid of a brutal blow to the head forcing him into retirement.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffI'd love to keep doing this \u2014 I really would. I enjoyed that, it was fun," Gallen told Main Event in the ring.<\/p>\n

AS IT HAPPENED:<\/strong> Gallen overcomes Hodges in swansong<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Uproar as Zerafa wins 'unacceptable' fight\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Decision ripped after ex-NRL tough nut's crash<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

"But you've got to face the facts that we get old, we slow down … I can't do what I did 12 months ago. I can't train as hard, I can't spar as hard and I can't fight as hard.<\/p>\n

"So, what's the only way out for me? The only way out is if someone ever jumps in here and someone ices me out cold. I don't deserve that. I don't deserve that from someone 15 years younger than me.<\/p>\n

"So I think it's time to pull the pin."<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Even Hodges had admitted before the fight that, given the undisputed gulf in fitness between the NRL greats, he could only beat Gallen with a stoppage.\ufeff<\/p>\n

Gallen dealt with Hodges' advantage in power wisely, repeatedly using his left hand and arm to jab and defend.<\/p>\n

He'd received a terrifying taste of Hodges' might in their clash in Brisbane in September<\/a>, crashing to the canvas\ufeff when his former State of Origin foe rocked him in the second round.<\/p>\n

Testament to his staggering toughness, he bounced back up and won by TKO in the round that followed.<\/p>\n

"I'm just glad it's all over. I've had enough," Gallen said after Wednesday night's rematch.<\/p>\n

"I'm 41, turning 42. I just can feel in sparring, in my training I've just slowed down.<\/p>\n

"With all respect to Hodgo, I think \ufeff12 months ago I probably, maybe win a bit more convincingly.<\/p>\n

"But everyone slows down in life and I think it's hit me now."<\/p>\n

Despite another build-up peppered with animosity, there were no signs of hatred following the bout at the International Convention Centre.\ufeff<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They shared a lengthy embrace and agreed to reminisce over a drink.\ufeff<\/p>\n

"We've got great respect for each other," Gallen said.<\/p>\n

"I was just saying, 'Well done'.<\/p>\n

"He's a warrior. He was a great rugby league player, a star.<\/p>\n

"We played a lot of footy together, won a lot of Test matches together.<\/p>\n

"We've just got a lot of respect for each other, and I'm sure we'll have a drink tonight, eh, Hodgo? We'll be friends again."<\/p>\n

Without a hint of hesitation, Hodges gave Gallen a thumbs-up.\ufeff<\/p>\n

And a cheers was sure to follow.\ufeff<\/p>\n

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A visibly weathered \ufeffPaul Gallen\ufeff made a frightening admission moments after beating Justin Hodges in his boxing farewell. The rugby league legend\ufeff said after his […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252468"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252470,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252468\/revisions\/252470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}