Paul Gallen victorious in explosive fight with Sonny Bill Williams on Stan – In front of an electric crowd at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena and a huge audience watching live on Stan Pay-Per-View, the long-awaited grudge match between Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallen finally reached its thunderous conclusion.
Paul Gallen claimed victory via a split decision after eight gruelling rounds, outlasting Sonny Bill Williams in a contest that delivered both power and precision. Gallen got the nod 77-74 and 76-75 on two judges’ scorecards while Williams was favoured 77-74 on the other.
From the opening bell to the final exchange, the fight delivered the emotion, tension and raw power that had been building across a decade-long rivalry – and lived up to the hype as one of the most anticipated nights in Australian boxing history.
Paul Gallen, who initially questioned the judges’ scoring said:
“I got the win, that’s all that matters. It will be there forever. Sonny just came up and said he wants to have a coffee, man-to-man, and I’ll honour that. I’ve had my fights. I’ve finished my fights. I’ve moved on with life. I’m not going to bring this up or talk about it, or carry on. If I get asked about it in the next couple of days I’ll answer the questions, but I won’t gloat. It’s been a long time coming. I got the job done.”
Australian boxing legend Danny Green said:
“It’s very difficult to score a fight. For me, Sonny landed the cleaner, harder, crisper shots that were more eye-catching. Professional boxing is scored on the cleaner, harder punches. At the end of the fight – I had Sonny in front – and I questioned, are the judges going to score those body shots? And if they were, Paul Gallen landed a tonne. And that was the difference I guess.”
FULL SBW v GALLEN CARD RESULTS:
- Alex Leapai Jr def. Herve Silu Mata by knockout (heavyweight)
- Rahim Mundine def. Joe Vatusaqata by TKO (super middleweight)
- David Nyika def. Nikolas Charalampous by TKO (retirement) (cruiserweight)
- Johan Linde def. Kane Baker by split decision (heavyweight)
- Kris Terzievski def. Troy Pilcher by TKO (heavyweight)
- Clay Waterman def. Mose Auimatagi Jr by unanimous decision (cruiserweight)
- Paul Gallen def. Sonny Bill Williams by split decision (heavyweight)
Stan Director of Sport, Ben Kimber said:
“This was a massive moment. Two giants of Australian sport, a decade of talk, and it all exploded tonight on Stan Pay-Per-View. This is exactly what we built Stan Sport to do: put on the biggest events, with the biggest energy, in front of Aussie fans. Full credit to Sonny and Gal – they left nothing behind in eight gruelling rounds. And hats off to every fighter who stepped into the ring tonight. What a statement for boxing, and what a night for Stan.”
Host Michael Atkinson was joined by a star-studded panel including Australian boxing legends Danny Green and Jeff Fenech, former boxing pro Renee Gartner and triple rugby international representative Allana Ferguson and caller Brenton Speed kept Stan Pay-Per-View viewers entertained throughout the night.
Among those in attendance at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena were:
- Channel Nine stars – WWOS host James Bracey, Marlee Silver & Paralympic legend Ellie Cole
- Stan Sport talent – former Socceroo and football legend Mark Bosnich, Adam Peacock & Sean Maloney
- Former Wallabies and Stan Sport rugby experts Michael Hooper, Matt Burke & Cameron Shepherd
- Pop singer-songwriter and star of the Stan Original Film coming soon Beast In Me Amy Shark
- Star of the hit Stan Original Film Transfusion and Stan Original Film coming soon Beast In Me Matt Nable
- Star of the hit Stan Original Series Bump Carlos Sanson Jr
- Boxing & combat legends Mark Hunt, Anthony Mundine & Billy “The Kid” Dib
- Olympic Bronze Medallist boxer Harry Garside
- NRL stars Josh Addo-Carr (Parramatta), Junior Paulo (Parramatta) & Brandon Wakeham (Manly) and NRLW star Millie Boyle (Roosters)
- Aussie Men’s 7s stars Josh Turner, Michael Icely & Hayden Sargeant and Women’s 7s stars Maddi Levi, Teagan Levi, Maya Stewart & Annabelle Cody
- Radio personalities Beau Ryan (Triple M) & Darryl Brohman (The Continuous Call Team)
- Media personality Mitch Churi and influencers Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck, Sam Fricker & Jono Castano
The full replay of SBW v Gallen is available to watch live and exclusive on Stan Pay-Per-View.
An epic schedule of sport continues with the first Wallabies v The British & Irish Lions Test (19 July), third All Blacks v France Test (19 July), PSG v Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup (14 August), Premier League (season kicks off 16 August) and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 (23 August – 28 September) with all the action streaming live and on demand on Stan Sport.
Media Release – Stan
Link to Stan Sport HERE
TV Central Fighting content HERE
Paul Gallen victorious in explosive fight with Sonny Bill Williams on Stan
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