Sonny Bill Williams has been ‘robbed’ according to boxing fans who are furious the rugby star lost to Paul Gallen.
After years of trash talk, the pair of arch-rivals finally met inside the ring at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Despite Williams’ previous fight ending in a loss to Mark Hunt, he entered the ring tonight confident he had the minerals to get back to winning ways.
But while he ought to have had his hand raised in the eyes of the public, he didn’t emerge from the contest as the victor.
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Fans are furious that Sonny Bill Williams lost to Paul Gallen
Sonny Bill Williams started beautifully, hurting Paul Gallen with a massive uppercut in round two.
As the rounds rolled on, the Australian began to work his way back into the contest, landing heavy body shots.
However, despite having a point taken off for holding, Williams got the better of the final three rounds, landing huge uppercuts and flashy combinations.
At the final bell, the crowd thought the New Zealander had done enough to get the victory. But in a surprise, it was the former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player who won via split decision.
Stunned fans quickly took to social media to voice their rage, with one saying: “There’s no way Paul Gallen won that,” while another added: “Highway robbery.”
A third viewer raged: “What a joke,” with a fourth writing: “Gallen definitely had his moments, but Sonny won the fight.”
During the broadcast, former world champion Danny Green said: “For me, Sonny landed the cleaner, harder, crisper shots that were more eye-catching, and professional boxing is scored on those punches.”
Paul Gallen, destroyed a former heavyweight world champion
While controversial, Gallen’s victory over Williams is undoubtedly a big one for him.
However, it’s not the most impressive win of his career.
On a night he’ll never forget, the Aussie pulled off a monumental upset.
Inside the opening round, Gallen destroyed an ex-heavyweight world champion.