Paul Gallen reveals staggering amount he has earned during boxing career

Paul Gallen, former Cronulla Sharks captain and Australia international, has shared in an interview some of the huge figures that he’s earned in boxing – his second career after retiring from rugby league.

Gallen, aged 41, played professionally as a one-club man representing Cronulla from his debut in 2001 until 2019 when he hung up the boots and strapped on the boxing gloves. 

That 19-year spell in the NRL is a record period for playing in Australia’s top flight that he shares alongside former Melbourne Storm playmaker Cameron Smith.

However Gallen was donning the gloves way back in 2012 at first operating as an amateaur boxer in a crosscode charity match against rugby union player Hikawera Elliot.

Gallen won that bout over three rounds and obviously caught the bug for the sport as he continued, turning professional in 2014. 

Victories piled up including over former heavyweight world title challenger Lucas Browne, before Gallen fought for the Australian Heavyweight title but lost his perfect record in the 10th round. He currently has 14 wins, 2 losses and a draw to his name.

In a recent interview he encouraged fellow rugby league professional turned boxer Sonny Bill Williams, 37, to continue boxing stating “there’s definitely plenty of money to be made”.

“I just don’t know if Sonny wants to do it. I’ve been told recently by a lot of people that he doesn’t actually like fighting much…But if I were Sonny, I wouldn’t be stopping.” Gallen said, per Fox Sports.

Williams recently lost to former mixed martial arts star Mark Hunt, whom Gallen has defeated, leaving his boxing career up in the air aged 37.

“The guy is 37 and look what happened with me from roughly the same age” Gallen argued before astonishingly revealing the money that he’s made in the ring, “I’ve grossed $25 million from the past three years.”

Gallen was speaking prior to his upcoming fight but with figures like that being thrown around it can be expected we’ll see more rugby league pros switch to boxing as their career closes out.