Sonny Bill Williams fired a warning shot at Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge after being asked if he was greedy during negotiations for his upcoming fight with fellow league great Paul Gallen.
The former All Black quickly lifted his interview into classic heavyweight weigh-in mode with terse responses to questionsfrom Bridge.
Williams and Gallen are to square off on July 16 in Sydney after almost a decade of verbal jabs.
The pair have been back-and-forth over negotiations to settle their differences, with both claiming the other fighter has been dodging them as recently as 2022 and beyond.
Williams and Gallen are expected to earn $1m each in a 50/50 split, in a fight that will garner plenty of interest across New Zealand and Australia.
Bridge asked the former All Black and NRL star whether he was being “greedy” over previous fight negotiations with Gallen, to which Williams seemed to take offence.
“You better watch your mouth, bro – or I’ll come over there soon and see who’s greedy, right brother?” Williams said.
“This is my studio, you can’t talk to me like that,” Bridge responded.
“Just because you’ve got nice hair this morning, doesn’t mean I won’t get off this chair,” Williams added.
“Not just nice hair, but a nice face,” Bridge hit back.
At the end of the interview, the pair stood face to face and eventually made up.
Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge and former All Black turned boxer Sonny Bill Williams face off in the studio. Photo / Herald NOW
Williams eventually said that it was Gallen who had stalled previous fight negotiations.
“Anyway, back to what we were speaking about. Three years ago we tried to make the fight happen – that’s the honest truth. It got to the last hurdle – 50-50 and then he changed the goalposts and wanted 70-30,” Williams said.
Williams said there was certainly no love lost between him and Gallen.
“There’s definitely animosity there. I think one of the latest things I’ve heard come out of his mouth is ‘his wife and kids are upset’. The last 10 years he’s been taking pot shots at me. I think what eventuated at the press conference when he decided not to show up is that I got to speak some truths about him and he didn’t like that.
“For me, the last three years has been daddy-daycare time. I’ve been at home with the kids, I’ve got five kids. Really enjoying my life. But it’s been quite easy to get into the mindset of going to have a throw-down and train to fight.”
Sonny Bill Williams will face Paul Gallen on July 16 in Sydney. Photo / Photosport
Williams also took exception to Gallen’s claims the agreed eight two-minute rounds were because the two-time Rugby World Cup winner wasn’t fit enough.
Williams, who made his debut in the ring in 2009, said this will likely be his last bout.
“This is probably the last fight. Three years since retired. Like I said, I’ve got five kids. I got knocked out in my last fight and it was actually quite scary but it was sad, too. My two older girls came home from school the next day crying. These are the things I don’t like about the sport. The opportunity arose. I don’t like the bloke and he doesn’t like me, so the animosity is real. It is what it is. My last hurrah.”
