Paul Gallen believes he suffered a broken rib in the secondround of his loss to Australian heavyweightchampion Justis Huni, taking an already courageous performance to herculean levels.
Huni moved a step closer to his Olympic medal dreams tonightafter overcoming a risk-fraught hurdle in Gallen at Sydney's ICC.
It took Huni nine-and-a-half rounds to eventually down theformer Cronulla Sharks star in an at times sickening, one-sided affair that sawGallen refuse to fall despite eating a glut of punishment.
The tone was set early when Huni came out of the blocks withblistering speed, stinging Gallen with some lightning combinations that quicklywelcomed the ex-footy star to a new level of boxing.
Gallen would survive the early onslaught to ride through a dipof pace in the middle rounds, before falling by way of a brutal TKO in the10th.
But in a mind-boggling show of strength, Gallen revealedpost-fight that he battled through the majority of the bout with a suspectedbroken rib.
"While he knocked me down fair and square I thought thereferee stopped it early, but I was never going to win the fight," Gallensaid.
For all of his detractors, there will be none who could questionGallen's bravery as he refused to give in, walking down the champion time againamid a sea of devastating combinations.
Despite the result, questions will ultimately still be asked ofHuni's one-punch knockout power after a barrage of flush power shots failed tofell the Sharks great.
It would ultimately be volume that would have the champ movingoff with his fifth professional win, putting him in good stead ahead of theTokyo games.
The win undoubtedly makes Huni a household name ahead of hisOlympic campaign, perhaps an incentive for accepting the risky bout so close tothe delayed 2020 Games.
The victory also ends Gallen's undefeated foray into the worldof professional boxing. He will earn an estimated $1.1 million for the bout.
#paulgallensaid #Justishuni brokehis rib in the second round...and he kept taking body punishment for the wholefight. TOUGH AS NAILS and that's from a Vic & Maroon supporter. #GallenHuni
