Rugby league legend Paul Gallen has rubbished Lucas Browne ahead of his fight against the former WBA world heavyweight champion, declaring he's not worth the pay-slip that looms and labelling him "virtually irrelevant".
Gallen's heavyweight clash with the soon-to-turn 42-year-old on April 21 is now officially locked in after Browne today signed his paperwork.
While the amount of money Gallen is set to earn is unknown, it's been confirmed Browne will collect $130,000 for his bout with the former Cronulla Sharks and NSW Blues captain.
Gallen finds that comical.
"He's getting $130,000 and he's not worth $20,000," Gallen said in an exclusive interview with Wide World of Sports.
"People can say what they want about what he's achieved or what he hasn't achieved, but it comes down to the eyes that watch it. That's what it comes down to.
"And he's virtually irrelevant. That's why he's not getting this sort of money for fights. That's just fact. He's done nothing in Australian boxing for years and he said he'd never fight in Australia again, yet here he is.
"He actually said he'd fight me for nothing - that's how irrelevant he is.
"He's in for a big shock."
The bout, touted by former NRL big man and No Limit Boxing chief executive George Rose as "the biggest heavyweight fight in the modern era in Australia", is only set to take place because Gallen has slashed his pay-slip by $100,000.
Dean Lonergan, Browne's promoter, said he would only allow for the fight to take place if he was paid six figures.
Gallen told Wide World of Sports he suggested that he and Browne cough up $50,000 of their pay each, and when Browne rejected that Gallen proposed he give up $70,000 and his opponent $30,000, but that was denied too.
So in a sign of just how hungry Gallen is for the fight, he's agreed to cut $100,000 from his unknown sum of money and Browne won't lose a cent.
Gallen overlooked Browne's outstanding 29-2-0 professional boxing record and instead presented the man known as 'Big Daddy' as "scared".
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLvFzp3gFnJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&"Lucas Browne is renowned for pulling out of fights," Gallen said.
"He's only doing this fight because he thinks it's going to be an easy win.
"He's never faced Alex Leapai, pulled out of the fight against Demsey McKean, because he's scared of facing blokes he thinks will challenge him."
Gallen lays claim to a 10-0-1 professional boxing record.
The 348-game NRL great defeated UFC legend Mark Hunt in a unanimous points decision when he last fought at Bankwest Stadium in December.
The venue for Gallen's fight against Browne is yet to be determined.
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/olympics/boxing-nrl-news-paul-gallen-lucas-browne-fight-rounds-talk/017e755f-6a96-4986-a70c-1d81e6a24b61
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