Paul Gallen is sick of it.
Sick of claims that he's taking the piss out of boxing. Sick of complaints that he makes far more money than real boxers.
One of the NRL great's favourite sayings is that you're worth what someone is willing to pay you. He happens to have turned his footy fame into big fight dollars while unfortunately, your average boxer finds headlines and money elusive.
Gallen's foray into fisticuffs has allowed a raft of top young fighters to gain valuable exposure; Tim Tszyu, the Maloney brothers and Liam Wilson among them. Yet the sniping continues, even now that he's facing a former heavyweight world champion in Lucas 'Big Daddy' Browne, while still undefeated.
"It doesn't stop. That's just the way it is," Gallen (10-0-1) told Wide World of Sports, ahead of his Wednesday night fight against Browne in Wollongong.
"This guy's been the No.1 fighter in Australia for the past 10 years. Go and check Boxrec.
"As far as people saying I'm not having a go ... everyone said Mark Hunt was going to kill me. A lot of people are saying this bloke's going to kill me. It's just a bit rich, people saying, 'Why doesn't he have a real go?'
"Anyway, that's just boxing. I've been used to it for the past 10 years I've been involved in the sport and nothing's going to change.
"I'm happy I'm making a dollar and I'll be fine."
Gallen has been unimpressed by Browne's complaints about his fight earnings, even after agreeing to take him on and share in the spoils.
"He was after notoriety and cash for his career and I don't blame him for that," Gallen said.
"But his bitterness towards me and his jealousy towards me is just not right. I've done what I've done through my sporting career and never asked for anyone else's help or begged anyone else or carried on about it.
"I've just done what I had to do to get to where I am. He has done the same thing but he's jealous of guys like me coming in and making a dollar.
"I'm throwing him a bone. He's going to have his biggest pay-day in Australia now and he's got his notoriety. He's got his extra 1000, 2000 Instagram followers, which is all he loves anyway. I think he's got out of it what he wants."
Browne has no issue fight footballers fighting but can't cop the pay gap between high-profile part-timers and full-time boxers.
"What I don't like is the fact that they get paid 10 times more than what a boxer actually would. All these boys up the front here (at this week's press conference) - they're not getting paid big dollars," Browne told Wide World of Sports.
"They're doing a great job, spending all their life doing their training and everything else, and then footballers come in and get paid 10 times more. That's the only issue I've ever had with it."
Others have gone further, like top Australian middleweight Michael Zerafa.
"These guys are taking the piss out of the sport. I can't ring up the NRL and say put me on the field it doesn't work like that. These guys are taking the fun out of boxing," Zerafa told Wide World of Sports.
"It's disappointing. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be matching these blokes.
"You've got professional athletes in the sport fighting for world titles overseas like the Maloney brothers, myself, George Kambosos, and we're not getting the recognition we deserve. Then you got guys like Gallen who are getting mainstream TV.
"He's not a professional. He's a professional athlete. But If I cross over and play NRL, it doesn't make me an NRL player.
"Why doesn't Gallen fight Justis Huni? Huni would win via murder. See how long that fight lasts. Go up against a real pro boxer and he won't go past three rounds.
"He's fighting guys that a former this and former that. It's just a pity they steal other people's spotlight. Other guys are busting their arses 24-7 are getting pushed aside because Paul Gallen wants to fight.
"Fight Huni or Jai Opetaia or someone else at that level, he's going to get murdered."
Huni is a rising superstar of the sport, having won the Australian heavyweight title in his first pro fight. He has expressed interest in fighting Gallen, even suggesting that it could be multiple fights to form a State of Origin series.
The NRL great isn't shying away from the prospect, despite Zerafa's barbs.
"I'm happy to have a look at anything, I've said that from the start," Gallen said.
"I'm happy to have a look at any fight but Lucas Browne's the only bloke on my mind at the moment."
Gallen is bemused that critics ignore the bigger picture: that his undercard fighters get far more exposure than those operating outside the mainstream.
"That's what all these boxing people that want to have a go at me forget about," Gallen said.
"How would Liam Wilson and Stevie Spark and Jack Brubaker and Lenny Zappavigna ... Lenny Zappavigna's fought for a world title and has never had exposure like this. So how would these guys get the exposure, that they probably do deserve, but how would they get it without me?
"This is what these people forget. They want to have a crack at me but they've got two choices. Fight on a card like this in front of 4000-5000 people and 10s of thousands of people watching at home, or go and fight in an RSL club in front of 500 people.
"That's what you can do, so if you want to keep having a crack at me ... I'm just a bit sick of hearing it, I've been hearing it for a long time and it's not going to change.
"But that's the facts of it. You fight on a card like this in front of 10s of thousands or you go and fight in an RSL club in front of hundreds. That's just the way it is."
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/news/paul-gallen-lucas-browne-boxing-fight-nrl-legends-response-to-haters/b5f678b9-4acb-45fc-a81b-4b474080a5bf
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