The moment Justis Huni became the real deal vs Paul Gallen

The biggest question coming into Paul Gallen vs Justis Huni was how the latter would respond to the bright lights of his first pay-per-view bout.

While it took 10 rounds of punishment for Gallen, the world got its emphatic answer as Huni claimed a TKO victory at the death, handing the former NRL star his first boxing defeat.

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Call it a mismatch if you like, say it was a boxer beating up on a retired rugby league star, but it was an important rite of passage for the young heavyweight.

He largely dispelled any thought of the spotlight being too bright when he came out to a lavish ring walk by himself without a hint of nerves to be seen.

There was no sign of nerves. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images

#HuniGallen Justis Huni heads to the ring pic.twitter.com/X0nhoemBoz

With all the talking finally over, Huni was in his element, landing a huge number of shots on the tough chin of battle-hardened Gallen.

Gallen once again showed he’s no mug in the ring but it was a different level for him against Huni, with the man groomed to be Australia’s best heavyweight contender on the world stage finally stepping out of the shadows.

As he heads to the Tokyo Olympics next month with a gold medal in mind, Huni’s future is there for the taking with the Australian boxing community hoping he’s the bona fide star he says he is.

While Gallen did take one parting shot at Huni, he admitted “all the chat before was just chat” — although it’s a lesson the youngster needed.

“You’re a terrific fighter but you’ve got to start selling fights, brother,” Gallen said. “If you’re going to make some cash and make a living out of this, you’ve got to start selling fights. I’m happy to teach you if you want to learn — maybe after the next fight though.”

Speaking to media after the clash, Huni said he has to get used to trash talk.

“This is what it’s all about and I have to get used to it one way or another,” he said. “He’s been around the game for a long time and he’s used to having the cameras in his face. After the Olympics, I’ll come back and start focusing on my professional career and I’ll definitely get used to it.”

Huni gets the knockdown against Gallen.Source:Getty Images

For promoter Dean Lonergan, Huni better get used to the media because he’s about to go on a wild ride.

“I don’t think he has a ceiling,” Lonergan said. “I was lucky enough to guide the career of Joseph Parker who we took to the WBO heavyweight title, we won it in Auckland, defended it once or twice and we ended up fighting Anthony Joshua in front of 75,000 people at Millennium Stadium and Justis Huni is more than capable of doing that.

“And the stakes have changed. When we did that fight, there was probably $10-15 million on the table for Joseph Parker at that stage — with the heavyweight game the way it is at the moment, those numbers are doubling and trebling.

“The world is his oyster and I’ve said from day one that if this kid can do what we know he can do, he’ll be selling out Suncorp (Stadium) three or four times a year. That’s guaranteed.

“If he can medal at the Olympics, turn around and come back and do the same thing to Paul Gallen, we’re going to have a bona fide pay-per view star on our hands. It’s very important from a ‘get the opponent’ point of view to build Justis as a star here in Australia and right now, give it another one of those with Paul Gallen, turn him into a megastar, we should be able to attract anyone in the world with the exception of the top two or three.”

Justis Huni has the world at his feet.Source:Getty Images

If Huni can win a world title and bring it home, he’ll become one of Australia’s biggest sporting stars.

Lonergan said he’d be keen on a second fight with Gallen because of the eyes he brings to the sport. He also added heavyweight kings Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are targets for Huni, but acknowledged they are “two years away”.

“At the moment, you’ve got (Deontay) Wilder and Fury fighting, if that comes through the right way, Joshua and Fury got into a two-match thing that will tie them up for 12 months,” Lonergan said.

“In the meantime, we’ll pick very good fights for Justis to have. Justis and (father) Rocki have told me they want to fight up to eight times next year. That’s what they used to do in the old days so why not do it now.”

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