'Lonergan won't be there for him' - Paul Gallen's brutal message for Justis Huni

Brendan Bradford

'Lonergan won't be there for him' - Paul Gallen's brutal message for Justis Huni image

A frustrated Paul Gallen says he's been used for publicity by Justis Huni's promoter Dean Lonergan, and has given the 22-year-old rising star a harsh wake-up call ahead of his fight with Christian Tsoye in Sydney on Wednesday.

Huni is considered one of the brightest boxing talents Australia has ever produced, and is in the midst of a busy two month schedule involving two defences of his Australian heavyweight title and a trip to Tokyo for the Olympics. 

A star on the rise, Huni fights the dangerous Tsoye in Sydney, before a blockbuster pay-per-view bout with Gallen in three weeks' time on June 16. 

The former Sharks captain has been frustrated with the Huni-Tsoye bout, saying a shock loss, injury or cut will jeopardise his own fight with Huni. 

Gallen says Huni's camp has leveraged his name for publicity in the lead-up to the Tsoye fight and the Olympics.

“I’ve been used from the start by Lonergan – and I’ve known this – but if my fight (with Huni) doesn’t go ahead, they’ve just got three weeks of publicity out of me for nothing," Gallen told Sporting News. 

“If it doesn’t go ahead, they’ve got what they wanted out of it – media and publicity out of me that they never would have got.

"It’s frustrating and it annoys me, but there’s not much I can do about it.”

Is it too much of a stretch to talk about conspiracies around Huni pulling out of a fight with Gallen after using his high profile for publicity?  

“Well, I dunno…no it’s not. I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch," Gallen said. 

“There’s a lot of money in it for me, but there’s not as much in it for them. They’re after publicity. It’s exposure and nothing else.

"Huni’s dad has come out and said 'we’re not about the money. We don’t care about the money.'

“They’re just after publicity and they’ve got a hundred times more than they ever would’ve got had my name not been involved.

“But I’ll be very frustrated if this doesn’t happen.”

Gallen's comments come the day after Huni and Tsoye weighed-in alongside a poster promoting the June 16 showdown rather than tonight's match-up.

Tsoye's camp is furious about the signage stuff-up, and Gallen says it shows a lack of respect. 

“How disgraceful. Seriously. They’ve been so disrespectful through this whole thing,” Gallen said.

“Just to add salt to the wound of poor Christian Tsoye, not to have his photo or name at the weigh-in.

“It’s ridiculous.”

Lonergan has taken responsibility for the signage bungle, but Gallen sent a stern warning directly to Huni about what episodes like this do to his reputation.

"Justis Huni needs to be very careful here. He’s going to realise very fast that it’s his name, not Dean Lonergan's or any of these other people," Gallen said.

"They're not getting in the ring for him, and if he gets knocked out by Christian Tsoye, it's Justis Huni, not Dean Lonergan.

"He's gotta smarten up. He's not a kid - he's 22 years old - he's an adult and it's his name that's front and centre. 

"All these things going on, he can blame other people, but he's gotta understand that he's the one on stage weighing in, he's the one fighting, he's the drawcard.

"What goes on around him reflects on him. Everyone’s been giving him a pass at the moment because he’s a young kid, but I don’t buy it.

"You’re the one being disrespectful to your opponent."

Gallen's final message to Huni before his bout with Tsoye was a chilling reminder of how cutthroat boxing really is. 

"You’re not a kid, stop blaming other people for this," he said.  

"Because when someone beats him, when someone knocks him out and he’s damaged goods, Dean Lonergan won’t be there for him.

"I can tell you first hand that no one will be there. No one.

"The quicker he realises that and smartens up and takes some responsibility, the better he’ll be."

 

Brendan Bradford