Barry Hall is facing retirement boxing Following a brutal first-round defeat to Curtis Scott on Wednesday night, the former AFL star hung up the gloves to focus on the birth of his fourth child with partner Lauren Brunt. Scott – 26-year-old former NRL player.
The Sydney Swans standout was knocked down three times inside the opening 90 seconds, forcing the referee to call the game off, with commentator Barry Michael saying: “Barry, he's barely taking a shot.”
“He looked bad,” commented Ben Damon, adding that Scott's early onslaught “may have done the damage”, while Michael added: “Barry looked bad the minute we got him. He collapsed.”
“That was the first punch that Sonny Bill Williams threw,” Australian UFC great Alexander Volkanovski said. Hall and Williams' infamous fightHost Megan Bernard suggested that Hall was “clearly underpowered” and “perhaps been forced into retirement.”
Peter Badell home delivery “In boxing, father years are unbeatable. I think Barry Hall learned that tonight. At 47 years old, he learned the hard way that it's the younger, fitter, more energetic guy who does the damage.”
“And what about Curtis Scott? We might have a credible fighter there. He's a football fighter for sure, but he seems to have a little more skill than we thought.”
Hall's fellow AFL great Jonathan Brown said Hall would now be focused on helping his wife Lauren prepare for the arrival of their fourth child, at 47. “I never thought Buzz would be back in the ring, that's for sure,” Brown said. “His partner is due to give birth to their fourth baby in the next few days so I'm sure he'll want to get back to his family.”
Curtis Scott slams Sonny Bill Williams
Scott, a former Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders player who is currently 3-0 as a professional fighter, was quick to praise SBW after his win over Hall.
“I'll fight anybody,” he said. “Sonny Bill makes sense,” he added. “I watched the Barry vs. Gal fight today and, to be honest, it blew me away. He boxed really well in that fight, so I was excited and excited. I thought he was a little out of form against Sonny and I thought that would be a big motivation for me to beat him.”
“The size difference was huge, so to be honest, he kind of fooled me. I thought Barry was going to come out and give me a big punch… that's what I was prepared for.”
“To be honest, I thought it was going to be a six-round fight. To be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to knock him out in the first round, but I'm happy because I won. I think I underestimated my strength. When you go in, you think you're not as strong as you can hit, but when you hit, you put them to sleep. When you hit, you really hurt them and that's the reality.”
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Fans were heartbroken to watch Hall's first-round loss, with many suggesting that we might never see him compete in a boxing ring again.
After all, Barry Hall doesn't fight at all, and sneaky attacking Brent Staker doesn't count.
— Australian Boxing Reporter (@el_pollo_loco) July 10, 2024
If I were Brent Staker, I would condemn Barry Hall and exact revenge for his despicable actions from years ago.
— Larry Leprechaun (@LarryLeprechau) July 10, 2024
Barry Hall should never fight again… What the hell was that?! He's too old and obviously out of his mind but still, give him a shot. Maybe he only likes to fight when people aren't watching!
— Brody Marston (@brods26) July 10, 2024
