- Barry Hall arrives in impressive form for the clash between codes
- Hall, 47, has gained 10kg of muscle for the heavyweight fight.
- Hall and his wife are expecting their fourth child on Thursday.
AFL legend Barry Hall has turned up in exceptional form for his heavyweight boxing showdown with disgraced NRL star Curtis Scott, but fighting won’t be the only thing on his mind.
The 47-year-old Sydney Swans champion weighed 106.28kg on Tuesday when he faced Scott, who weighed 94.04kg.
Hall has not fought since being stopped by Sonny Bill Williams in 2022, but this time around the former football star says he has prepared properly by putting on 10kg of muscle.
“I feel very good,” he said.
“That was one of the mistakes I made last time and it’s something I said if I ever did it again, I would tick all the boxes and I have. I’ve gained some weight, I’m making the rounds at a really good pace, I’m ready to go.”
“We have a process in place and if I follow it, I’ll stop it.”
Hall also revealed what went wrong in his preparation for the fight with Williams.
“Against Sonny, I was just a few days away from the fight when everything started to fall apart,” Hall said. Fox Sports Australia.
AFL legend Barry Hall (left) has put on 10kg of muscle for his boxing match with Curtis Scott (right, pictured together at their weigh-in)
‘I lost ten pounds the week of the fight and I didn’t even eat the day of the fight. It was crazy.
“I didn’t even have to gain weight, but I couldn’t eat. I was emaciated.”
The St Kilda and Swans legend and his wife Lauren are expecting the arrival of their fourth child on Thursday, leaving Hall at risk of missing out on the big occasion.
Hall’s team had considered arranging a private jet to take him back to Queensland immediately after the fight, but he will instead fly out on Thursday morning from Sydney.
Meanwhile, Hall’s opponent plans to ruin the party.
“It’s personal, there’s a lot of emotion in this fight and I’m excited to go out and do it,” Scott said.
“I’m going for the finish. I’m coming to win. I’ve worked hard and I’m going to beat this guy.”
Scott’s coach Brian Doyle believes the former NRL star has more than enough power to get the job done.
“Curtis hits as hard as any Australian heavyweight,” he said. Fox Sports Australia‘His power is truly amazing.
‘I was actually surprised by how hard he hits and during training you could see the guys were taken aback by his power, speed and aggression.
‘That’s also the response we’ve been getting.
‘Curtis is a fighter who gets in your face, wants to hit you and has real power… that’s a tough combination to handle.’
Hall’s wife Lauren (pictured with their three children) is due to give birth to their fourth child the day after his fight with Scott.
The former Swans captain (pictured in his first professional fight against NRL great Paul Gallen) believes he will stop Scott in Wednesday night’s bout.
Scott won a championship with the Melbourne Storm in 2017 and was seen as a potential State of Origin player, but his career was derailed by a series of off-field issues.
In 2022, he was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order after being found guilty of three charges against his ex-girlfriend, athlete Tay-Leiha Clark, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear or physical harm.
The Canberra Raiders had previously sacked him on the assault charge, over a separate incident involving an altercation at a nightclub, although he was later cleared of all charges.
He is also in a legal battle with New South Wales Police over what he claims was an “unlawful” arrest in 2020.
