Tyson Fury Heaps Praise On Former Rugby League Player-Turned-Boxer Paul Gallen

If you thought Paul Gallen was only known by us sports tragics Down Under, then you'd be sorely mistaken.

It turns out the former rugby league player-cum-boxer is known by others around the world - including megastar Tyson Fury.

The undefeated WBC heavyweight champion of the world is well aware of Gallen's exploits on Australian shores and has dished out some huge praise to him.

"May I say, Paul Gallen's very gutsy," Fury told Main Event when talking about Gallen's fight with fellow Australian heavyweight Justis Huni.

"He's got some balls on him. Credit to him."

I mean, praise doesn't come much better than that, does it?

40-year-old Gallen has taken the Australian boxing scene by storm in recent years, going on a fairytale unbeaten run before eventually being handed his first career defeat at the fists of Huni.

During that undefeated streak, Gallen took out some some pretty well-known and respected figures in Australian combat sports, including the likes of Mark Hunt and Lucas Browne.

As for the overall boxing scene Down Under, Fury declared it "thriving" and rattled off some of the names he's been keeping a close eye on.

"I managed to watch young Joe (Joseph Goodall) spar recently, and he looks good, he looks a very talented, young guy.

"You've also got Justis Huni, he looks pretty good as well.

"You've also got one of your neighbours, Joseph Parker, who is a really good friend of mine. Lucas Browne is also still in the mix.

"Australia has got a thriving heavyweight scene going on at the moment."

While he clearly likes the look of what he sees here in Australia, Fury has now turned his attention to his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.

The two heavyweights lock horns for a third time this weekend, with both men vouching to end the fight quickly and in devastating knockout fashion.

As for Gallen, he's still eager to return to the ring too, although it's not six-foot-9-inch trash-talking Americans that he's eyeing up - it's a group of people a bit closer to home for the Aussie.

"All the footy players want to fight me, they think they can beat me," Gallen told 2GB.

"So I thought, 'Yeah, I'll fight them.'

"I don't know who against. I did sign a contract.

"I'll fight footy players, not again against the best fighter Australia has seen."