By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Rugby League and Rugby Union football legend Sonny Bill Williams (8-0, 3 KOs) will clash with Australian Rules football great Barry Hall (0-0-1) on Wednesday at the ICC Exhibition Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia televised on Stan Event Pay-Per-View

“I will say, I respect Barry as a man, but over the past couple of months he’s come out with some outrageous things,” Williams told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Hearing some of the outrageous things he’s saying, it lights a fire and also shows what an outrageous character he is. Sometimes I feel like he’s a bit jealous of my platform. I’m not the one who dictates if people follow me on social media or if people want to watch what I’ve said.

“He says, ‘Sonny is about himself, he’s arrogant.’ I’m not saying I’m going to walk through Barry. I’ve gone overseas to do the best preparation, that’s how much I respect him as a boxer.

“And him saying, ‘I’m going to fight Sonny, I’m going to fight Paul Gallen.’ He’s the arrogant one. He says a lot. But we signed the contract and we’re going to find out [if he can back it up]. Simple as that.”

“He likes to play the underdog card, that he has only one fight,” Williams said. “Yes, he had only one fight, but he pretty much beat Paul Gallen [they fought to a controversial draw]. He has grown up with boxing, he’s got an amateur record, he was a Golden Gloves champion. I’m not stupid, I understand the challenge I have in front of me. But without those challenges, there is no growth, no fire to get out of bed and be your best. That’s what I’m doing.

“He’s been very vocal, saying he’s going to knock me out. That’s exciting, I’ve got a fight on my hands. Come March 23rd, I’m not going to lose. I want to put on a performance and show I can box too.”