- Barry Hall arrives in impressive form for cross-code showdown
- Hall, 47, has gained 10kg of muscle mass for the heavyweight contest
- Hall and his wife are expecting their fourth child on Thursday
AFL legend Barry Hall has appeared in fine form for his heavyweight boxing clash with disgraced NRL star Curtis Scott. But fighting won’t be the only thing on his mind.
The 47-year-old Sydney Swans championship winner weighed a whopping 106.28kg on Tuesday when he took on Scott, who weighed 94.04kg.
Hall hasn’t fought since being stopped by Sonny Bill Williams in 2022, but this time around the former football star says he’s prepared well by adding 20 pounds of muscle.
“I feel great,” he said.
‘That was one of the mistakes I made last time and it’s something I said if I ever did this again I would tick all the boxes and I have. I’ve put on some weight, I’m doing the laps at a really good pace – I’m ready.
“We have a process and if I stick to it, I will stop him.”
Hall also revealed what went wrong during his preparation for the fight with Williams.
“I was only a few days away from fighting Sonny when everything started to get out of hand,” Hall said. Fox Sports Australia.
AFL legend Barry Hall (left) has gained 10kg of muscle mass ahead of a boxing match with Curtis Scott (right, pictured together at their weigh-in)
‘I lost 10 pounds fight week and didn’t even eat the day of the fight. It was insane.
‘I didn’t even have to gain weight, I just couldn’t eat. I was skinny.’
The St Kilda and Swans legend and his wife Lauren are expecting their fourth child on Thursday, with Hall at risk of missing the big event.
Hall’s team considered arranging a private jet to Queensland immediately after the match, but instead he will fly back from Sydney on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Hall’s opponent plans to spoil the party.
“It’s personal, there’s a lot of feeling in this fight and I’m looking forward to getting into the fight and doing it,” Scott said.
“I’m going for the finish. I’m coming to win. I’ve worked hard and I’m going to knock this guy out.”
Scott’s trainer, Brian Doyle, believes the former NRL star has more than enough power to get the job done.
“Curtis hits as hard as any heavyweight in Australia,” he said Fox Sports Australia‘His power is truly indescribable.
“I was actually surprised by how hard he hits. When we were sparring, you could see the guys were surprised by his power, speed and aggression.
‘That is also the feedback we get.
“Curtis is a fighter who gets under your skin, wants to hit you and has real power… that’s a tough combination to deal with.”
The former Swans captain (pictured in his first professional fight against NRL great Paul Gallen) believes he will stop Scott in Wednesday night’s match
Scott won the 2017 championship with Melbourne Storm and was seen as a potential State of Origin player, but his career was ruined by a series of off-field problems.
In 2022, he was sentenced to 12 months’ community service after pleading guilty to three charges against his ex-girlfriend, athlete Tay-Leiha Clark, including assault with intent to cause bodily harm, common assault and stalking or intimidation with intent to cause fear or physical harm.
He had already been sacked by the Canberra Raiders before the assault charge, stemming from a separate incident involving a nightclub brawl, but was later cleared of all charges.
He is also embroiled in a legal battle with New South Wales police over what he calls an “unlawful” arrest in 2020.