Two minutes of boxing last night highlighted what we probably all knew as far as Sonny Bill Williams’ fight career is concerned.

Now that he’s retired from rugby and league and concentrating fully on punching for a living alongside such luminaries as Joseph Parker and, wait for it, Tyson Fury, Williams is many levels above (most) aging former football stars and yet, given his age – 36 - and lack of an amateur pedigree, probably not good enough for fully professional heavyweights.

It goes without saying that the pre-fight comments from his coach Andy Lee, a former WBO middleweight champion who also trains Parker, that Williams could be a future heavyweight world champion should be taken with a handful of salt.

And I say “most” former footballers because there’s probably only one fight out there for Williams now; Paul Gallen.

The old boxing adage of fights having to make cents to make sense applies here because Gallen, the 40-year-old former Cronulla Shark, who played 32 tests for the Australia Kangaroos, has name recognition on both sides of the Tasman. He’s also known as a tough guy who can fight. That equals pay per view buys.

Gallen is also of a similar age, will be far more durable than Barry Hall was in Sydney last night, and is on a similar level to Williams in terms of boxing skill.

Interestingly, Gallen could only draw with Hall in their fight in late 2019, but other than that has a better record than Williams since he turned professional in 2014. Gallen has fought 14 times for a loss and a draw but has beaten former UFC star Mark Hunt and knocked out Lucas Browne.

Gallen’s only loss came against 22-year-old Justis Huni, a TKO in the 10th round of their fight for the Australian heavyweight title in Sydney last year, but the unbeaten Huni is a genuine professional with an amateur background.

While Williams based himself in England to train alongside Fury, Parker and fellow Kiwi David Nyika under Lee for this fight, it’s unlikely that he will want to spend long periods away from home for years on end preparing for fights and indeed fighting.

Williams is too old to be a prospect and not good enough to be a contender. It’s almost certain that Gallen will be his biggest fight and probably his last, too, although don’t expect it to happen any time soon. The wheels of professional boxing can turn slowly when there is a relatively lucrative fight to be made.

“I want to do this for a couple of years and if it all works out, Paul Gallen might be a part of that,” Williams said after making quick work of Hall.

“When and where? I’m not sure. But I’m sure we’ll get talking soon.

“We just have to sit down and talk and see what happens. I’m not fussed if it happens or not, but he has always been part of the talk. We’ll see what happens.

“That’s what makes great fights - rivalries. We definitely have that. Me and Barry had that, especially in the last couple of days walking the streets of town. People are screaming 'c’mon, let’s go'. That’s the buzz of boxing at the moment.”