Paul Gallen Retires After Asofa-Solomona KO: 'That's It for Me'

Paul Gallen says the gloves are staying off. After his first-round knockout loss to Nelson Asofa-Solomona in Sydney, the 45-year-old has announced his retirement from boxing. This time, the message is direct: “Father Time is undefeated and that's it for me.”

Nine and 7NEWS both reported Gallen's Instagram statement confirming his decision. Draught Sports shared an excerpt of that message:

Gallen thanked promoter No Limit for sending him to hospital after the fight and said he was back home. “I'm home now, safe and sound,” he said. That is Gallen's own account of his condition, not an independent medical assessment or clearance to fight.

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He also congratulated Asofa-Solomona. “Well done mate, no issues with it, he did a great job,” Gallen said, before thanking the people he had fought, sparred and worked with during his boxing career.

The retirement is a separate development from Friday's knockout and subsequent crowd confrontation. Gallen's decision should not be confused with any finding about that incident.

Kimster's take: crossover boxing gets attention because of the names. Staying in it takes something else. Gallen kept returning to a demanding sport, but his latest statement recognises the limit. A first-round loss is a hard final page; getting home to his family is the more important part of his message.

For the next Australian boxing chapter, follow our Haney–Paro coverage and take a look at Liam Paro's Boxbid page.