Yahoo Finance 'So f***ing sad': Lucas Browne's telling statement after Gallen KO
Lucas Browne has fired off an angry message to his critics after a stunning loss to Paul Gallen in Wollongong on Wednesday night.
Gallen announced himself as a heavyweight force to be reckoned with after preserving his unbeaten record with a brutal beat-down of former world champion Browne.
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Furious about Browne dismissing him as a "footballer", the retired rugby league great sent 'Big Daddy' to the canvas twice inside the first two minutes with a series of devastating blows to the head.
Browne was given a standing count on the first occasion but couldn't continue after being laid out a second time.
Browne's startling capitulation had many questioning his preparation for the fight, with Aussie legend Barry Michael saying he'd heard rumours that Browne hadn't been training.
Fans and pundits were also left fuming that the fight finished in just two minutes.
Taking to Instagram at 5am on Thursday morning, Browne fired back at the haters.
“It’s so f***ing sad to see so many bullsh*t comments, attacks, haters and people saying I took a dive,” the 42-year-old wrote.
“I had a fight, I fought s***, couldn’t recover, have been out the ring for too long and got beat, end of story.
“I got in there, had a go, failed, and that’s it … full credit to Gallen. Thankyou to the fans, supporters and sponsors, and I do apologise.”
In a separate video message, Browne said his equilibrium was thrown off by a shot to the back of the head.
“I’m not marked up,” he said.
“I believe I got hit back of the head, behind the ear and it f***ed up my equilibrium and I basically couldn’t recover."
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Aussie boxer Billy Dib had earlier labelled Browne's showing "pathetic", while Michael urged him to quit the sport.
“I did hear rumours about his training camp that he wasn’t looking good,” Michael said.
“But I still did believe that with his experience and punching power… but I admit I got that totally wrong.
“He showed no resilience whatsoever. His resilience is gone. When a fighter is shot, a fighter is shot. Lucas Browne should never consider venturing into a ring again.
“I think it should be (the end). How’s he going to come back from that?”
Paul Kent added: “I didn’t expect Lucas Browne to go down so easily. I didn’t see a clear concussive punch… For a flurry of punches to put him down in the first round surprises me.”
Undefeated in a dozen bouts, Gallen says it's nice to continue defying the doubters with his "have a go" attitude.
"One hundred per cent effort, 100 per cent of the time. That's what I do," he said.
"What I do and teach my kids is always do your best. Whatever you can do, have a crack."
with AAP
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