IT was harder than he expected but Paul Gallen returned from Auckland with his undefeated record intact.
The Cronulla captain won a unanimous decision against New Zealand Warriors forward Bodene Thompson at the Super 8 Boxing Tournament on Tuesday night to improve his professional record to an unblemished 4-0.
Speaking to the Leader yesterday, Gallen said he pulled up well from the fight that went the four-round distance.
"It was hard, he was very awkward," he said.
"It was a good test. I felt like I won pretty comfortably.
"The third round he hit me with some good uppercuts but every time he got me I fired straight back.
"I never let him get on top but it was really difficult."
The 34-year-old was the busier of the two as he landed stinging body shots and was more economical in the number of punches thrown.
But Gallen praised Thompson's ability, with the 27-year-old Kiwi in only his second fight and first as a professional.
"I didn't think he would be able to move as well as he did," he said.
"Every time I got him with a good body shot he managed to move away well.
"He got me one good uppercut that knocked my head back.
"To his credit he dug really deep. I hit him with a body shot in the fourth round and he buckled and I thought he'd go down but he didn't.
"He was really tough."
Gallen said he was happy with his performance as he showed discipline to not engage in a brawl with Thompson.
"I suppose everyone wants to knock someone out but before the fight I said I was set on it going the four rounds.
‘‘My fitness was good for the first three rounds but I definitely did get tired a bit in the fourth which might be something I need to work on.
‘‘But with my ankle [injury suffered against North Queensland in the semi-finals] I couldn’t do much running in the lead up.
‘‘The main thing is I got the win so I’m really happy with that.’’
It is uncertain whether Gallen will fight again this summer before his rugby league commitments with the Sharks.
The inspirational lock can only box until January 31 as stipulated in his contract with Cronulla.
Gallen will return to pre-season training with the Sharks on November 16, with the bulk of the squad returning on Monday.