Paul Gallen vs. Justin Hodges & Ben Hannant: How to fight two people in one night?

How would you fight two people in the same night?

Would you tackle the harder challenge first while you’re fresh? Or warm up with the easier option?

Would you rather take them back to back? Or take a breath in between?

These are all things Paul Gallen will need to consider before he meets the combination of Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges in Brisbane on Thursday 15 September.

Unfortunately for Gallen, he doesn’t have much say on the matter.

The 41-year-old spoke about the challenge that lay ahead and outlined his preference.

“The ideal format would just be a back-to-back fight,” said Gallen.

“I like to do eight three-minute laps, I like to do ten three-minute laps if they want, and they can do five each.

“So fight one after the other – I finish one and the other can jump in straight away – that’s what I want to do, that’s what I always imagined.”

However, Gallen believes he has no choice but to wait a while longer – at least for the co-main event between Harry Garside and Miles Zalewski – before jumping back into the ring.

“But they’re going to give me at least an hour break in between now… it makes me nervous,” he added.

“When you reach a certain age and quit, you quit, that’s it.

“When it comes to fighting…when the fight is over, the sheer relief, all the hard work paying off, it’s over.

“Getting up and having to do it again will be the hardest part.”

In terms of order, Gallen would like to go first against Hodges, who has a lot more experience and is expected to be the more difficult challenge, although he doesn’t think he will prevail.

“I think Hodgo will take the easy route and fight me second. He thinks he can knock me out, so I think he should fight me first,” Gallen said.

“Whatever they tell me, I would do.”

Promoter No Limit is expected to finalize the format in the coming weeks, including the order of how long between fights and how long fights will be scheduled.

While most Galls tip off getting the job done against both men, the G-Train says he won’t take the task lightly.

“The only thing I can’t do is take it easy,” he said.

“I’ve fought against people in the past who took me for granted and thought they were going to win and I showed them it. As long as I don’t make it easy, I’m fine.

“They don’t have my ticker, they don’t have my heart, they don’t have my fitness, they just aren’t me. You can’t hit me. You didn’t have the experience I have.

“There comes a time when your experience grows old, and I’m not far from that. As for those two guys, I’ve got enough in the tank to get the job done.”

One of the Gallen opponents in Hodges has been calling for fight for several years and leaves no stone unturned in its preparation, training twice a day for the challenge.

The former Maroons star wants to make sure he can take on Gallen’s legendary engine.

“I’m trying to take away one of his greatest assets, which is his fitness. So if I get close to him it will be a little more of an even fight where I can hopefully put some big punches on him,” said Hodges.

“I’d rather go first, then there are no excuses. If I’m the last, people might say, ‘[Gallen’s] already had a fight.’

“But that’s out of my control. All I can control is the way I prepare and if I’m second I’ll just be the icing on the cake and try to take him out and send him back to New South Wales.