from:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/crosscode-stink-hoppa-bait-for-hall/2009/08/03/1249152558965.html
Cross-code stink: Hoppa bait for Hall
Brad Walter
August 4, 2009
A BOXING promoters dream Barry Hall versus John Hopoate is a distinct possibility now that the Australian heavyweight champion and former NRL bad boy has agreed to fight on the undercard of the David Tua-Shane Cameron bout.
David Higgins, who has been promoting what has been dubbed New Zealands fight of the century between Kiwi heavyweights Tua and Cameron in Hamilton on October 3, wants an Australian undercard to boost pay-per-view sales and has approached Hall to fight Hopoate in what would be the former Swans stars much-anticipated professional boxing debut.
Ive already put an offer of sorts to both camps and John Hopoate has certainly indicated that he is keen to fight and keen to fight Barry Hall, Higgins said. Everything else is in place so all were waiting on now is for Barry to accept.
Should Hall accept, Higgins is offering a cut of the pay-per-view sales for what he anticipates will already be a heavily subscribed fight given the large number of New Zealanders living in Australia.
But a Hall-Hopoate bout would have equal billing with Tua-Cameron in Australia, given the interest the fight would generate among AFL and NRL fans, especially as it takes place the night before the NRL grand final.
We think it would be a great opportunity for Barry Hall to launch his boxing career in front of what would be a huge television audience in both Australia and New Zealand and were certainly willing to share the upside of this fight, Higgins said.
Hall, who quit the Swans just a month ago, is still undecided about his sporting future and has several AFL clubs interested in his services for next season.
But the 32-year-old former Victorian junior boxing champion plans to fly to the US to be in Danny Greens corner for his cruiserweight world title fight on the undercard to the Roy Jones jnr-Jeff Lacy bout on August 15, and Higgins urged him to make the switch to boxing.
Barry Hall has a boxing pedigree, Higgins said.
