PAUL GALLEN has revealed doubts about whether he can still "take that extra step" in the boxing ring and is weighing up his future after a shock loss to Kris Terzievski in Newcastle on Wednesday.
The rugby league legend suffered only his second professional defeat to the more youthful Melbourne fighter, unable to lift another gear like he had done in the past.
Terzievski, eight years Gallen's junior at 32, won on points in a unanimous 97-92 result from the three judges.
The 10-round Australian heavyweight title fight lived up to the hype but ended without a bang as Terzievski danced around the ring in the final round, largely avoiding Gallen after appearing rattled the round prior.
Both fighters wobbled in the ninth but Gallen rocked Terzievski for arguably the first time in the fight and looked to have a chance to end it.
It set up a huge final three minutes at the entertainment centre with the Novocastrian crowd backing former NSW Blues captain Gallen, but Terzievski played it safe to ensure victory, having outboxed Gallen in the earlier rounds.
With the two fighters sitting beside each other in a change room after the fight, Gallen said he felt age might be finally catching up with him and he didn't know whether he would fight on.
"A good mate of mine told me ... you don't get old in between fights, you get old in between rounds and I felt it today," Gallen, 40, said.
"I felt it a couple of times in sparring to be honest.
"I've always had the ability to take that extra step and just go harder and harder.
"I tried to do it in round four, five, six ... I tried to put the accelerator on ... and I just couldn't."
Terzievski said he hoped to use the win to progress to the world stage in the bridgerweight division, but he didn't rule out a fight with former heavyweight champ Justis Huni, the only other fighter to have beaten Gallen.
"If it was a big-money fight, I'd jump at it," he said of taking on the Queenslander.
Wednesday's fight began hard and fast in the opening two rounds, but southpaw Terzievski used his jab well and landed some decent body shots throughout the fight.
Entering the fifth, Gallen looked tired but by the end of it he looked battered after Terzievski landed some strong lefts directly on his face.
Terzievski then landed a flush uppercut about a minute into the sixth and followed it up with a few more strikes to Gallen's head.
Gallen looked stronger at times in the seventh round and at one point had Terzievski briefly leaning on the ropes, but it was not to be.
Terzievski was booed when he bounced around the edge of the ring in the final round, along with when the referee stopped the fight on a few occasions to pull up his falling trunks.
There were multiple other stoppages earlier on to address unravelling tape on Terzievski's gloves.
If Gallen does decide to call it quits, he will finish with a record of 12 wins, two losses and one draw. Seven wins have been by knockout.
Terzievski moved to a record of 11 wins (eight KO), one loss and one draw.
