A boxing fight between former UFC fighter Mark Hunt and retired NRL player Paul Gallen, which has been in the works for a large of this year, has finally been made official. The pair will clash at Bankwest Stadium on December 16 as co-headliners to a fight between Tim Tszyu (16-0) and New Zealander Bowyn Morgan (21-1). Hunt vs Gallen live Hunt has not had a professional boxing bout since earning a draw back in 2000. Since then, the now 46-year-old went on to become a superstar, first in Japan where he won the highly acclaimed K-1 title and then moving on to the UFC where he came up against some of the best heavyweights in the world. Although falling short in winning the heavyweight title, he became a fan favourite for his one-punch walk-off knockouts. Gallen, an accomplished former NRL player is unbeaten in his boxing career that stretches back to 2014. For a large part of his career, boxing was an off-season extra activity as he concentrated on his on-field career before retiring from Rugby League in 2019. Gallen is 9-0, 1 draw in his boxing career, with the draw occurring in his last outing, against former AFL player Barry Hall. https://gallenvshunt.com/ The event will be promoted by No Limit Boxing with tickets on sale from Monday. Paul Gallen was in hospital with a surgeon in scrubs before he ditched an operation to take his blockbuster fight against UFC great Mark Hunt. The NRL legend, an unbeaten heavyweight boxer, tore a bicep during a Saturday training session earlier this month and was resigned to missing the long-awaited Hunt bout. He booked surgery for the following Tuesday. Gallen revealed to Wide World of Sports just how close he came to going under the knife, before backing out to take the fight at Bankwest Stadium on December 16. "I went into the hospital to have the surgery on the Tuesday after I did it and in my head, I didn't want to do it," Gallen said. Live stream Hunt Gallen Fight in the UK "I spoke to the surgeon and he was dressed in his operating gear; I wasn't on the operating table or anything, I wasn't that close to having it done, but I was in the hospital. Paul Gallen during his 2019 win over John Hopoate. (Getty) "I was asking him about the pros and cons of it and I said, 'Mate, I don't want to have the surgery. I don't want to be rehabbing a tendon at my age, I'm not a rugby league player anymore'. "When you're a rugby league player, you've got everything at your disposal every single day; physios, doctors, all that sort of stuff. I'm past that now, unfortunately. "I said I didn't want to have it and he basically said, 'Look, I recommend having it but it's your body. If you don't want to have it, you don't have to'. He went through the pros and cons of it." Gallen was told that he would have to cop a loss of strength in the area around his elbow. He is not yet throwing punches in the gym and is aiming for a month's worth of sparring before the Hunt fight. Watch Hunt vs Gallen Live Stream free "Basically you lose supination, which means you find it hard to turn your hand up," Gallen said. "Which isn't that important to me. It's more important if you're a physical labourer or worker; I don't think I'm going back there. Then I'd lose probably around 10 to 20 per cent of my strength in flexion. "I thought at my age I can probably handle that. I'm not going to be PB'ing weights for much longer. I didn't think it was much of an issue as far as everyday life goes, picking your kids up and that, it wasn't going to affect it. "So I decided not to have the surgery. I didn't sign the [fight] contract until recently because I didn't want to commit to it until I knew it could get better. I just constantly kept working on it and it's gotten better and better. In a couple more weeks, it should be 100 per cent - or as good as it can be. "I haven't been throwing punches as this stage. It's not ideal, the injury, not ideal to have at this point in time. But I want to do the fight, I've committed to the fight now. It will be OK in a couple of weeks, the I'll start back into it full-bore from there. "I'm able to do other things, like run, cardio and get fit. That's part of the battle anyway, so that won't be an issue for me. Once I start punching and sparring again, I should get three, four weeks under my belt of sparring, which will be good." Sydney Superfight Gallen v Hunt Paul Gallen punches John Hopoate during their 2019 fight. (Getty) Gallen said that the prospect of a long rehab was even more of a turn-off with the surgery than missing his fight. The operation would have meant a six-month recovery, having only just ended a damaging career in the NRL last year. "I just didn't want to do the rehab, to be honest with you," he said. "I've just retired from 20 years of rehabbing injuries and being injured week-in, week-out and playing injured. I just didn't want to deal with rehabbing a tendon, it's a six-month rehab. "It's three months before you can start to live life normally, then another three months before you can return to sports. I just didn't want to do that, for something I think I can live without." Gallen Hunt live fight Paul Gallen and Mark Hunt (Getty) Gallen, 39, who has 10 professional fights under his belt and remains undefeated (9-0-1, 5 KOs), is comfortable enough with his boxing skills to deal with the physical imposition. Even against a beast like Hunt, 46, who became the UFC's walk-off knockout king during a fearsome career in the cage. "I'm actually surprised at how relaxed I was yesterday [at the fight announcement]," he said. "Sometimes you go to those events and you get a bit nervous but i was really relaxed, really focused. I felt good there. "It's going to be a huge challenge for me, I've got no illusions about that. This guy's got experience coming on 30 years and has been knocking blokes out all around the world, so I know what I'm up for. Gallen vs Hunt live stream "But I just think that he's had his time. He's a legend of the sport but he's a legend for a reason - you're a legend because you're at the end of it. I think I can beat him." Gallen vs Hunt is a co-main event for rising super-welterweight star Tim Tszyu's headliner fight against Bowyn Morgan. Ultimately, Gallen would like to take a footy super-fight against Sonny Bill Williams. It would be a big money-spinner and the Kiwi megastar "100 per cent" committed to a future clash when he appeared with Gallen on 100% Footy during August.