BARRY HALL will be tempted to end his football career and take up boxing when he meets one of the sport's biggest promoters next month.
Hall will meet high-profile American boxing promoter Gary Shaw in Los Angeles, with Shaw expected to offer the Swans forward about $1 million to sign for a career in the ring.
Shaw has invited Hall to be a guest at Vic Darchinyan's super-flyweight unification bout with Mexican Cristian Mijares on November 1, with the pair then to discuss the prospect of Hall pulling on the gloves.
"Elias Nassar, Vic Darchinyan's manager and Gary Shaw's representative in Australia, has told Gary all about Barry, and Gary invited Barry to be his guest and sit next to him ringside at Vic's fight," leading Australian match-maker Angelo Hyder said. "He wants to have a look at Barry move around a bit and he wants to make Barry an offer he can't refuse, which would possibly be a $1 million sign-on fee.
"Myself and Elias have worked with Gary Shaw for a number of years and we completely believe in Barry, but Gary Shaw is the bloke who talks the money and a $1 million sign-on fee for him is peanuts. At this stage I think Gary wants him to do something straight away. I don't think he wants him to play another year and that's what they will have to talk about when they come face to face. He will have to work out what he wants to do and what's best for his future."
When contacted by the Herald last night, Hall did not wish to comment. He said only that he was contracted to the Swans for next year.
Hall, a successful amateur boxer as a junior, has often said he would like to try the sport again after football, and the end of that career continues to creep closer. He had been hoping to get an extension from the Swans on his contract which runs out at the end of 2009, but they refused
Another man in Hall's corner is former light-heavyweight world champion Danny Green, who revealed yesterday how he met Hall six months ago to discuss a move into the ring. Green wants to be Hall's Australian promoter and has invited Hall to Perth in the coming weeks to train. He believes the 31-year-old should make the move now.
"I think Barry should be making the call now," Green said. "He's got to look after himself and I tend to think if he was serious about crossing over into boxing, and having a really good go at it, waiting another year I don't think would be beneficial to him.
"But let's see what Barry wants to do, and let's see what the offer is and if it's as good as I think it will be - it will be a substantial and significant offer - I'm pretty sure Barry would seriously look at it and say, 'Wow, this is too good an offer to refuse if this is what I want to do'.
"Barry and I had a very good chat six months ago, and he was keen, and we spoke about what he wants to do and where I see him going and where I want to take him in the future and this is a big step going over to meet Gary Shaw, a promoter who has a lot of pull over there."
Hyder said that while Hall had not fought since his youth, he had seen him train, would "completely recommend" him to Shaw, as having "the best potential of a boxer I have ever seen in this country, bar none".
"Heavyweight big blokes like Barry don't come along every day, and he's a supreme athlete, he's got the goods," Hyder said. "Barry has been over there training with Vic and they have got a bit of a relationship going, and Vic said to Barry at a training session during the week: 'Barry, lend me your body for two fights and I'll knock [WBC heavyweight champion Vitali] Klitschko out and make us millions and then I'll give your body back to you. You know how rich I could have been if I was in your body?'
"This is just a signing-on fee, then you have the big purses on offer. Anyone who wants to question the amount of money to be made you just have to look at the amount of money Anthony Mundine has made in an average weight class - I guess around $15 million - compared to the premier weight class that Barry is in. The potential is there."