It all goes down in Sydney tonight.

Sonny Bill Williams steps back into the ring for his long awaited bout against fellow footy star turned boxer Paul Gallen.

There’s no lost love between the pair, who have been wanting to fight for nearly a decade.

Williams told Heather du Plessis-Allan that hate is a strong word to describe their dynamic, but the animosity between them is definitely real.

He says that he’s not generally a trash talker, but if someone’s going to keep pushing, eventually you’re going to push back.

“I don’t consider it trash talk, I kind of just spoke some truth, and I think with this bloke, every fight he’s had, he’s made it personal,” he told du Plessis-Allan.

“But the reality is, all I’ve done is spoken some truths back and I think it’s riled him up quite a bit.”

Williams says the bout can’t come quick enough.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.