Sonny Bill Williams says his opponent Barry Hall is a “great fighter” and it will be a big challenge to beat him when they meet in the ring in March.

The match will take place on March 23.

He said when he retired from footy he had a “itch” he had to scratch, and he knows he needs to bring ferociousness to win.

“Seeing him today, hearing his comments, seeing his body language, he is ready to fight,” he told Peter Psaltis on Wide World of Sports.

“And he is taking this extremely serious and personal .. it’s given me a bit of motivation to go back and understand the ferociousness I need to win on March 23.”

“We’re two talented athletes that were at the top of our game respectively on the field.

“The thing for Barry, the thing in his corner is he grew up with a boxer, I didn’t grow up with a boxer, he has it in his blood.”

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