6ft 7in retired rugby star set for heavyweight boxing debut

Nelson Asofa-Solomona is gearing up to make his professional boxing debut this weekend.

Asofa-Solomona represented New Zealand in rugby league for eight years until 2025, playing for the Melbourne Storm as a prop for 215 games.

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But now, he is swapping the rugby pitch for the boxing ring.

On January 16, he is set to fight his former rugby rival, Jeremy Latimore, on the undercard of Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa.

As Asofa-Solomona prepares for a new venture, he has explained his decision to walk away from his Melbourne Storm deal, reported to be worth over A$850,000 (over £420,000).

What has Nelson Asofa-Solomona said ahead of his debut?

He said to Fox Sports: “Rugby league stopped loving me.

“And while I do still love the game, I just think it’s slowly losing its fabric. The game is losing its bones.

“And that’s why I gravitated to boxing – it’s a gladiatorial sport. Boxing still has its bones and that will never change.”

While Asofa-Solomona hasn’t completely closed the door on a return to rugby in the future, he is turning his attention to boxing for the foreseeable.

The former prop seems to be eager to make his mark in a new sport.

He continued: “With boxing it’s so much different than a team sport.

“You’ve got to back yourself; you’ve got to be confident. So I’m not surprised that he is confident.

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“But what I’m discovering in boxing is that you’ve got to have somewhat of a delusion — or be somewhat delusional — and I think it’s on full display there.

“He’s done rounds with [Paul Gallen], but he hasn’t done rounds with me. So we’re going to find out.

“I’m a big, gentle giant but as we get closer to fight night, I can feel the wheels turning a little bit.

“A bit of that warfare mindset is starting to get in my head and I think you’ll see a different Nelson when I get to the ring.

“I think the biggest thing is the mental warfare, and I’m sure he’s going through a bit of it right now, knowing the power that I possess.

“Credit to him, but I’m here to do a job. I’m looking for that highlight reel finish.”

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His opponent, Latimore (1-0), will have Paul Gallen in his corner on fight night.

Gallen is another rugby league legend who also made the transition into boxing.

The 44-year-old reportedly banked an estimated $25million across his 19 appearances in the ring.

His experience is expected to shape Latimore into a tough test for Asofa-Solomona.