Nelson Asofa-Solomona offered shot at boxing after Bali brawl
The grainy footage of Nelson Asofa-Solomona in the infamous Bali brawl was shocking — but it was enough to convince one fight agent that the Storm front-rower could make it in the ring.
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Fight promoter Matt Rose wants to sign up Melbourne Storm front-rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona and use footage from the Bali brawl to promote him.
The grainy footage of the Storm enforcer unleashing a series of thundering blows on the man who coward-punched his teammate Suliasi Vunivalu at a Bali nightclub has convinced Rose that Asofa-Solomona will make it as a boxer.
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“Absolutely he’d make it,” Rose said, “The way he throws ’em, he’d put a few on notice. You wouldn’t want to be on the end of them.
“I’d love to have a chat with him about it. We’re the No.1 promoters in the country and we know talent when we see someone like Nelson.
“Seriously, we’d use that footage from Bali to promote him.”
Asofa-Solomona is under contract with Storm until 2023.
He would need permission from the club to embark on a boxing career in the off-season. The training required is vastly different what rugby league players do in an off-season.
Recently retired Cronulla Sharks enforcer Paul Gallen, preparing to fight Barry Hall next month, says Asofa-Solomona would be a “massive drawcard.”
But he was cautious about predicting he would make it.
“He’s a big, scary-looking thing,” Gallen said, but jumping into a ring is different to playing rugby league or fighting in the street.
“I’d like to see him have a go because so much has been said about the Bali incident and everyone would watch him.”
Storm CEO Dave Donaghy declined to comment when asked if the club would allow him to fight.