Disgraced NRL star Tim Simona beaten senseless on boxing debut

Tim Simona was booted out of rugby league in disgrace but we don’t think he’ll be pursuing a career in boxing after his ugly debut.

Disgraced former NRL star Tim Simona was given a rude reality check in the ring on Tuesday night, beaten into submission on his boxing debut.

The former Wests Tigers centre, who was cut loose from top flight rugby league in 2017 for betting on matches — including opposition players and teams — put the gloves on as part of the undercard for ex-world champion Andrew Moloney’s fight against Froilan Saludar.

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Moloney kept his dream of reclaiming the super-flyweight crown alive with a unanimous decision victory over Saludar, but Simona suffered a far tougher fate.

The doctor stopped his clash against cruiserweight Aaron Cocco in the third round when it became apparent he was helpless to defend himself in the face of a barrage of punches.

The 30-year-old started brightly but soon faded and found himself on the receiving end of some punishing blows from Cocco. Boxing pundits thought the fight should have been stopped even earlier as Simona’s hands dropped, leaving himself exposed to a glut of heavy hits.

Commentating for Main Event, Aussie boxing legend Jeff Fenech said: “Great work by the doctor, that’s what it was. It’s a great job because the referee should’ve stopped it, and the corner should’ve stopped it.

“I’m not gonna pull any punches here — to me, that’s not a good look.

“Of course the fight should’ve been stopped. The referee’s standing there watching this guy get hit without coming back.

“In the first round it was Simona that opened up landing 10 or 12 punches … it looked like Cocco was gonna do what Simona did.

“I think he (Simona) learned it’s a little bit harder than playing football. But he put up a great show, the first round I thought this might be a huge win for him, but the doctor’s done the right thing and I take my hat off to him.”

'The referee should've stopped it' 🗣️ Jeff Fenech hasn't pulled any punches 😳

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Originally published as Disgraced NRL star Tim Simona beaten senseless on boxing debut