‘Too soft’: Meet boxer Tonga Tongotongo, the footy prodigy who was too rough for league

He’s a footy prodigy who carved up scoring tries outside Nathan Cleary - then quit rugby league because the game was ‘too soft’. Meet Tonga Tongotongo, the big-hitting boxer taking on the fight game.

He’s a dual international wrecking ball who carved up schoolboys footy scoring tries outside Nathan Cleary, but was forced to ditch rugby league because the game was getting too soft.

That’s how he puts it anyway.

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Meet rising light-heavyweight boxer, former St Dominic’s College winger and hard-hitting, but often suspended Corrimal Cougars back-rower Tonga Tongotongo.

A no-fear, hard-as-nails Kiwi-born kid, Tongotongo grew up dreaming of playing in the NRL.

And for a few years he looked destined to fulfil that goal.

“I moved over from New Zealand and went to St Dominic’s, and Nathan Cleary was a year above me,” Tongotongo said.

“I was a winger or centre and he always set me up with good balls.

“How he plays now in the NRL is how he played in high school too – just being a bully.”

Tongotongo in action for St Dom’s back in the day. Picture: Supplied

Tongotongo with former Kiwis front-rower Greg Eastwood. Picture: Supplied

The hard-running Tongotongo shared the field with Brian To’o in SG Ball and represented Tonga at the Commonwealth Championships Nines tournament in 2018.

He later ran out for Niue in the 2019 Oceania Cup rugby union tournament in Papua New Guinea.

“I was a winger because I never knew how to get into a ruck,” he says.

But as he progressed up the rugby league ranks, and the rules of the game were adjusted to make it safer, Tongotongo spent too much time on the sidelines, either sin-binned or suspended as a result of his take-no-prisoners attitude to defence.

“The rules of the game started getting too soft,” he says.

“Apparently tackling around the nipple is a high tackle, apparently a shoulder charge is a high tackle too.

“I’ve got two videos from the same game, one was apparently a high tackle, and one was a shoulder charge, but you could see me trying to wrap with my arms.

“The guy just bounced off. I don’t know what’s happening. The rules are getting too soft, they’re even having under sixes play tag now.”

Tongotongo says he hit too hard for league and union. Picture: Supplied

He was an obvious talent, but the suspensions and sin-binnings started adding up.

“I’ve probably got the record for most sin-binnings at the club,” he said of his stint at the Corrimal Cougars. “I just fly in and use my whole body and tackle the guy.

“I was probably sin-binned every second week or something.”

And what about suspensions?

“Yeah, been suspended a couple of times as well,” he says. “One of them, I went into the tackle with my head down and hit him around the chest.

“They said it was a high tackle and too aggressive or something.”

Perhaps surprisingly for a guy who was boxing on the side, Tongotongo was never punished for an on field dust-up.

“There was one punch-on, but I didn’t get suspended because the other guy started it,” he laughs.

“My footy coach talked me into hanging up the boots to focus on boxing because it was getting too much playing footy, then fighting a week later.

“I was probably suspended too much as well.”

Tongotongo with UFC supestar Robert Whittaker. Picture: Supplied

‘Mr Antman’ is one of the most feared knockout artists in Australia. Picture: Supplied

The same issues followed him to the boxing ring too.

“I was supposed to fight on this corporate fight night, but my coach said I punched too hard,” he said. “So instead of having a corporate fight, he told me to have a real amateur fight.

“It just started from there.”

Now 9-0 with nine knockouts, the 26-year-old faces the toughest task of his career when he fights rising star Kirra Ruston (4-0) for the Australian light-heavyweight title on the Keith Thurman vs Brock Jarvis undercard on March 12.

One of the brightest prospects in Australian boxing, Ruston fought last Saturday in Brisbane, and will face Tongotongo on just a 10-day turnaround.

“There won’t be much heavy sparring, and I’m already in condition,” Ruston said.

“I haven’t seen a lot of (Tongotongo), but I know he’s an exciting knockout artist.

Kirra Ruston is one of brightest prospects in Australian boxing. Picture: No Limit Boxing

“It’s gonna be great putting the two of us together and seeing who comes out on top.”

Tongotongo will likely be the underdog on fight night, but is just looking to prove what he can do.

“I’m still learning and practicing my footwork,” he says moments after finishing a days’ work rolling 200 degree asphalt for a carpark in the Illawarra.

“I’m trying to punch with more volume instead of just throwing bombs every time.

“I’ve been training with the guys at Pad Flow and with Paulo Aokuso, so I just want to show I’m more than a power puncher, and that I can box as well.”

And although the diehard Rabbitohs supporter is no longer playing footy, he’s left the door open for a comeback.

Especially with the injury drama his beloved Souths are in.

“I might have to chuck the boots back on and sit on the water boy bench,” he laughs.

Originally published as ‘Too soft’: Meet boxer Tonga Tongotongo, the footy prodigy who was too rough for league