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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Big Nelson planning to get nasty in boxing debut
Melissa Woods, AAP •  January 8th, 2026 6:39 pm
Ex-NRL star Nelson Asofa-Solomona is ready to make his professional boxing debut | Photo: James Ross/AAP
While describing himself as a gentle giant, former Melbourne NRL star Nelson Asofa-Solomona promises fans will see a different beast when he makes his professional boxing debut next week.
The 29-year-old turned his back on his rugby league career after falling out of love with the sport on the back of missing two grand finals through suspension.
Rather than another pre-season grind, Asofa-Solomona has been in training for his first fight, coming against another ex-NRL journeyman Jeremy Latimore, on the Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa undercard Friday week in Brisbane.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona says boxing is a welcome change from an NRL pre-season camp | Video: AAP
The Kiwi Test prop said he was embracing a new sporting world.
"I'm excited, it's something different but I'm definitely feeling refreshed," Asofa-Solomona said from Melbourne, where he has been preparing.
"I'm in a whole different world but I'm embracing every moment.
"You've got boxing fitness and rugby league fitness and I think I'm at a good standard now for boxing - all I can say is that I'm happy I'm not at a Craig Bellamy pre-season right now."
While Asofa-Solomona copped some brutal bans in rugby league, he insisted he wasn't naturally an aggressive person.
But a boxing enthusiast since he was a young boy, he said he would flip once he climbed into the ring.
"I'm still a big gentle giant, but as the week approaches of fight night, I think I can start to see the wheels turning a little bit in my head and a bit of that warfare mindset is starting to take place in my head.
"I think you'll see a different Nelson when I get into the ring."
Asofa-Solomona will fight on the undercard of the Nikita Tszyu (l) and Michael Zerafa (r) battle | Photo: James Ross/AAP
Latimore made his boxing debut in 2024 in Sydney with an unanimous points win over Alexander Ale, while he also won an exhibition bout last year on the Gold Coast.
Despite Asofa-Solomona being 10 years younger and up to 30 kilograms heavier, 113kg Latimore felt he had the boxing smarts to get the better of his rival.
Asofa-Solomona said he respected anyone who took up the challenge, given his size and power, but felt Latimore was "delusional".
"I think the biggest thing is the mental warfare, and I'm sure he's going through a fair bit of it right now, knowing the power that I possess," he said.
"With boxing, it's different from a team sport, it's an individual sport and you have to back yourself, you've got to be confident so I'm not surprised that he's confident and he's backing himself.
"But what I'm discovering in boxing, you've got to be somewhat delusional, so I think it's on full display."
