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He is a rugby league international and NRL premiership-winning star, but Nelson Asofa-Solomona is walking away from the game to try his hand at boxing.
The Melbourne Storm granted Asofa-Solomona's request to leave the club in October and he had been linked to the rebel R360 competition, which has been postponed until 2027.
The giant prop had two years remaining on his contract but was reportedly on the outer with club management after a long string of run-ins with referees and the judiciary limited his effectiveness.
Now the 115kg forward will reportedly shun rich deals from the English Super League to take up boxing instead.
Asofa-Solomona will commence his boxing career against a well-known NRL identity, with ambitions to become a world heavyweight champion, according to News Corp.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona has hovered around boxing for years, first making waves in 2020 when he challenged Darcy Lussick, then lining up a 2021 bout with Josh Papalii that ultimately fell through.
Melbourne Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona (pictured on his way to an NRL judiciary hearing) will walk away from rugby league to take up a new sport
The NRL star has had a controversial playing career marred by incidents on and off the field
The Storm have granted Asofa-Solomona (pictured at the 2018 Dally M awards) a release despite having two years left on his contract
By 2023, his training footage was turning heads in the boxing community. Melbourne trainer Antoni Topic said he'd 'never seen a big man move like Nelson', praising his speed, footwork and frightening knockout power.
Pad-holder Leo Taliu even joked he risked permanent hand damage while holding mitts for the 200cm, 115kg enforcer.
His only official in-ring outing so far came at the 2023 Battle on the Reef, where he detonated a spectacular right uppercut, the punch of the night, to floor fellow footy star Jarrod Wallace in the opening seconds.
Asofa-Solomona's NRL career has been punctuated by a series of controversies, starting with his infamous Bali incident in 2019.
While holidaying in the off-season, he became involved in a late-night brawl outside a nightclub, with the altercation captured on video and circulated widely.
The NRL Integrity Unit launched an investigation, and he eventually received a three-match suspension for upcoming New Zealand Tests, along with a suspended $15,000 fine.
Asofa-Solomona maintained that he acted to defend a teammate who had been coward-punched, but he also conceded he could have handled the situation better.
Boxing promoter Matt Rose had already tried to sign him after seeing him throw heavy punches during the Bali brawl while protecting teammate Suliasi Vunivalu.
Asofa-Solomona has used boxing for training for years, and top promoter George Rose has previously tried to sign him
In his only foray into the ring so far, Asofa-Solomona (right) put on a powerhouse clinic to knock out fellow NRL star Jarrod Wallace
Asofa-Solomona is expected to start his new career with a blockbuster bout against a big-name NRL star
On the field, disciplinary problems also followed him as his aggressive style repeatedly brought him before the NRL judiciary.
In 2024, he was found guilty of a Grade 3 careless high tackle during the preliminary final for a shot on Lindsay Collins.
The ruling cost him the chance to play in the grand final against the Penrith Panthers, which the Storm lost.
More issues emerged in 2025, when he accepted an early guilty plea for a dangerous contact charge after a match against Manly, resulting in a two-match suspension.
Asofa-Solomona was also one of the earliest high-profile names attached to the RUNIT Championship League, helping promote the launch and appearing in promotional clips that framed the contest as a test of power and toughness.
He encouraged competitors to 'run it straight' and spoke about dominating contact, which gave the fledgling competition instant credibility among rugby league fans.
His involvement was widely used across RUNIT's social media channels and early marketing material.
But after serious concerns were raised by concussion experts and footage showed competitors being knocked unconscious, Asofa-Solomona quietly stepped back.
Reports confirmed he withdrew his support over fears the safety measures were inadequate.
He has since shifted his attention to promoting a separate, lower-risk game called Big Steppa, distancing himself from the escalating controversy around RUNIT.
