BRISBANE: With a thumping right-handed uppercut, a slit of the throat and a triumphant climb onto the ropes, Nelson Asofa-Solomona burst onto the professional boxing scene in devastating fashion on Friday night.
Asofa-Solomona, the two-metre, 133-kilogram former Melbourne Storm giant, defeated another ex-NRL player, rugby league journeyman Jeremy Latimore, via a stunning knockout blow at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
“Big Nasty”, as his belt read, delivered the knockout in the first of four rounds of the heavyweight fight.
“It feels great,” Asofa-Solomona said in the ring.
“I’m not happy with the performance, to be honest,” he added, before explaining he thought his stance was “a bit loose”.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona standing over Jeremy Latimore after his brutal knockout. No Limit Boxing
Ben Damon asked the two-time NRL premiership-winner who he wanted to fight next.
“Any NRL player can get in, any NRL player,” Asofa-Solomona replied.
The former Kiwi international was then spotted exchanging words in the crowd with ex-NRL giant George Burgess, who is reportedly in talks with promoter No Limit Boxing about his own switch.
Earlier in the night, Queensland local Liam Wilson won the first of the main-card fights when he floored Rodex Piala with a series of brutal blows.
Wilson hit the Filipino flush in the face with his left hand, did the same with his right and followed up with a left to the body, sending his opponent crumbling to the floor in the fourth of 10 rounds.
Piala was left writhing on the floor in agony as Wilson took the win via knockout to ensure the WBO international super-featherweight title remained his.
More to come.