There are concerns for the welfare of Paul Gallen after he was brutally dethroned as footy’s crossover boxing king by Nelson Asofa-Solomona on Friday night.
The former Melbourne Storm star had a huge height and weight advantage over Gallen, who has used his fitness and courage to prove himself against professional boxers in previous years.
Gallen v Asofa-Solomona | Friday November 6 from 7pm AEDT | returns to the ring to face his biggest opponent yet, Nelson ‘Big Nasty’ Asofa-Solomona. | Order now on Kayo Sports.
But the 45-year-old was left seeing stars when Asofa-Solomona connected in a brutal barrage of punches at the end of the first round of their heavyweight bout in Sydney as the referee waved off the fight.
You can watch the knockout in the video above.
The chaos continued when Asofa-Solomona leapt over the ropes to punch a fan in the crowd in wild scenes — he later apologised for his violent outburst.
Gallen lay motionless against the ropes for several minutes before he was eventually able to sit up and get to his feet.
His former Cronulla Sharks coach Shane Flanagan and ex-teammate Michael Ennis were in the Sydney Entertainment Centre watching and had expressed concerns about the mismatch before the fight.
Asofa-Solomona now has a professional boxing record of 4-0 and called out English boxing star Tommy Fury.
Catch up all the action below.