A rejected fight proposal to take on an AFL legend in the ring is driving George Burgess′ hunger as he prepares to face ex-Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona later this month.
The former Rabbitohs prop is just weeks away from making his debut in the ring against Asofa-Solomona, with the pair named part of the undercard for Liam Paro’s IBF welterweight champion title fight against Lewis Crocker.
George Burgess poses in preparation for his fight against Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Bradley Kanaris
Since the fight was confirmed last month, verbal barbs have been fired from both Burgess and Asofa-Solomona, who will enter the ring off the back of a knock-out victory over Jarrod Wallace in April.
Burgess revealed Asofa-Solomona was not the first to offer him a bout in the ring, with AFL great Barry Hall proposing a duel in 2019, before he ended up fighting Sharks great Paul Gallen.
While the offer to fight the Sydney Swans champion came at the wrong time for Burgess, he admits that rejecting that opportunity still weighs on his mind.
“Boxing has always been, in my opinion, the hardest sport in the world to compete in,” he told Fox Sports News on Tuesday.
“If you get the opportunity to step in the boxing ring against a great opponent, I would never turn it down.
“I actually turned down a fight in 2019 with Barry Hall, and he ended up fighting Paul Gallen. They drew the fight, but I always regretted [turning it down] a little bit.
“I only had four weeks to prepare for that fight. This time I’ve had longer, I’ve had months to prepare. I’ve been able to have a good trainer pay respect to what, I believe, is the hardest sport in the world.”
George Burgess pushes Nelson Asofa-Solomona away during a face off. Chris Hyde
Burgess made clear that he is in no way just a “footy player trying to get his hand” when it comes to facing Asofoa-Solomona, citing all the work he has done to “respect” the sport.
Yet, even though he has done all the training, his looming opponent views him as “an actor” – a label that is a cheeky jab at the career Burgess has been pursuing since hanging up the boots.
But there are things that Burgess has learned from pursuing the arts that he will be utilising when it comes time to put on the gloves.
“I just finished a movie called Beast …and we got to shoot at a real fight in Thailand and experience what it means to be around fighters,” he said.
“That really gave me the juice for it. I think I’ve got the bug for boxing because once you start delving into it properly, it is quite addictive.”
While Burgess is currently focused on his upcoming fight, he also has the excitement of featuring in another boxing movie later this year.
And while his passion for being an actor may not make sense to Asofa-Solomona, Burgess recognised that there is no other fighter that he would rather face in his boxing debut.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona reacts after defeating Jarrod Wallace. No Limit Boxing
“We competed against each other for our countries, our clubs,” the 34-year-old said.
“It’s a great rivalry, and it’s one that I think is going to be something that the fans are going to want to see in the ring.
“There is going to be a quarter of a tonne in the ring, it’s going to be fireworks. I can’t wait.
“I’m going to do some serious harm.”