MELBOURNE STORM forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona has shunned ‘rich Super League deals’ as well as lucrative R360 offers to head into the world of boxing.

The 29-year-old has signed a full-time boxing deal and could earn up to $1m a year, leaving behind a strong legacy in the NRL.

Asofa-Solomona played 215 NRL games for the Melbourne Storm during his career, winning the NRL premierships in 2017 and 2020, but missed the last two NRL grand finals through suspension.

According to News.com.au, the giant enforcer rejected overseas offers from Super League to take up the new sport.

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s no secret I’ve fallen out of love with the game of rugby league, for now, but I’ve fallen in love with the boxing game,” Asofa-Solomona said.

“I’m here to test myself. I’m here to take a risk ultimately I would regret it if I didn’t give it a shot.

“I’d wake up in the morning and it felt like a chore the last couple of years. For me, waking up as of recently and going to boxing training, it really got me out of bed.

“It’s something I am really passionate about right now. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but what’s life without a bit of risk.”

No Limit’s George Rose said his company wants Asofa-Solomona, who already weighs a gargantuan 115kg, to bulk up even more.

“I don’t know if people will be putting their hand up for this one,” No Limit’s George Rose said at Thursday’s announcement.

“There will be people absolutely shit scared of going anywhere near him, because of the size and power of him.

“But, there will be people out there who want to make a name for themselves and somebody wants to be the first person to hit Nelson in the mouth.

“We’ve got no doubt that we will find a great opponent for him.

“We want him to be big, we want him to be devastating. We want him to showcase that power he’s got. And when you’re big in the heavyweight division, size matters.”

The former Kiwi forward added that suspensions did play a role in pushing him away from the NRL and is glad to have his future sorted.

“It played a bit of a role. You can’t get sent off in boxing, which is good – that’s a start. There’s a lot of other contributing factors as well,” he said.