Nelson Asofa-Solomona could make a career out of boxing and follow in the footsteps of Paul Gallen and Anthony Mundine, reckons Michael Zerafa.
Zerafa has seen plenty of Asofa-Solomona, having trained out of the same gym.
The Melbourne Storm lifer will take on Jarrod Wallace in Stan's live and exclusive pay-per-view 'Battle on the Reef' on October 7.
Watch all the action from 'Battle on the Reef' on October 7. Available to watch via pay-per-view live and exclusively on Stan
The only barrier? Zerafa explained to Wide World of Sports, "He's still in his prime playing, whereas Mundine made the full transition to boxing and so did Gallen after he retired. He came across and said, 'You know what? I'm gonna give boxing 110 per cent.'
"So Nelson is still in the mindset of two sports – but you never know, he might wake up one day and say, 'I want to solely put everything into boxing.'
"He's got the ability and the mindset to do so, but at the moment he's still in his peak of NRL and playing for Storm. So it'd be a tough one.
READ MORE LINKS
"Mundine, who I had the pleasure of fighting and beating, and Paul Gallen, who led the way for NRL, tough as nails – you know, anything's possible for him for sure."
Asked how Asofa-Solomona compares to someone like Gallen, Zerafa said there are some parallels.
"I don't think anyone is as tough as Paul Gallen. I mean, he's got a hammer as a head," said Zerafa.
"In terms of boxing ability, like I do rate him," he said of Asofa-Solomona.
"You know, Gallen is that more walk up forward strong and tries to get that knockdown and has a high success rate of doing so.
"Nelson, again, has a good game plan and has good boxing IQ and doesn't just walk forward. He'll plan out and use that jab and try traps to find that knockout.
"Someone that size, I haven't really seen do that before. None of these big heavyweights besides like Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, and all those top-notch fighters.
"For someone that's coming straight from NRL into the boxing world, he's got a great base and you can only build from that.
"I'm a big Nelson fan. Hopefully he continues, but again, he's still at the peak of his NRL career, so you never know what could happen for sure."
https://twitter.com/StanSportAU/status/1704397482657259778
For Zerafa and Asofa-Solomona, it's a case of game recognising game.
Zerafa said the pair bonded over their mutual appreciation for each other's discipline.
"He walked in (to the gym) and obviously he follows boxing so he knew straight away who I was and vice versa," Zerafa explained.
"I've seen him play a few times because the boys get around the (Melbourne) Storm there and we just gel.
"He's awesome to be around and he's a gentle giant but you get on his bad side – he's super competitive. He wants to make statements.
"He's training super hard. I've been watching his spar and pad work and bag work and doing it all. He is so disciplined and dedicated and he's just got that mindset of an athlete.
"He's unbelievable. He moves well for someone that big. What is he? 6-7, 6-8? 100-odd kilos. He moves well and he's got good boxing IQ.
"If the nerves don't get to him, which he's used to being on a big stage and in front of people, I think he'll be all right.
"If that all rolls into the fight night, I think he's gonna walk away with a good win."
To order and watch the Battle on the Reef Pay-Per-View customers will need an active Stan subscription. Stan subscribers can order the Pay-Per-View for $50. New customers can sign up for a 30-day free trial and then order the Pay-Per-View for $50.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.