Nelson Asofa-Solomona has revealed why he turned down a lucrative NRL return to pursue a shock switch to professional boxing, declaring he had “fallen out of love” with rugby league.
The former Melbourne Storm enforcer rejected interest from multiple clubs, including the New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta Eels, walking away from an offer believed to be worth up to $800,000 per season to chase a heavyweight boxing career.
Instead, the 130kg forward will make his professional debut on the undercard of the Nikita Tszyu–Michael Zerafa bout in Brisbane.
"Yes, there was some interest from the Eels and the Warriors," Asofa-Solomona told the Daily Telegraph.
"There were a few other NRL teams that reached out, but I told them I'm not interested in playing NRL right now."
The 29-year-old admitted repeated suspensions and changes to the modern game took their toll.
"Rugby league has changed over time, and it was really hard to adapt," he said.
"I felt like I was in the black book with referees, and it was hard to get out of that cycle."
Asofa-Solomona revealed he had planned to step away from sport entirely before discovering boxing.
"I was actually going to take the whole year off, I'd fallen out of love with rugby league," he said.
"But I went into the gym with Team Ellis and fell in love with boxing."
He also confirmed Storm coach Craig Bellamy encouraged him to chase happiness rather than another contract.
"He just said, ‘Go find something you enjoy'," Asofa-Solomona said.
Known for his intimidating physical presence, Asofa-Solomona says boxing suits his personality.
"I always seem to find myself in chaos, and I like chaos," he said.
"That's what boxing provides."
