Paul Gallen has promised to expose Nelson Asofa-Solomona as “a f**king cat”, sparking a fiery face-off in which the former Melbourne Storm giant vowed to “do Australia a favour” and knock him out.
Sitting down with Main Event’s Ben Damon ahead of their November 6 heavyweight grudge match, the former NRL rivals traded barbs over everything from toughness and age to who deserved credit for putting them in the main event.
Gallen v Asofa-Solomona | Friday November 6 from 7pm AEDT | Australian sporting icon and crossover boxing king Paul Gallen returns to the ring to face his biggest opponent yet, Nelson ‘Big Nasty’ Asofa-Solomona. | Order now on Kayo Sports.
And while ‘Big Nasty’ insisted it was time for Gallen to hand over the torch, the Sharks premiership hero reckoned the younger man would fold under pressure.
“You’re big, strong and powerful, but you’re a f***ing cat deep down,” Gallen said.
“Deep down, you know you are. I’m going to prove it and expose you.
“I’ve seen it in rugby league and it doesn’t change. It’s in you as a person.”
The extraordinary spray capped an exchange in which Gallen repeatedly questioned whether NAS could handle the sort of fight coming his way.
Despite giving away significant size and 15 years in age, the 45-year-old insisted he had “no doubt” he would win.
“I don’t think he’s as tough as people think,” Gallen said.
“I played rugby league against him. He was good. He came off the bench. He was a good player for 10 or 15 minutes.
“But at the end of the day, when I am constantly pressuring him, I don’t think he’s going to handle it. He hasn’t faced anyone like that.”
Gallen then turned Asofa-Solomona’s departure from rugby league into another brutal line of attack, accusing him of quitting when the game became too fast.
“I moved on,” Asofa-Solomona replied.
“No, you quit. You f***ing quit!” Gallen shot back.
“Once you’ve got quit in you once, you can’t get rid of it.”
The former New Zealand Test prop defended the move as “a mature decision”, saying he was now in a sport he was built for.
And he argued Gallen had never encountered someone with his combination of size, youth and power.
“He hasn’t faced anyone like me. Thirty years old, six foot seven, 135 kilos, Polish and Samoan power,” he said.
“He hasn’t felt nothing like this. Trust me.”
That gave Gallen an opening for a quick joke.
“My missus is Polish, man. I feel plenty of power. She’s got all the power,” he replied.
But the gag did nothing to cool things down.
NAS argued age would matter against Gallen, declaring: “It’s a young man’s game.”
“All I can say is it’s my time. His time’s finished,” he said.
“His time is finished, and it’s time for him to pass down the torch to the new dog.”
‘Deadsh*t losing to a 45-year-old!’ | 01:33
The pair also clashed over Asofa-Solomona’s rise through the boxing ranks following three professional wins against Jeremy Latimore, Jarrod Wallace and George Burgess.
While NAS pointed to increasingly prominent positions on No Limit cards as evidence he was handling greater pressure, Gallen insisted there was only one reason he was now headlining.
“Have a look at your fight! Poor Georgie Burgess was cooked after 30 seconds,” Gallen said.
“You think you’re building your way up to being a main event fighter?
“You’re f***ing delusional.
“The only reason you’re fighting in the main event is because I’m fighting, because I’ve come back.
“That’s the only reason.”
When NAS asked whether Gallen believed he was doing No Limit a favour, the Sharks legend replied: “Yeah, by stopping you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to do Australia a favour and knock you out,” NAS fired back.
Gallen then went further, dismissing the big man’s chances of building a boxing career after taking up the sport at 29.
“You’re going nowhere in the sport anyway, mate,” he said.
“Well, let’s be honest. To pick up boxing at 29 years of age and think you’re going to go somewhere with it, it’s just not going to happen. It’s just not.
“And I’m going to finish it on the 6th.”
“We will see,” Asofa-Solomona replied.
For Gallen, the bad blood comes from repeated public call-outs — and his claim that a private conversation was later used against him.
“Look, I understand you’ve got to sell the sport, right? You’ve got to capture eyeballs and create tension,” Gallen said.
“But to constantly mention my name in fights I’m not involved in, I just thought it was really ordinary.”
NAS maintained he had simply answered questions about fighting the man he described as “the crossover heavyweight king”.
“Ultimately, I just want the title,” he said.
MORE BOXING NEWS:
Tszyu’s ‘legacy defining moment’ locked in as host city contenders emerge for world title blockbuster
Tszyu’s unfinished business takes fresh twist as US superstar tipped for Aussie card
Gallen and NAS face off ahead of bout | 01:15
Gallen, whose boxing wins include Sonny Bill Williams, UFC great Mark Hunt and former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas Browne, conceded NAS was dangerous.
But he remained adamant the younger man would break under pressure.
“I’ll turn up on the night, rip in, and get the win, and go home,” he said.
“That’s my plan. It’s pretty simple for me.”
Leave a Reply