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What would possess a financially secure footballer, at the age of 45, to jump back into the ring and risk the precious few brain cells he has remaining?
If you’re Paul Gallen, the answer is money.
Gallen has a raft of clauses in his contract which, if triggered, could result in him finishing the night $1 million better off. To take home a seven-figure pay day, he has to complete a number of media commitments (tick), generate a certain amount of ticket/pay-per-view sales, and, last but not least, knock Nelson Asofa-Solomon out.
I remember the first time I saw Nelson Asofa-Solomona with his shirt off.
It was June 2018, in a Colorado hotel. I was covering the ill-fated Denver rugby league Test Between England and New Zealand, and as I was walking past the hotel swimming pool I caught sight of the biggest human I had ever seen.
I remember thinking to myself “Now there’s a bloke not to be trifled with.”
And here we are now, all these years later, and I’ll be witnessing Big Nelson trying to land those big mitts on Gallen.
Warm regards from ringside at the TikTok Entertainment Centre for the heavyweight clash between Paul Gallen-Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
This contest is not about titles. Or legacy. It is for cold, hard cash, contested between two footballers who no longer play football.
However, there’s something intoxicating about watching two of the NRL’s baddest boys throw leather until one can no longer stand.
Will it be the “G-Train”, steaming out of retirement (yet again) for one final (perhaps) payday? Or will “Big Nasty” land one of those thunderous uppercuts on Gallen’s chin to turn his porch lights off once and for all?
We’ll let you know what happens, as it happens.
