Boxing promoter calls on Melbourne Storm hard man to step in the ring after explosive footage emerged of the front rower unleashing a barrage of punches during a Bali street brawl
- Promoter Matt Rose said he wants Nelson Asofa-Solomona to start boxing
- His comments come after the Melbourne star was involved in a street brawl
- Mr Rose said he would use the footage shot in Bali to promote the player
A boxing promoter wants Melbourne Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona to jump into the ring following footage of him punching others during a Bali street brawl.
Promoter Matt Rose said he’d love to see the front rower make his debut after a video of the 23-year-old in a fight outside the La Favela bar in Seminyak went viral on October 14.
Mr Rose has no doubts the star would make it in the sport after seeing Asofa-Solomona defend his team mate.
Boxing promoter wants Melbourne Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona (pictured) to jump into the sport following footage of him punching others during a Bali street brawl
‘The way he throws [them], he’d put a few on notice. You wouldn’t want to be on the end of them,’ Mr Rose told the Daily Telegraph.
‘I’d love to have a chat with him about it. We’re the No.1 promoters in the country and we know talent when we see someone like Nelson.
‘Seriously, we’d use that footage from Bali to promote him.’
CCTV of the violent brawl emerged earlier this month showing Asofa-Solomona repeatedly throwing punches.
However, witnesses reportedly claim Asofa-Solomona only retaliated when Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu was hit in the face in an unprovoked attack inside the club.
Another set of footage from inside the club later emerged showing the moment Vunivalu was reportedly smacked in the face – leaving him with a cut under his eye.
Promoter Matt Rose said he’d love to see the front rower make his debut after a video of the 23-year-old in a fight outside the La Favela bar in Seminyak went viral on October 14
NRL star Nelson Asofa-Solomona (pictured left) was reportedly acting in retaliation after teammate Suliasi Vunivalu (centre) was beaten inside a nightclub
Both groups were forced to leave the venue shortly after the punch-up, which is when the alleged violence erupted.
The nightclub owner told 9News the incident looks bad but that is because people are unaware of what happened inside the club.
‘His reaction was aggressive but we don’t know what happened before.’
One of the men, allegedly armed with a bottle, had approached the players when 6”7′ Asofa-Solomona began throwing punches in a distinctive purple Hawaiian shirt.
Footage of the incident shows the fight spread from the footpath outside the club on to the road between cars.
Bystanders were forced to scatter away from the brawl as the men raged across the street.
A witness in Bali told the Daily Telegraph that Asofa-Solomona went ‘berserk.’
‘His mate got whacked and he went off,’ the witness said.
Disturbing footage has captured the moment a tourist (pictured in the purple shirt) unleashed a barrage of punches on bouncers outside a night club in Bali
As a result of the brawl the Melbourne enforcer was banned from playing in upcoming New Zealand Test matches.
At the time his club, the Melbourne Storm, said they were taking the incident seriously and it had been referred to the NRL Integrity committee.
Asofa-Solomona is under contract with the Melbourne Storm until 2023 and would need their permission to embark on a boxing career in the off-season.