Get ready for a thrilling tale of courage and controversy!
The fearless warrior, Paul Gallen, almost stepped into the ring with MMA and WWE legend Brock Lesnar. Yes, you heard that right! But here's where it gets even more intriguing...
Gallen, a true legend in his own right, was in secret negotiations to face Lesnar at the peak of his crossover career. And that's not all; his promoter, George Rose, believes Gallen could have taken on the infamous Jake Paul too, had their paths crossed sooner.
As we speak, Gallen is preparing to witness Nelson Asofa-Solomona's highly anticipated Australian heavyweight debut in Brisbane this Friday. Australia's top promoter, No Limit, is still keen on a future clash between these two heavyweights.
Just weeks after leaving his $800,000-a-year deal with Melbourne Storm, Asofoa-Solomona is ready to embark on a new journey as a professional fighter. And what a journey it promises to be!
Before we dive into the main event, let's talk about the undercard. The highly anticipated grudge match between Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu is generating a lot of buzz. But first, 29-year-old NAS will face fellow NRL veteran Jeremy Latimore.
The former Stormer is heavily favored, and talk has already turned to a potential showdown with Gallen. Could we see the nation's heavyweight crossover king make one more comeback?
Despite being 44 and twice retired from boxing, Gallen is only six months removed from a dominant win over Sonny Bill Williams. This victory capped off a career that included massive fights against Justis Huni, Lucas Browne, and Mark Hunt.
In an exclusive interview with Fox Sports Australia, No Limit CEO George Rose revealed how close they came to landing Gallen a blockbuster fight with Lesnar, the WWE icon and former UFC heavyweight champion. Lesnar, one of the most recognized athletes globally, fought eight times in the UFC from 2008, including a gold medal win against Hall of Famer Randy Couture that same year. He then successfully defended his title twice against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.
Rose also believes that if Gallen were in his prime, he could have secured him a fight with Jake Paul, the American YouTuber-turned-boxer.
So, what if Asofa-Solomona wins on Friday as predicted? Will he try to entice Gallen back for one more lucrative headline fight?
Ironically, Gallen and Latimore are close friends, and Gallen will be part of Latimore's support crew in Brisbane this Friday night. Other former NRL players, including James Graham, Jimmy Maloney, Dan Hunt, and Tyson Frizell, will also be in attendance to cheer on the hugely popular Latimore.
While Rose doesn't think Gallen could contend with the mighty Nelson, he refuses to rule out the showdown.
"Because Paul Gallen fears absolutely no one," Rose said. "He was so popular because of the risks he took. I can tell you that we were seriously considering a fight between him and Brock Lesnar..."
Wait, what?
"It was after he beat Mark Hunt, another UFC heavyweight favorite," Rose continued. "Once Gal won that fight, it was like, 'Who can't he beat?' At least in the crossover space. That's when we started talking about Lesnar."
Lesnar was scheduled to visit Australia with the WWE, so they explored the possibility of arranging a fight during his visit.
"We already knew Gal was in. He always said yes. It was 'pay me, I'll fight him.' The guy literally feared no one."
Gallen, fresh off a win against Mark Hunt, one of the greatest knockout artists in combat sports history, was ready for any challenge.
"He was willing to fight Justin Hodges and Ben Hannant in one night. There was nothing he wasn't willing to take on. But unfortunately, the timing with Brock didn't work out, so the fight never happened."
Rose believes that if their careers had aligned better, he could have made the Gallen vs. Jake Paul fight happen too.
"Jake gives them all a run for their money against any type of crossover fighter," Rose said. "And Gal was exactly the same. He would have done well against Jake and likely had an opportunity if their careers had lined up."
As for Friday night's main event, Gallen will be firmly supporting Team Latimore. The two played together for the Cronulla Sharks in 2017, and Latimore revealed that he even sparred with Gal last year during his preparation for a fight.
"Gal messaged me about doing some sparring. It was actually his first session back, and his bicep started acting up halfway through. But early on, he hit me with a big overhand right. Wobbled me. I didn't expect Gal to be as powerful as he was. But he's a keg on legs. Works you to the body, then that big overhand right. He's a powerful guy."
When asked about former NRL players fighting, Latimore said, "A guy like Gal generates so much interest. It's the same with big Nelson now. Hopefully, I can play my role in derailing that hype train because most people out there want to see these guys fight. Sure, some will complain, but boxing is incredibly tough. I remember after one of my first sparring sessions, I had two black eyes and my nose was across my face. That humbles you. So when these big-name guys step into the ring, it creates a lot of interest."
For this fight, Latimore has been sparring with Australian heavyweight Jackson Murray, who has sparred with Francis Ngannou in Las Vegas, cruiserweight Kane Baker, and another 140kg slugger from western Sydney.
So, will Latimore derail the hype train and pull off an upset? We'll find out this Friday night!
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