Big Nasty Ends Gallen in 116 Seconds, Then Calls Out Tommy Fury

Nelson Asofa-Solomona needed just 116 seconds to end Paul Gallen's boxing career in Sydney on Friday night, 6 November, landing a brutal first-round knockout at the TikTok Entertainment Centre that left the 45-year-old former rugby league star flat on the canvas and the crowd in shock. The former Melbourne Storm enforcer, known as Big Nasty, moved to 4-0 with four knockouts, while Gallen fell to 16-3-1 in a farewell he did not want. Within minutes of the finish, the night had turned chaotic, with Asofa-Solomona leaping out of the ring towards a spectator, before apologising and calling out British boxer Tommy Fury for his next fight.

The finish that ended it in 116 seconds

The ending came in the final 30 seconds of a two-minute opening round. Gallen had traded blows with the much bigger man, but Asofa-Solomona took control, and a trio of right hands finished the fight in sickening fashion. The first right hand sent Gallen stumbling backwards into the ropes. The second, an uppercut, had the former Cronulla Sharks and New South Wales captain on his way to the canvas. The third caught Gallen in mid-fall as the referee raced in to stop the contest. Commentator Ben Damon shouted, 'Too nasty! Nelson's nightmare! Paul Gallen is down and hurt badly.' Ringside, former world champion Danny Green added, 'That's very nasty. Oh jeez. That's sickening.' Gallen lay on the canvas for several minutes while medical staff attended to him. The size gap was impossible to ignore: the 30-year-old Asofa-Solomona stands 200cm tall and weighed 137.56kg, against a 45-year-old rival giving away years, height and weight.

Chaos after the bell

The drama did not end with the stoppage. As Gallen was being treated, Asofa-Solomona climbed onto the ropes to shout at the crowd, then leapt out of the ring and lunged at a spectator, appearing to throw a punch that did not connect. Commentator Dan Ginnane likened the scene to 'Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars', while Fox Sports reported that Asofa-Solomona later said a fan had made an ape gesture at him. 'I just want to apologise for what I did. I acted like a bloody idiot,' he said in his post-fight interview. 'I just got into the heat of the moment. It's been a big build-up, and I should not behave like that.' Gallen was soon back on his feet, and he rebuffed Asofa-Solomona's offer of an embrace. The incident is set to attract scrutiny, and it took some of the shine off a win that had, inside the ropes, been entirely one-sided.

A farewell Gallen did not want

For Gallen, the defeat was a bitter way to close a remarkable crossover career. His first professional fight came against Herman Ene-Purcell in February 2014, while he was still at the height of his rugby league career, and he went on to beat former heavyweight world champion Lucas Browne and UFC star Mark Hunt, wins that rank him behind only Anthony Mundine among Australia's rugby league-boxing crossovers. He had come out of a 16-month retirement for this fight, furious after giving Asofa-Solomona advice on switching from rugby league to boxing, only to be called out by the younger man. Before the bout he had promised to end Asofa-Solomona's boxing career; instead, his own ended in 116 seconds. Dan Ginnane said he felt relieved the defeat would finally end Gallen's career, while former teammate Michael Ennis admitted he had been scared watching it unfold. Gallen's 20th entry into the ring may now be his last.

What comes next: Tommy Fury

Asofa-Solomona wasted no time looking forward. After paying tribute to Gallen as the crossover heavyweight king, he used his post-fight speech to call out Tommy Fury, the brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. 'Big Nasty is here to stay,' he said. 'And if we can make this next fight work I would love it. Tommy Fury, over in the UK.' No date, venue or promoter has been confirmed for such a fight, and Fury has not yet responded, but the callout gives the 4-0 heavyweight a next step after the biggest win of his career. Before Friday he had spoken about pursuing the Australian heavyweight title; beating Gallen, the man who held the crossover crown, has now put him on a much bigger stage, and a fight with Fury would test him against a recognised name rather than another rugby league convert.

A strong night for No Limit

The main event was not the only story on a busy No Limit Boxing card promoted by George Rose. In the co-main event, Olympian Callum Peters outlasted a fierce challenge from Juan Diego Ortiz over ten gruelling rounds, winning by unanimous decision, 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93, to extend his unbeaten record to 10-0. Earlier, Paulo Aokuso needed just two rounds to demolish Austria's Mobin Khahrazeh, landing a huge left hand before Khahrazeh's corner threw in the towel, and promoter George Rose then revealed in the ring that Aokuso, now 13-0, will fight on the undercard of Liam Paro's welterweight unification bout against Devin Haney in San Francisco on 20 December. Ahmad Reda stayed unbeaten too, taking a majority decision over Jake Wyllie, who had weighed in almost two kilograms overweight, while Blair Geraghty kept his undefeated run alive with a split-decision win over Peter Lee. The card showed Australian boxing has plenty ahead.