George Burgess is using a rejected fight proposal against an AFL legend as motivation for his upcoming boxing debut. The former Rabbitohs prop is preparing to face Nelson Asofa-Solomona, a former Storm star, later this month. This fight will be part of the undercard for Liam Paro’s IBF welterweight champion title fight against Lewis Crocker.
Since the fight was confirmed last month, there has been some verbal sparring between Burgess and Asofa-Solomona. Both fighters have been in the ring recently, with Asofa-Solomona securing a knockout victory over Jarrod Wallace in April.
Burgess revealed that Asofa-Solomona was not the first to offer him a bout in the ring. In 2019, AFL great Barry Hall proposed a duel, but Burgess ended up fighting Sharks great Paul Gallen instead. Although the offer came at the wrong time, Burgess admits he still feels some regret about turning it down.
“I always believed boxing is the hardest sport in the world,” Burgess told Fox Sports News. “If you get the chance to step into the ring against a great opponent, I would never turn it down.”
He explained that he only had four weeks to prepare for the fight with Hall, while this time he has had months to train. Burgess has been working with a trainer and is taking the sport seriously.
Burgess emphasized that he is not just a “footy player trying to get his hand” in the ring. He has put in the work to respect the sport. However, his opponent views him as “an actor,” a label that reflects Burgess’s career since retiring from football.
Despite this, Burgess believes he can use his experience in the arts to his advantage. He recently finished filming a movie called Beast, where he got to shoot a real fight in Thailand and experience what it means to be around fighters. This experience gave him the motivation to pursue boxing.
“I think I’ve got the bug for boxing because once you start delving into it properly, it is quite addictive,” he said.
While focusing on his upcoming fight, Burgess is also excited about featuring in another boxing movie later this year. Although his passion for acting may seem odd to Asofa-Solomona, Burgess is confident that there is no other fighter he would rather face in his boxing debut.
“We competed against each other for our countries and clubs,” he said. “It’s a great rivalry, and I think the fans are going to want to see it in the ring. There’s going to be a quarter of a tonne in the ring, it’s going to be fireworks. I can’t wait. I’m going to do some serious harm.”
