Satisfying your bloodlust is one thing. What happened at the boxing on Friday night is another

Detailed summary

Nelson Asofa-Solomona – at 201 centimetres and 137 kilograms – is a man who, if so inclined, can inflict serious damage. With much power comes much responsibility.

It was June 2018, in a Colorado hotel. Covering the ill-fated Denver rugby league Test between England and New Zealand, I was walking past the hotel swimming pool and caught sight of the biggest human I had seen.

I remember thinking to myself: this man, if so inclined, could inflict serious damage on anyone.

And so it came to pass at Sydney’s TikTok Entertainment Centre on Friday night.

Sitting only a few metres away from the action – only the likes of Kangaroos World Cup stars Latrell Mitchell, Pat Carrigan, Harry Grant, Sam Walker, Lindsay Smith had a better vantage – Asofa-Solomona unleashed a series of unanswered right hands – including four vicious uppercuts – that ended the pugilistic career of Paul Gallen.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Sydney Morning Herald. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.