Rugby League Hardmen Edge Closer to Boxing Showdown Amidst Public Spat
Two of rugby league's most formidable and controversial figures appear destined to settle their escalating feud inside the boxing ring. The simmering tension between former Melbourne Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona and prop Matt Lodge has boiled over into a very public war of words this week, with both athletes trading pointed barbs across continents.
Long-Distance Call-Out Ignites Fiery Exchange
Currently preparing in Las Vegas with his new club, the North Queensland Cowboys, for their opening NRL round, Lodge took time to directly challenge the retired Kiwi giant from approximately 15,000 kilometres away. This follows his initial call-out in December, after Asofa-Solomona signed a lucrative three-year contract with boxing promoters No Limit upon retiring from rugby league.
'He already knows he can get it,' Lodge declared to Fox Sports. 'I'll do my best here but if I pull up healthy at the end of the year, I'd definitely fight. Unlike Nelson, I'm not going to quit footy to get in the ring. But good luck to him ... and if he wants to get it on, we can get it on.'
Asofa-Solomona's Pointed Retort on Social Media
The response from Asofa-Solomona was swift and cutting. He captured Lodge's quote and posted it to his Instagram account with a provocative caption: 'Funny that…you wouldn't have a job if I took the contract you're currently on right now. Thank me later.' In a move that deepened the personal nature of the conflict, Asofa-Solomona also highlighted an infamous past statement from Lodge: 'This is the night you die.'
This chilling quote references a disturbing incident from eleven years ago, when Lodge was arrested in New York after a drunken rampage. In October 2015, he threatened two German tourists, chased them, assaulted a man who tried to intervene, and broke into an apartment, smashing furniture and punching through a bathroom door where a nine-year-old boy was hiding. Police arrested him at gunpoint, and he was subsequently held at Rikers Island.
Lodge's Return to American Soil and Contrition
This week marks Lodge's first return to the United States since that shocking episode. The 30-year-old fronted the media in America, describing the experience as surreal. 'I probably didn't think I'd be coming back to America,' he admitted. 'But, you know, I've ticked all the boxes. At the end of the day, it was 11 years ago.'
Demonstrating a degree of contrition and team-first attitude, Lodge revealed he was prepared to miss the high-profile Vegas game if his presence became a distraction. 'If it was going to affect the team in any way, I told them I was happy just playing in round two,' he stated. 'But they wanted me to come and I went through all the processes and here we are.'
Boxing Careers and Public Speculation Intensify
Despite Lodge's immediate focus being the Cowboys' NRL season opener against the Newcastle Knights, widespread speculation persists that a boxing match between the two rivals is inevitable. Asofa-Solomona, who quit the NRL after the 2025 season, has enjoyed a successful transition to professional boxing. Meanwhile, Lodge also entered the professional boxing arena in November 2024, securing a bloody second-round knockout against Alexander Ale, followed by another second-round TKO victory over Jonasa Kavika in March 2025.
Many observers and fans online interpret the heated exchange as classic fight promotion. 'Ah please, these two will fight each other eventually and this is just a promotion. Everyone knows it's a promotion. Anyone that believes this is anything but that is just a fish on the line,' commented one sceptical fan. Another added, 'He's baiting Lodge to get a boxing match by the sounds of it.'
The hostility, intertwined with personal history and professional ambition, continues to build palpable anticipation for what could become a major pay-per-view sporting event, blending the brutal worlds of rugby league and boxing.
