Indeed. It was a night in which headline act Paulo Aukuso overcame countless obstacles – a missed weight cut, the near-death of his trainer to a quadruple heart bypass and a fractured jaw he brought into the ring – to earn a points decision against Gabriel Omar Diaz. The Argentine put on a spirited display, but the judges handed it to Aukuso 95-95, 98-92 and 97-94.

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The other footballers also put on a show. Tevita Pangai Junior boldly claimed he would eventually become the heavyweight champion of the world, but barely survived a searing examination from the unknown Frank Amato.

“TPJ” earned a majority points decision which Michael Zerafa, commentating from ringside, said “could have gone either way.”

The former Bulldogs enforcer said he wants to run it back.

“I want a rematch, I’ll take it again,” Pangai said.

“I’m going to prove the doubters wrong. I’m going to get back into the gym on Sunday, when everyone is partying.”

There is a void in the footballer-cum-fighter market now that Paul Gallen has retired. Asofa-Solomona and Paulo could well fill it. The Parramatta prop couldn’t have been more impressive against Ben Hannant, felling the “Polar Bear” in a “contest” that should have been halted much earlier.

It was a good night for Eels forwards, with teammate Regan Campell-Gillard claiming the upset of the night. In a bout between the debutants, “RCG” earned a points-decision win over local favourite Jason Taumalolo.

In other results, Justin Hodges beat Matt Cooper, while the younger brothers of Panga Jnr and Aokuso - Jermaine Pangai and Austin Aokuso - delivered double celebrations for their families.

However, Asofa-Solomona stole the show.

“This is for my dad, he’s the one who got me into boxing,” he said. “He will be looking down and feeling proud.

“I love the sport of boxing – I give it the respect it deserves.”

So who should “Big Nasty” face next?

He was impressed with Campbell-Gillard’s performance and wanted to see the likes of Victor Radley and Jared Waera-Hargreaves in the ring before deciding if they were worthy.

“They’re not on my level,” he said.

“Anyone can get it. It’s really up to the Storm – I’m employed by them and they get the last say.

“From seeing tonight, hopefully they have the confidence in knowing I can step into the ring.

“At the end of the day, they want me to maintain my weight. I can do boxing off-site and keep my weight at bay, I think they will be very happy with that.

“In terms of boxing, I want to jump in as soon as possible.”

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