Former Melbourne enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona said he "fell out of love" with rugby league and confirmed his nine-fight deal with promoters No Limit at a press conference in Sydney on Thursday.
Asofa-Solomona had been linked with a potential switch to either the English Super League or R360 but will now make his pro debut on the Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa card on January 16.
The former NRL star said no opponent had been secured but the search had begun.
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"It's a great opportunity. It's no secret I've fallen out of love with the game of rugby league, for now, but I've fallen in love with the boxing game," Asofa-Solomona said.
"I'm here to test myself. I'm here to take a risk ultimately I would regret it if I didn't give it a shot.
"I'd wake up in the morning and it felt like a chore the last couple of years. For me, waking up as of recently and going to boxing training, it really got me out of bed.
"It's something I am really passionate about right now. It's a bit nerve-wracking, but what's life without a bit of risk."
No Limit's George Rose said his company wants the ex-Storm star to bulk up even more.
"I don't know if people will be putting their hand up for this one," No Limit's George Rose said at Thursday's announcement.
"There will be people absolutely shit scared of going anywhere near him, because of the size and power of him.
"But, there will be people out there who want to make a name for themselves and somebody wants to be the first person to hit Nelson in the mouth.
"We've got no doubt that we will find a great opponent for him.
"We want him to be big, we want him to be devastating. We want him to showcase that power he's got. And when you're big in the heavyweight division, size matters."
The former Kiwi forward added that suspensions did play a role in pushing him away from the NRL and is glad to have his future sorted.
"It played a bit of a role. You can't get sent off in boxing, which is good – that's a start. There's a lot of other contributing factors as well," he said.
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"I wanted one fight, but my team probably knows me better than myself. I think the multi-year [contract] gives me something to look forward to and commit to. It's not just one fight, it's nine fights and now I've got that locked in.
Asofa-Solomona was granted a release from the final two years of his contract at the end of this year and had been linked to breakaway rugby competition R360.
Several NRL clubs had also been circling the giant.
He will now try and follow in the footsteps of Anthony Mundine and Paul Gallen have been the most successful NRL stars to crossover to boxing.
Gallen reportedly grossed $25 million across his boxing career.
Mundine is said to have netted more than $30 million in a 59-fight career after leaving rugby league for the squared circle in 2000.
Asofa-Solomona has already seen in action inside and outside the ring.
He scored a 2023 knockout win over fellow NRL forward Jarrod Wallace and was caught on camera throwing some nasty haymakers in that infamous 2019 Bali brawl, where he reportedly stepped in for Storm teammate Suliasi Vunivalu, who was punched inside a bar.
