Jeremy Latimore recognises his fight on January 16 with Nelson Asofa-Solomona could be his last as a professional.
The rugby league convert was selected as the opponent for the high-profile debutant of another – Asofa-Solomona at heavyweight – but knows that at 39 years old if he loses his second contest there is likely no way back.
Asofa-Solomona, aged 29, unexpectedly walked away from a lucrative contract with National Rugby League team Melbourne Storm to pursue a future in boxing. His profile means that he has signed with No Limit, Australia’s leading promoters, and will fight as a professional for the first time on the undercard of the Main Event pay-per-view grudge match at 157lbs between Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu.
Latimore retiring from NRL in 2019 has contributed to him having few of the opportunities that Asofa-Solomona can expect, but he at least has fought as a professional previously – he outpointed over four rounds his fellow debutant Alexander Ale in 2024 – and in the event of victory can potentially inherit some of those Asofa-Solomona already has planned.
“A lot hinges on this performance,” he said. “I just turned 39 – I’m not getting any younger. This camp has been quite taxing on the body. When this opportunity come up, who would I be to turn it down? I do rip into my training – I enjoy working hard. I guess that’s a byproduct of being in that professional sports environment for a long time.
“If I win, I’ll keep fighting for sure. It keeps me fit. That feeling of walking out for a fight – you can’t replicate that. As long as the body’s feeling good, I’ll keep pushing ahead. I’ll focus on the big fella next week and after that we can look down the track. He’s a formidable opponent; a lot of hype around him. He’s left the Melbourne Storm; he’s a big guy. Jarrod Wallace, he took him out pretty easily [in an exhibition] and I don’t want that to happen to me. I’ve been working pretty hard on a game plan for five weeks now so I’ve just got to get out there and execute it under the lights.
“I’ve seen that [street fight] footage from Bali; I saw him get Jarrod Wallace as well. But I’ve been working away, quietly, for a few years. We started [boxing] end of 2022; I’d do a bit go away, do a bit, go away; in 2024 finally really knuckled down and had a professional fight in September [against Ale].
“I’ve put in the work. I’m backing myself. When I spoke to the Rose boys [George and Matt, of No Limit] I couldn’t take the opportunity quick enough. It was only on six weeks’ notice, but I’d been working away quietly in the background. I was peppering the Rose boys for an opportunity on a card – I was getting left on “read” a bit by George; he probably got sick of seeing me pop up. I had no idea the big fella was going to go into boxing.”
If Latimore believes he has the edge in experience and ring craft, he also recognises that Asofa-Solomona, of New Zealand, is at his physical peak.
“It’s very different to rugby league, where if you make an error you’ve got somebody covering your arse,” the Australian said. “In boxing, you make a mistake you could go to sleep. I’m going out there with a game plan and a lot of hype around the big guy. He’s obviously had the exhibition fight and that Bali footage is very confronting, but I won’t fight the big fella in the street – we’ll keep it in the ring and hopefully I can get out there and get the job done.
“Playing rugby league, you can never look past the game that you have coming up, and that’s how I approach everything I do. I’m not looking further than next Friday; for him, hopefully he’s looking ahead and not concentrating on the job at hand.
“It certainly caught me off-guard. I wasn’t expecting him to transition away from the game. He’s turning 30; a [rugby league player’s] best years are in their 30s. I didn’t hit my peak until then. Hopefully I can play a role in sending him back to footie.”
