Former Sydney Rooster and two-time premiership winner Siosiua Taukeiaho is being earmarked as a potential successor to Paul Gallen in the Boxing and Rugby League crossover world.
Buoyed by his new contract with Catalans Dragons, the powerful prop is set to take a fight on the undercard of Gallen's farewell rematch against Justin Hodges on November 23. However, promoters are struggling to find a heavyweight opponent willing to fight him.
CEO and promoter for event promoters No Limit Boxing, George Roseย was puzzled as to why nobody would take the fight.
โWe've had 'Sio' pencilled in to fight on Paul Gallen's undercard, but no one is stepping up to the plate,โ Rose told Fox Sports.
โWe've hit up a heap of NRL players who have talked tough โ as well as professional boxers, too โ but we still can't get him a fight.
โIt's pretty ridiculous really.
โHe hasn't even fought professionally yet. We're giving somebody the best platform you could ask for as a fighter.โ
Just seven days out from the fight, the urgency to get Taukeiaho's boxing career underway is easy to understand, as his power and speed make for a dangerous combo.
The praise for his ability comes from within the boxing industry itself, with manager Pete Mitrevski - who most notably works with Olympic bronze medallist Harry Garside - a notable fan of the prop's skills in the ring.
โI've been told a few times by guys holding pads that I have power,โ Taukeiaho told Fox Sports on his work with Mitrevski.
โBut I just thought trainers say that to all their fighters.
โThe day before flying out for the World Cup, I just did a session with Pete โ pads, bag work, stuff like that โ and afterwards we had a good chat about me taking this seriously because of my power and speed.
โPreviously, I've never taken boxing seriously. It was more about keeping fit for footy season.
โBut Pete said I could do things in the sport. After hearing that, it made me realise this could be a good opportunity to test myself, chase the dream.โ
Despite the encouragement, the search for his opponent continues, with Rose laying down the gauntlet for any heavyweight willing to lace up the gloves and become the next Gallen.
โGal is leaving the boxing game after his rematch, so someone has to step up to the plate,โ Rose continued.
โIt's a massive opportunity โ find the next Paul Gallen on his own undercard - but they have to be quick.
โIf anyone out there thinks they can take down โTKO' Taukeiaho then hit me up ASAP.โ
