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The disastrous six-fight career of DAZN’s ex-heavyweight “King”

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A DAZN heavyweight protege tipped for stardom may find himself out of the sport after suffering two shock defeats.

It’s been almost four years since Nkosi Solomon was introduced to the boxing world in a flood of publicity after signing with Eddie Hearn.

Matchroom touted Solomon as a new star when inking the Guyana-born New Yorker to an exclusive contract in 2018.

Solomon was confident of doing well with a debut set for October 6 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Heavyweight dream

“My dream is right in front of me, right there. I have to grab it,” said Solomon before his debut. “Nkosi Solomon is the only and greatest challenge I have to overcome when it comes to this boxing thing.

“I’m conquering my mind because once I do that, nobody. I mean, nobody in this world can stop me.

“I have a dream to accomplish. I’ll be damned if I am going to let another man get in there and have his will beat my will.

“It’s a surreal feeling. I’ve been chasing this dream to win the undisputed world heavyweight championship for so long.

“As you get steps closer, it feels amazing. The support I’ve had already is amazing. I cannot wait to get started in Chicago and show what I’ve got.

However, competing on the undercard of Jessie Vargas vs Thomas Dulhorme proved a poison chalice. Such a big stage saw Solomon freeze.

Just three rounds in, his words came back to haunt him. The unheralded Matt Cameron dropped him in rounds three and four en route to disaster.

A points loss – and a bad one at that – saw Solomon’s dream in tatters immediately after his pro debut.

Three months later, and after some wise words from Hearn in the locker room, Solomon bounced back. He impressively defeated Rodriguez Cade at Madison Square Garden.

Everything seemed rosy in the garden again. Hearn promised to keep his man busy and build on his first triumph.

Nkosi Solomon career hiatus

But soon after, things went from disaster to better to disaster again. Solomon failed a drug test with the New York State Athletic Commission.

Solomon lost almost two years of tenure in the top division weight class from January 2019 to December 2020.

No social media posts from Solomon or official word came from Matchroom Boxing throughout the process.

Promoter Hearn did move to state they are no longer working with the 25-year-old later as he served out his ban in 2019.

Turning to New York’s small hall scene, the heavyweight boxer joined forces with Hampshire promoters to resurrect his career.

Lowering his opposition and exposure to fans worked a treat as Solomon racked up three straight first-round knockouts.

As things took an upturn, they soon came crashing back to earth with a bump.

In March of this year, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, Emilio Salas not only beat Solomon but dominated him in their heavyweight bout.

At 27, Nkosi Solomon has moved into the Marsellos Wilder category of one-time promising boxers who failed to ignite.

With an average of 227 pounds, Solomon looks too small for the upper limit anyway and needs to re-evaluate his profession.

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