Successful dual sports star Anthony Mundine reckons Jarryd Hayne will find it a lot easier to make the transition from rugby league to the NFL than if he was switching to a sport for individuals.
Mundine is the poster boy for rugby league players who have moved into another sport other than rugby union.
He ended a blossoming rugby league career at the age of 24 in 2000, having represented NSW at Origin level the previous year.
Mundine then embarked on a boxing career that is still going, and that has gleaned world, regional and Australian title belts.
While breaking into the NFL would seem a big ask for Hayne, Mundine insisted it wouldn’t be as hard switching between team sports as it would be moving into a sport for individuals, like boxing.
“He (Hayne) has got the crazy athleticism, he’s very explosive, and that’s what the NFL likes,” Mundine told AAP.
“They love explosive players, he’s got great footwork.
“But we’re talking about going from team to team so he’s doing something similar in running and agility and all that type of stuff.
“Going from a team sport to boxing that’s like an individual, is totally opposite, a gladiatorial warrior sport.
“That’s way harder than trying to adjust to a sport that’s similar to what you’ve already done.”
Before heading to America last month, Hayne trained with another former rugby league player, Corey Paterson, who in 2008 trialled as a punter and kick-off specialist with a number of NFL clubs.
27-year-old Paterson, who played over 100 first grade games in a nine-year rugby league career in Australia and England, recently quit the code to become a full-time boxer, having won his only professional bout back in 2012.
“‘Choc’ (Mundine) has been a bit of a role model of mine for a long time and I spoke to him before making the transition and he’s helped me out a lot,” Paterson told AAP.
Mundine believes Paterson’s decision to concentrate on boxing fulltime will give him a much better chance of succeeding than if tried to juggle it with rugby league.
“We speak all the time, but he’s only in the early stages,” Mundine said.
“You need a good two years of building, I believe.”
Paterson, who is being coached by well-regarded trainer David Birchall, has no intention of developing into the kind of slugging brawler that so many other boxers with a league background have.
“I’m a bit taller with a bit longer arms, so (I want to) use my jab to set things up,” the 195cm tall Paterson said.
“I’m not going to be a brawler,” added Paterson, who will fight pro debutant Michael Lua Tama in Melbourne on November 12, on the undercard of Mundine’s fight with Sergey Rabchenko.
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