‘He doesn’t want to remember’: Curtis Scott and Joey Leilua at war over 20kg and ‘forgotten’ Mad Monday history

Curtis Scott has no problem conceding up to 20kg against Joey Leilua in Wednesday night’s hyped footy brawl, cackling: “I don’t know which chin I’m supposed to hit”.

The 2017 Melbourne premiership winner has also hit back at Leilua claiming he can’t remember the pair ever crossing paths on a footy field — “he doesn’t remember when I put him on Mad Monday as a kid?” — and accused him of disrespecting NRL greats like Anthony Minichiello and Braith Anasta after this week.

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Only months after being denied a return to the NRL, Scott is now readying to make his professional boxing debut on No Limit’s first Pay-Per-View event of 2024 in Wollongong.

Despite walking around at 94kg – and wanting to chase the Australian cruiserweight title this year – the former Stormer will first up fight at heavyweight against Leilua, who took his last fight at 120kg.

Asked about the worrying discrepancy at Monday’s press conference, Scott suggested Leilua’s stomach was “soft as all f…” before then telling journalists soon after “I don’t know which chin I’m supposed to hit”.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, the 26-year-old also took aim at recent claims by Leilua that he could not remember any of the times the pair had crossed paths in their respective NRL careers.

Scott stressed his now boxing rival would most definitely remember the final round of the 2017 season – when his Stormers pumped the Raiders 32-6 at AAMI Park before going on to win the title.

Then in Round 20 the following year, Scott bagged two tries against Leilua’s Raiders on an afternoon where Melbourne would again win easily, 44-10.

“So he doesn’t remember when I put him on Mad Monday as a kid?” Scott laughed, recalling the second of those encounters.

“It was 2018.

“I was 19, marking up against him, and we went toe-to-toe.

“We were pushing, shoving, butted heads all game.

“But he doesn’t remember?

“Maybe that’s a game he doesn’t want to remember because he had one put over him by a kid.”

Asked his recollections of Scott, the footballer, by Fox Sports Australia, Leilua shrugged: “No disrespect to Curtis or his career, but I don’t remember him.

“When it comes to Melbourne I remember playing Will Chambers.

“He might’ve been on the other side maybe? I don’t really know what he was doing.”

Pushed on his own recollections of their 2018 encounter, Scott continued: “Big, aggressive guy with a bully mentality.

“But he learned real quick that I wasn’t going away.

“I stuck it to him all game and we got the win.

“I also remember getting a pat on the back from Bellyache (coach Craig Bellamy) as we went back into the sheds after that one.

“I never took a backward step on the field and I won’t be in the ring on Wednesday night.”

Elsewhere, Scott has also accused Leilua of disrespecting his former team-mates when the pair sat opposite one another late last week for a fiery Main Event ‘Face Off’ interview.

During several exchanges, Scott accused his rival of quitting in games, “hiding on the wing”, and of “being an embarrassment” during his two years at Wests Tigers.

“Every time I marked you,” Scott added, “you s… yourself.”

Leilua, meanwhile, insisted he didn’t even remember marking up against the younger centre who thought of himself as if “he were an Immortal”.

But the line that stuck with Scott was Leilua, who played in the Roosters 2010 grand final side, saying “you had the best players in your team, I didn’t have no-one, I had me”.

“Which is such a disrespectful thing to say,” Scott said after Monday’s press conference, alluding to a long list of Leilua’s former team-mates which included Minichiello, Anasta, Jason Ryles, Jack Wighton and Darius Boyd.

“To say how I had all these really great players around me and he had nobody?

“I don’t know what goes on in his head.

“The guy really thinks he is God’s gift.

“I don’t really want to buy into much more of all that but it shows the type of person he is.”

Leilua, meanwhile, revealed he was determined to take advantage of the weight discrepancy by turning Wednesday night’s showdown into a “brawl”.

“And it was his choice to take this fight,” he shrugged.

“So you want to fight at cruiserweight? OK.

“But don’t take the fight and then complain. These are the rules.”

Asked if he wanted to get in close and trade, Leilua grinned: “That’s the plan, make it a brawl.

“I’ve been sparring some big boys in preparation for this one. Guys that definitely punch a lot harder than him.”