Rugby league stars will start trash talking like their boxing counterparts when the media cut them more slack with their mistakes.

So say the NSW State of Origin players who sat through an entertaining press conference by boxers Danny Green and Antonio Tarver at the Blues' Brisbane hotel.

Boxing's bombast may be mostly for show, but it sure beats the "we're taking one week at a time" and "we're just focusing on ourselves" your average NRL star dishes up.

Far from worrying about themselves, Green and his American opponent Tarver, who appeared in the film Rocky, baited each other with banter.

Tarver described his 42-year-old fists as the "judge and the jury" before Green chimed in, describing one of his as "the executioner".

Tarver boasted he'd fought for 20 years but avoided enough beatings to "still look like this". Green promised to "fix the things you've been missing out on".

Looking on were Blues stars Paul Gallen, Greg Bird, Michael Ennis, Jason King and Tim Mannah, captain Gallen presenting Green with a NSW jersey.

"It's time the Blues started pegging back the tide so Antonio and myself are here to support the boys in whatever they can do to be victorious against the Maroons," Green said.

A bemused Tarver went along with it.

"I've been following it but (American) football is our game and I'm trying to understand how you do it and how you play it," he said.

"I just want to commend and congratulate all the great athletes that we do have in the room."

Ennis admitted that, by comparison, rugby league press conferences could be a bit dull.

"If the press weren't so volatile towards us players when we make mistakes then I'm sure that people would be more willing and freely looking to speak their minds," he told AAP.

"But they know the repercussions and how words can be twisted in our sport pretty quickly so I think that's why you see our press conferences the way that we do them."

If there is a certain surrealism at a boxing media promotion, it had all started at Mark Gasnier's earlier appearance where an exchange with a reporter went as follows.

Reporter: "Gary ...

Gasnier: "Gary?"

Reporter: "There's been a lot of talk about how rough and tough the NSW forwards are. How's it been at training working around (your players') community service? Has there been any trouble with that, do you have a parole officer travelling with you at all?"

Gasnier's sporting reply: "Is that a gee-up? No, we haven't had a concern with that."

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