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Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell.
Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell is making headlines again, but this time it’s because he’s matching up against another former NFL player in a different sport.
Bell is set to face former NFL running back and future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson in a heavyweight boxing exhibition on July 30 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, according to Mike Coppinger of ESPN. The exhibition match will be on the undercard for Social Gloves 2, an event in which Youtubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib face off in the main event, per ESPN.
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Bell Favorite to Win First-Ever Professional Boxing Match
Bell, now 30 years old, began taking up boxing as a way to do cardio during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His passion for the sport then grew in 2018 when he stepped away from football for a year.
“I try to find ways to be healthier,” Bell explained to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler in July of 2018 of why he took up boxing. “I want my body to be in great shape so as the season comes closer you’ll start seeing that form to take shape. [Boxing] is just to help with my cardio and my stamina. It’s a little different than football, and I try to stay off my joints in the offseason as much as possible, still get cardio. Instead of cutting and doing a lot of drills, I’ve been doing a lot of boxing training.”
Bell (-180) is the odds-on favorite to beat Peterson (+140), according to BetOnline.
Peterson, 37, played three games for the Tennessee Titans and one for the Seattle Seahawks last season. He is currently fifth all-time in career rushing yards in the NFL (14,918), per Pro Football Reference. During his 14 years in the NFL, Peterson earned seven Pro Bowl nods and was named an All-Pro four times.
Bell was also in the NFL last season, playing in five games for the Baltimore Ravens and three for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His connection to Chiefs Kingdom comes from the 2020 season in which he played nine regular season games and one playoff game. Bell was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro during his eight years in the league.
Twitter Reacts to Bell/Peterson Matchup
Twitter users reacted to the boxing exhibition between Bell and Peterson.
“Honestly they both have probably had dozens of concussions. First good head shot will probably win,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Cash grab. Pointless in the world of boxing, pointless in the world of football. Simply just a cash grab. I’ll keep mine in my pocket,” another user wrote.
“Having shaken both of their hands, I can say without a doubt Adrian Peterson will win. He is so strong, almost broke my hand he had such a strong handshake. I will always remember that handshake years later,” another user wrote.
“Good thing these guys already have money otherwise they’ll get scammed like everyone else that does business with Austin McBroom lol,” another user wrote.
“This is wild bc McBroom has already hosted celebrity boxing events and not paid the fighters. These guys are boutta get robbed lol,” another user wrote.
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