Picture Credit: Twitter
Former American running back Le’Veon Bell is set to be back in action as he will be making his pro-boxing debut against an ex-UFC star in the Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva Most Valuable Promotions/Showtime pay-per-view. The card will take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Bell is slated to lock horns against Jamaican-American MMA star Uriah Hall on 29 October. The bout will be a four-round contest which is contracted at 195 pounds. Another important rule for both fighters as neither individual can be above 200 pounds on weigh-in day, per officials. Bell and Hall, both will be making their professional boxing debuts, and will wear 10-ounce gloves.
When asked about the fight, the former New York Jets RB was excited about this opportunity. “As soon as Most Valuable Promotions approached me about joining the Paul-Silva pay-per-view, I told them, ‘I want in,’ and didn’t care who the opponent was,” Bell said. “Uriah Hall is going to feel my punching power and tap out like he’s getting submitted. He is not built like me.”
The headliner of the pay-per-view, Jake Paul expressed his excitement at the fight announcement and said, “Adding NFL superstar Le’Veon Bell to the card only increases this fight’s star power and to have him go head-to-head with a fighter as experienced and dangerous as Uriah Hall – it's going to be fireworks.”
“Taking on this challenge is proof that Bell, like myself, is serious about professional boxing and after his knockout of Adrian Peterson, he looks like a force to be reckoned with. Hall on the other hand, has already proven himself multiple times in the UFC, and we know what he is capable of. I’m keeping a close eye on this one and may even take on the winner in the future.”
Before this fight, Le’Veon Bell fought fellow NFL player Adrian Peterson in an exhibition bout on 10 September. In that fight, Bell registered a fifth-round knockout, but no winner was declared due to the rigid rules in place in California.