On July 30th, in Los Angeles, California, the much anticipated bout between NFL running backs Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell will kick off. The “Battle of the Running Backs” will be decided at Crypto.com Arena. The two former All-Pro’s will meet on the undercard of “Social Gloves 2”, a YouTube promoted event. Peterson and Bell are not the first NFL players to fight in an exhibition match. All-Pro running back Frank Gore fought NBA All-Star Deron Williams before making his pro boxing debut. This fight may be a publicity stunt, but its one people want to see.
& it’s official 🍿👀 nothing else needs to be said, let’s gooo pic.twitter.com/lBGwwI7nyg
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) July 1, 2022
All-Pro Peterson Takes Round One
While Peterson and Bell are complete unknowns in the boxing ring, they are well known on the football field. That being said, lets take a look at how these Heavyweights’ NFL numbers match up. Peterson proved to be one of the best running backs to ever touch a NFL field and is a future Hall of Famer. Over 15 years in the league he is fifth all time with 14,918 yards, forth all time with 120 rushing TD’s, and 10th all time with 126 total TD’s. Peterson also owns the record for most rushing yards in a game with 296, and had the second greatest season ever for a running back with 2.097 yards rushing. During his career he won OROY in 2007, MVP in 2012, and added four All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl selections. Now, lets take a look at Bell. Over eight seasons in the league he put up 6,554 yards rushing, 3,289 yards receiving, and 51 total TD’s. Bell also made to two All-Pro teams and 3 Pro Bowl’s. While Peterson has almost double the years, Bell’s career will ultimately never compare. First round goes to the great Adrian Peterson!
Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell have signed contracts for a heavyweight boxing exhibition on July 30 at https://t.co/jQOG7qPgUR Arena in Los Angeles, sources tell @MikeCoppinger. pic.twitter.com/8NuDo6KF1y
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 27, 2022
Now for the Real Fight
Currently, the odds seem to be in Bell’s favor for this bout between two heavyweights. Per sportsbetlistings.com, the winning odds for July 30th are Bell (-175) and Peterson (+135) as of Tuesday. Most people would put their bias away for a moment like this, but I’m not most people. Adrian Peterson has always thrived in the face of adversity, and I believe he will thrive in the ring too! Comment below to let us know your predictions!