Le’Veon Bell may never return to the football field again. But he’s returning to the ring. Bell will participate in his third career professional boxing match on April 21st, going up against celebrity rapper JMX. That info comes courtesy of Pro Football Talk and this tweet confirming the bout.
According to the website MMA Fighting, the match will take place in New Orleans, though no venue has been announced.
Bell’s first fight came last September against fellow former NFL running back Adrian Peterson. Though Peterson seemed to have the upper hand throughout the fight, Bell scored a fifth round knockout to take home the win.
Bell graduated to a match against an actual former boxer Uriah Hall, losing by judges decision 40-36 in late October. Bell took the winter off but is getting back into the ring this spring.
Celebrities in boxing has become increasingly popular in recent years with names like Jake Paul drawing headlines. Bell’s opponent JMX, 24 years old, will be fighting in his fourth match. JMX’s won his most recent match, knocking out TikTok star Ginty. Until tonight, the only person I knew in this article was Le’Veon Bell so we’re all learning something here.
Now 31 years old, Bell hasn’t played an NFL down since 2021 and there doesn’t seem to be any path for him to return to the league. He plodded along his final few years in the league and bounced around from team to team, last playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and averaging hardly more than two yards per carry. Bell spent five years in Pittsburgh, making three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams while serving as the league’s best all-around back. Since leaving the Steelers, his athletic career has gone downhill.
We’ll let you know who comes out on top in April. And if you don’t care who wins, that makes two of us.
