No, Russell Wilson isn’t following Le’Veon Bell as the next NFL player to try his hand at a boxing career. But Wilson is stepping into the ring a month out from training camp to stay fit and conditioned for his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As shared on his Instagram story Tuesday, Wilson trained a bit on the mat instead of being on the field. His caption notes he took up boxing in 2018 but stopped because of the pandemic in 2020. It sounds like this is his first time back in the ring since.
He also shared this photo with Elvis Rodriguez, a Dominican boxer with an impressive 15-1-1 record.
His Instagram story also showed him running sprints on the grass on UCLA’s football field, so it’s clear he had a well-rounded workout.
A multi-sport standout and terrific all-around athlete, Wilson explained in a 2017 ESPN interview why he admires the sport and how even an NFL quarterback can benefit.
“The idea of being able to do anything and everything at any moment; and so you have to be prepared for that,” he said at the time. “Also, great boxers have great defense, too, meaning being able to move and get away and all that. So that was something that was really important to me, too. And it’s a great conditioning workout — one of the hardest workouts you could ever do.”
He also cited the need for boxers to stay balanced and coordinated as another benefit he can translate to playing quarterback. Wilson will look to bob and weave defenders more often in 2024 after being sacked 100 times over the past two combined seasons. An improved Steelers’ offensive line should help.
While Wilson referenced starting in 2018 in his post, it appears he had toyed with the idea even earlier than that. Here’s a 2015 clip of him training, even if he’s effectively only punching mini pool noodles before showing a quick clip of him ramping things up at the end.
The Steelers’ quarterbacks have branched out this offseason. Wilson in the ring, Justin Fields taking a trip to Morocco to sightsee but also train with Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
Once they both report to camp, they’ll enter the ring of quarterback competition, though it’ll be a match in which Russell Wilson is the favorite.
