Free agent receiver Le’Veon Bell will not play in the upcoming NFL season, choosing to focus on boxing instead.
Bell — who finished last season with the Buccaneers — confirmed the news Tuesday ahead of his July 30 fight with former NFL MVP running back, Adrian Peterson, which is slated to take place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“Boxing is something that, you know, they always say it’s something you can’t play boxing. Last year, I almost sat out the whole year to try to focus on boxing because I kind of knew that was what I wanted to transition to,” Bell said while promoting the fight at a news conference held by Social Gloves.
“This year, I know I’m not going to be playing this year because I want to focus on boxing.”
The 30-year-old Bell, who has also explored a rap career, noted that his upcoming bout with Peterson will not be a “one-off” fight for him.
“This is, I guess like my introduction to kind of show what I’ll be doing and how I’ll be going about myself. Just an intro,” said the three-time Pro Bowler.
Peterson, 37, who was also present at the press conference, via video, left his future plans open-ended.
“This is something that I definitely can see myself doing going forward as well, just depending on how things kind of play out for me,” said Peterson, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
“We have a lot of guys sparring all the time, and I’ve had the opportunity in the past to get in there with those guys a couple times and here recently, obviously, getting ready for the fight. I just been kind of grinding, so I might see this continue to do something going forward,” he continued. “So, even after this fight, I will still be on my same routine, waiting for that next opportunity to present itself.”
Peterson finished last season — his 15th in the NFL — on injured reserve with the Seahawks. He is currently a free agent.
Earlier this week, Bell teased his new boxing venture in a tweet that read, “Make sure y’all all tuned in on the 30th … I’m so ready to show y’all the transition.”
Bell also filmed himself on the way to a doctor’s appointment Wednesday.
“They gotta check on your boy body to make sure I’m right for this fight and you know I am,” he said in a video posted to his Instagram Story.
Bell spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He held out the entire 2018 season with Pittsburgh due to contract issues and later signed with the Jets in 2019. New York released Bell 19-months later and he went on to have short stints with the Chiefs and Ravens prior to joining the Buccaneers.
