By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – NFL stars Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell are the latest to join the celebrity boxing craze, with the pair scheduled to meet for an exhibition bout on July 30 in Los Angeles, multiple outlets reported on Monday.
Both running backs have made multiple Pro Bowl appearances and are currently free agents.
Bell, 30, holds several Pittsburgh Steelers franchise rushing records and has long used boxing as part of his training regiment for cardio and stamina, CBS Sports noted.
Peterson, 37, won the NFL’s MVP award in 2012 and was one of the most dominant players in the position during his prime but those accomplishments were often overshadowed by off-field legal issues.
Both men are listed at 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) with the 225-pound (102 kg) Bell holding an eight pound (4 kg) weight advantage over Peterson.
Celebrity bouts involving YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul as well as fighters like Mike Tyson coming out of retirement for exhibition fights have helped expose boxing to a new and younger audience, although some boxing purists reject the trend.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; editing by Richard Pullin)
