Former NFL All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell will make his professional boxing debut against fellow debutant and UFC veteran Uriah Hall. Bell vs. Hall will take place on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Showtime pay-per-view on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Bell and Hall will compete in a four-round cruiserweight contest contracted at 195-pounds. Neither athlete can exceed 200-pounds on weigh-in day, officials told ESPN. The fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves in their pro boxing debuts.
“As soon as Most Valuable Promotions (Paul’s promotional company) approached me about joining the Paul-Silva pay-per-view, I told them I want in and didn’t care who the opponent was,” Bell said in a press release. “Uriah Hall is going to feel my punching power and tap out like he’s getting submitted. He is not built like me.”
“Le’Veon Bell, I hope you bring your best,” Hall said. “I know I will.”
Bell, 30, announced that he would sit out of the 2022 NFL season to pursue boxing. He fought fellow NFL veteran Adrian Peterson in an exhibition match on Sept. 10. Bell stopped Peterson in the fifth round after Peterson was unable to continue after being knocked down. Due to the fight being an exhibition there was no winner declared despite Bell scoring the stoppage.
Hall, 38, is a veteran of 28 professional mixed martial arts fights and has defeated former UFC champions Silva and Chris Weidman inside the octagon. “The Ultimate Fighter” alum has 13 knockouts on his pro record and last fought in the UFC on July 2. Interestingly, Hall defeated SIlva via fourth-round TKO in Silva’s last MMA fight before “The Spider” transitioned to boxing.
Paul vs. Silva takes place inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. on Saturday, Oct. 29. It marks the first time that Paul (5-0) will fight someone with wins on their pro boxing record. Silva has a 3-1 record as a pro boxer to accompany his legendary 46-fight MMA career.
