Oleksandr Usyk made headlines in the boxing world with his unanimous decision victory over Tyson Fury in their rematch last weekend. But one former NFL star believes that despite being outmatched significantly in experience, he could one day defeat Usyk in the ring.
Former NFL running back LeVeon Bell has turned to a professional boxing career following his career in the NFL, which of course stemmed from a knockout victory in an amateur boxing match in 2022 over Adrian Peterson.
His results thus far have been mixed, with two victories on his record and one loss against former UFC middleweight Uriah Hall.
Regardless, Bell detailed in an interview with Michael J. Babcock of TMZ how he believes that despite many doubters laughing off the idea, he could beat Usyk in a boxing match.
“Put me in front of Usyk. I’m the only shot the U.S. got. I’m the only shot man. I was very impressed. To be honest, that’s the only guy that I look at in the ring and say he might be able to give me a problem. I don’t see too many people giving me problems. If I ever get a chance with him in the ring, that would be the time where preparation meets opportunity and I’d get to show everybody what I’ve been working on. That’s what I’m trying to do.
“There was people telling me before I made it to the NFL that I would never make it. Everybody can think it’s a joke. But the people who really know me and see me every day, they know I’m serious. The people that don’t and think I’m not serious, they will soon find out. That’s the beautiful thing about life. It’s about the long game,” said Bell.
Usyk has yet to be defeated in a boxing match with a career 23-0 record with 14 knockouts. So to say that Bell would be an underdog in a potential boxing match would be the understatement of the century…
That being said, Bell is an elite-level athlete who once dominated in the NFL. So perhaps athleticism alone could give Usyk some slight problems in the ring if the skill ever catches up for Bell.
Don’t expect Usyk to be taking any boxing matches with Bell anytime soon. For the time being, Bell is pretty far of Usyk’s radar as a boxer.
However, considering we recently saw someone like Jake Paul take on Mike Tyson in a boxing match, never say never in the world of boxing when it comes to potential matches that can be created.
