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It has been more than three years since former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell suited up for a game in the NFL, but his career as a professional athlete is far from over.
Over the past two years, Bell has turned to boxing as the next step in his career and has been a part of some big events in that time.
Now he will get the chance to compete in another big event.
On April 20, Misfits Boxing announced MF & DAZN: X Series 15, which will feature Bell in the co-main event in a boxing match against influencer Tristan Hamm.
The match will serve as the first quarterfinal for the organization’s Cruiserweight Title Tournament.
The card will be headlined by a fight between Elle Brooke and former UFC fighter Paige VanZant.
Bell’s Boxing Career
Bell hasn’t had a very long boxing career, but he has managed to get into the ring with some very notable opponents in a short stretch.
His crossover into combat sports began with a matchup against another former NFL running back who regularly found himself earning All-Pro nods at the peak of his career.
On September of 2022, he took on Adrian Peterson in an exhibition match and scored a win by fifth round TKO.
Bell followed that up by making his professional boxing debut just a month later as part of a huge event and took on an opponent with much more combat sports experience.
Bell took on former UFC middleweight Uriah Hall as part of the undercard for Jake Paul’s fight against Anderson Silva.
The fight against Hall wasn’t quite as successful. Bell ended up losing to Hall by unanimous decision.
In April 2023, Bell returned to the boxing ring for a fight against Youtuber JMX. He picked the first win of his professional career in the fight, taking a unanimous decision.
That fight took place under the Misfits Boxing banner and now he is set to once again compete for the organization.
A Dominant Run With the Steelers
The Steelers selected Bell in the middle of the second round back in 2013 and they couldn’t have asked for a much better result to that decision.
It didn’t take Bell long to become a star in the NFL. In his second season with the Steelers, he racked up 1361 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns while also adding 83 catches for 854 yards and another 3 TDs.
He earned spots on All-Pro First Team and in the Pro Bowl and finished fourth in the Offensive Player of the Year voting that year.
His next season was shortened by a suspension and a torn MCL, but he bounced back in a big way during year four.
In 2016, Bell had 1268 yards on the ground and 75 catches for 616 receiving yards. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Pro Second Team and a sixth place finish in the Offensive Player of the Year voting.
Following the 2016 season, the Steelers used the franchise tag to keep Bell around for another seasn.
In 2017, he put together another monster year. He had 1291 rushing yards with 9 touchdowns and 85 catches for 655 yards and a pair of TDs. As a result, Bell returned to the All-Pro First Team.
Then things got a bit messy between Bell and the Steelers. The two sides couldn’t come to terms on a long-term deal during the 2018 offseason and the Steelers used the franchise tag on Bell again.
Bell ended up sitting out the 2018 season and was traded to the Jets in 2019.
Despite the way his time in Pittsburgh ended, Bell discussed a desire to return to the team earlier this year.
“And bro, I’m telling you all right now when I go out there and train in March and if I hit April and I make this decision to come back to play in the NFL again, mark my words down — I will be better than I ever was,” Bell said. “And I will only come back for that one team. You all know who it is. I don’t have to say no team. You all know who it is.”
For now, it looks like he’ll have to put that comeback attempt on hold as he focuses on the next step in his boxing career.
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