Le’Veon Bell has big plans for his pro boxing career

LOS ANGELES – Le’Veon Bell sat on the ring apron inside Mayweather Boxing and Fitness in Hollywood, wiped the sweat from his forehead and narrowed his eyes. Just a few weeks earlier, Bell connected on punches that dropped — and ultimately knocked out — fellow former NFL running back Adrian Peterson in an exhibition boxing match.

That moment, Bell said, was nothing like any experiences he has ever had on the football field. The former All-Pro called it “one of the best feelings in the world.”

“That takes the cake with anything,” Bell told ESPN. “I’ve never felt anything before like that.”

Bell has been bitten hard by the boxing bug. He used it as cardio training during his NFL offseasons and fell in love with it. In 2020, Bell started to give real thought to the sport being something he would do after his football career. With his football career winding down, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star decided he didn’t want to be in the NFL anymore — he wanted to box.

On Saturday, just seven weeks after he TKO’d Peterson, Bell will make his professional boxing debut on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard in Glendale, Arizona. The opponent will be a significant step up in competition: MMA fighter Uriah Hall, who is tied for the most knockouts in the history of the UFC middleweight division.

Hall is a heavy favorite in the sportsbooks. That’s just fine with Bell, who is simply looking for the best chance to prove himself in a new sport.

“I gotta be all in on boxing if I’m gonna do this, because it’s not something you can play around with if you want to be the best at it,” Bell said. “I’m not about to do something if I ain’t trying to be the best at it, to be honest. I’m not doing this as a hobby. I’m not just doing it to try and get money or any type of fame. For me, it’s more for myself. See how far I can go.”

Bell, 30, played parts of eight seasons in the NFL and made more than $45 million in salary during that time, per Spotrac.com. He was an elite player…