Le'Veon Bell makes bold prediction for Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, talks YouTube fight this weekend

Daniel Yanofsky

Le'Veon Bell makes bold prediction for Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, talks YouTube fight this weekend image

While new to boxing, former NFL running back Le'Veon Bell has a knowledge of the sport others dream of. He uses what he knows and his skills from playing football to be the best athlete he can be. Bell will take that to heart when he looks for a rebound win in his second pro boxing fight. 

The 31-year-old Bell faces YouTuber JMX in a boxing ring in New Orleans for the sixth installment of the MF & DAZN: X Series on April 21. DAZN broadcasts the event taking place inside the XULA Convocation Centre. 

Bell started his boxing career in September 2022 by beating another former NFL running back, Adrian Peterson. Knocking out Peterson in an exhibition, Bell moved to the professional level. The following month, he lost against MMA fighter Uriah Hall, someone with combat sports experience. While upset, Bell told The Sporting News’ Karisa Maxwell he learned something from that experience.  

“I think that loss taught me a lot,” Bell said. "When I lost, I don’t ever want to feel that ever again. I had to put in that work, and that’s why I’m so ready and confident to show people how much better I’ve gotten. 

WATCH: Watch MF & DAZN: X Series 6 on DAZN

“It’s not like I didn’t expect him (Hall) to be good because I obviously did. I think it kind of humbled me in a way. I went into the fight expecting to win, but when I didn’t, I felt like the work that I did... I worked so hard, and then it humbled me. I’m thinking, ‘wow, I didn’t work hard enough.’ For me to go in there and challenge him, obviously, I didn’t come out on top. It taught me a lot. When I watched that fight, I watched it over and over and over... To learn from it. I feel like I’m a special boxer. I’m to the point where I know what’s going to happen before it actually happens. April 21, live on DAZN, I’m going to put on a show.”

A second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell is a three-time pro bowler. Following five years in Pittsburgh, Bell refused to sign a franchise tag and did not report to Steelers camp or any subsequent games. Becoming a free agent, Bell played for the Jets, Chiefs, Ravens, and Buccaneers.

With his last year in the NFL in 2021, Bell's made it his goal to prove he belongs in boxing. The grind of working in the NFL, while different than boxing, has helped him prepare for his new job. 

MORE: YouTube pound-for-pound boxing rankings

“It’s been a tough transition. It’s been hard,” Bell said. At the same time, football has taught me so much. Football actually helped me become a boxer. The athletic background that I have, being on the football field and being around the top-notch athletes there is in this world, my speed, quickness, and timing are better than the guys I step in the ring with. Mentality-wise, football helped me. I’m not scared to get hit because that’s all we did (in football). I’m literally running into guys all day. It definitely helped me prepare for boxing.

"Boxing is more individualized. It’s about how far you want to go, how far you want to take it. For football practice, we’re out there for two, three hours together, we’re done, and then we go to meetings. In boxing, it’s about how far you want to take it. You just don’t live on how many miles you run. You can run as many miles as you want to run. Nobody's telling you not to. I got that mindset, and I’m ready to showcase it.”

It will be JMX's third boxing bout. He beat Coach Richard in an amateur fight in 2018 and won his last bout in October against Ginty. 

The MF & DAZN: X Series card won’t be the only boxing event this weekend. Inside the T-Mobile Arena, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia face off on April 22. Bell believes the fight is huge for boxing because it features two young fighters risking their undefeated records to prove who the best is. During a time when negotiations for Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk are in limbo, these two have stepped up. He also praised it being a non-title bout. 

MORE: Join DAZN to watch Davis vs. Garcia

As far as a winner goes, he has it 50.5/49.5 in favor of Davis. 

“If you box for twelve rounds vs. a guy like ‘Tank,’ you got to be perfect because he can just put you to sleep,” Bell said. “The whole time, you don’t know when he’s going to come with his punches. When he tries to throw power punches and tries to catch you. He might see something in round one or two, but might not exploit it until round six. But I know at the same time, I know Ryan Garcia has the skill. He has the length enough to, if he does box perfectly for twelve rounds, he could win…. Ryan might step out with his hands too low or something or get too aggressive, and 'Tank' may catch him like he did Rollie (Rolando Romero). I give the slightest edge to ‘Tank.”

MORE: 

Daniel Yanofsky