Le’Veon Bell knocks out Adrian Peterson in exhibition battle of former star NFL running backs

Two former star NFL running backs clashed in the ring on Saturday night when Le’Veon Bell fought Adrian Peterson. Unlike most celebrity exhibition boxing matches, this one had a definitive winner — whether official or not — when Bell knocked out Peterson with a big right hand.

Bell and Peterson met on the undercard of the “Social Gloves” card from Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

The fight was light on action for the first four rounds, with the early highlight a knockdown scored by Peterson on a jab to the chest. Bell was off balance and may have tripped over Peterson’s feet, but went down nonetheless.

In the fifth round, Bell sat back with his right hand cocked and waited for Peterson to throw his own right. As Peterson went to throw the punch, Bell unloaded with the counter, sending Peterson crashing to the canvas.

While Peterson was able to beat the count, his eyes were glassy and he was unsteady, forcing the referee to call a halt to the bout.

Due to the bout being an exhibition, there was technically no winner in the bout. Still, it was clearly a big moment for Bell, who said he intends to continue taking whatever fights he can, celebrity or professional.

“I had a great performance. I put in a lot of hard work,” Bell said. “All the hate, that just motivates me. I wear it as a badge of honor and use it as motivation to be the best I can be.”