Bell and Peterson were the two biggest names on the card, which was called “Social Gloves: No More Talk.” After four sluggish rounds in their five-round exhibition, Bell dropped Peterson in the fifth with a straight right that caught him on the chin. Peterson was wobbly as he got back to his feet, forcing the referee to stop the fight as Peterson swayed from side to side. Peterson knocked Bell down earlier in the fight, but it was a mostly uneventful affair until Bell’s knockout punch in the fifth. Le’Veon Bell, right, dropped Adrian Peterson with a straight hand in the fifth round en route to a TKO victory in their boxing match Saturday night. Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images “I really appreciate everyone’s love and support,” Bell, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, said after the game. “That’s really what kept me going. Honestly, all the hate… that drives me.” Bell, 30, reiterated his plans to pursue a career in boxing, saying he has put football behind him. Before Saturday’s event, Bell, who played in a total of eight games last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens, said he wanted to be a ring star after a standout career on the football field. Peterson, who is fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 14,918 yards, played a total of four games last season with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks. Like Bell, Peterson, 37, has not officially retired. He said he has always been a fan of boxing and embraced the opportunity to have fun and stay in shape for a possible return to the NFL. Saturday night’s event was headlined by YouTube star Austin McBroom, a former college basketball player who has 6.4 million Instagram followers. Also on the card, former NBA standout Nick Young aka Swaggy P took on social media influencer Minicon.
