Adrian Peterson will return to action for a big payday later this month, but it won’t be with an NFL team.
According to a report earlier this week, Peterson has reached an agreement to fight Le’Veon Bell in a boxing match on July 30. With the potential of 21,000 people watching two of the top running backs of the past decade throw hands, it opens a wormhole for other players at the end of their careers.
Football is an emotional sport. Players get in a fight on every play. Machismo oozes into the nosebleeds, resulting in a pure hatred for their opponent.
But a celebrity boxing match is different. Unlike a Hell In A Cell match, there’s an element of humor that makes fans say, They’re doing what? Usually, those thoughts lower expectations, and fans enter into the deal seeking only to be entertained.
Plenty of feuds in Vikings history would be worthy of time in the ring, but which ones would make the best undercard? Let’s find out.
Laquon Treadwell vs. Troy Williamson
These two stars didn’t have a rivalry during their playing days. They probably have never crossed paths. But this is the type of matching that celebrity boxing is made for. Since neither guy could use their hands as receivers, this puts them to use in a different fashion.
Williamson was the top receiver bust in Vikings history for a long time. Tasked with replacing Randy Moss, Williamson flashed at times but dropped the ball in others. Emphasis on dropping the ball.
With just three touchdowns in three seasons with the Vikings, Williamson was a name that made fans shiver. That was until the Vikings selected Treadwell.
The Purple faithful were jubilant over the Ole Miss star’s arrival, but those feelings were quickly replaced with confusion. While Williamson got on the field, Treadwell watched most of his rookie season on the sideline. After one catch for 15 yards in his first year, Treadwell saw an increased role but never became the receiver that fans had hoped.
This brings us to the fight. There’s probably no animosity here, but they can fake it for the show. Williamson’s best strategy could be to use his speed to wear out Treadwell, who likely would have run too many stairs during training camp. The match would decide the greatest draft bust of all time — and potentially give Williamson his first positive memory in Minnesota.
Percy Harvin vs. Leslie Frazier
Harvin was one of the most dynamic players in Vikings history but also one of the most mercurial. All of this boiled over in 2012 when Harvin got into it with Frazier.
The dynamic receiver got off to a torrid start that season with 60 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. The Vikings also gave Harvin 18 rushing attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown. Plus, he was a demon on special teams. Everything was there for a dark horse MVP campaign except for a quarterback…and an offensive coordinator…and probably many other things.
Harvin became fed up during a Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks, screaming at Frazier up and down the sideline. He also screamed at offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who had the unenviable task of getting the most out of Christian Ponder.
A few weeks later, Harvin redirected his anger back at Frazier and even threw a weight plate at him. The Vikings had to place Harvin on IR and traded him to the Seattle Seahawks the following offseason.
This feels like a feud worthy of throwing some hands, but it’s hilarious because Frazier is literally the nicest head coach in football history and is beloved by his players.
“Les knows how to galvanize people,” Tony Dungy told the Chicago Tribune earlier this year. “He brings players together. And he always has a vision on how to get the most out of people.”
Harvin also confirmed this after he was traded, denying a rift between himself and Frazier.
“It’s absolutely false,” Harvin said via the Pioneer Press. “Me and coach Frazier have a great relationship. He has the utmost respect for me, and I have the utmost respect for him.”
Even if the two have mended fences, it would still be fun to see them go at it in the ring. Musgrave and Ponder could be judges. It seems like a fitting conclusion to an unlikely rivalry.
Mike Zimmer vs. Rick Spielman
There were many reasons why Zimmer’s tenure in Minnesota ended, but his relationship with his general manager was at the top of the list.
Deion Sanders said that Zimmer and Spielman didn’t talk for the final months of the 2021 season. Kellen Mond‘s dad piled on by saying Zimmer wanted a defensive player instead of a quarterback. Zimmer benched the whole third round of that draft class, presumably out of spite, leading to what could be an entertaining confrontation.
In one corner, we have Spielman, who has shown his entertaining side since his firing. With dancing Tik Toks and a podcast tour, Spielman can sell the fight.
There’s also a darker side to Spielman. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to step into the ring with a man that puts his pants on over his shoes.
Then again, I wouldn’t want to step into the ring with a man like Zimmer. He may have been stewing at his ranch over the past few months.
How do we not know that Zimmer hasn’t been throwing uppercuts in a meat locker all this time? Or drilling aces on his Par 3 golf course before climbing up the highest hill to scream, “SPIELMAN!!!”
There is a scenario in this match where Bill Parcells is in his corner and advises him to quit, only to hear Zimmer say, “I DIDN’T HEAR NO BELL RING!”
The juxtaposition of Spielman’s slow, methodical approach and Zimmer’s desire to knock him back so far in time that it’s cool to run the ball again makes for a bout worth $79.99 on pay-per-view.
