Johnny Manziel Set To Enter Celebrity Boxing World Against Bob Menery

Former Heisman quarterback Johnny Manziel couldn’t make it in the NFL, CFL or XFL.

So he’s trying his luck with the sweet science.

Yep, you read that right. Johnny Football will be boxing influencer Bob Menery at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 23. According to ESPN, this boxing match will be promoted by popular streamer Adin Ross' Brand Risk Promotions, which has created a reputation in the celebrity boxing space.

UFC commissioner Dana White had previously expressed interest in this bout, betting $10,000 that Menery would back out of the fight. Now, the leader of the UFC is hosting the event in partnership with Ross.

Polymarket, a prediction market site that allows users to buy and sell shares on the outcome of real-world events, currently gives Menery an 85% chance of showing up to this fight. When White made his wager three weeks ago, Menery had a 49% chance of showing up.

According to the market, it seems like this fight is actually happening.

So, what’s Manziel vs. Menery about?

Menery is 38. He’s blown up on social media over these last five or so years, appearing on popular podcasts. He claims the beef with Manziel stems from an intoxicated interview with the former Heisman quarterback. It feels like the rivalry is rooted in personal dislike for one another and manufactured hype to promote this boxing match.

Manziel is 33. The former Heisman winning quarterback only played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns before falling out of the NFL despite being a first-round pick. Manziel’s addiction issues and overarching careless attitude toward professional football were recently revealed in the Untold documentary.

Manziel and Menery will likely put on one of the worst fights in the history of boxing.

It’s a new era of the sport. Jake Paul has popularized influencers and ex-athletes trying to get into the ring. Even though no other influencer has taken boxing as seriously as Paul has, the 29-year-old YouTube star was knocked out against Anthony Joshua in his latest bout, fracturing his jaw.

It’s hard to believe that Manziel vs. Menery will have that sort of result. Neither of these two have the athletic profiles of a professional boxer. Manziel is five years younger than Menery and has a background in professional sports. Even though football is very different from boxing, and Manziel has admitted that he didn’t train very hard, he’s at least competed at an incredibly high level.