Former NFL stars Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell made their boxing debuts on Saturday night, as the two running backs faced off in Los Angeles.

Bell secured a knockout in the final round with a strong right hand on Peterson, though no winner was declared due to the contest being an exhibition bout.

Having both left the NFL earlier this year, released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks respectively, the pair have turned their hand to boxing.

While Bell's triumph will not be recorded, the 30-year-old spoke of his pride at the result and made it clear this is only the start of his journey in the ring.

"I had a great performance, I put in a lot of hard work. All the hate that just motivates me, it was a badge of honour on my shoulder and I use it to be the best I can be," he said.

"It's a lot different, in football it's team orientated, don't get me wrong I have my team in my corner but when I'm in the ring it's just me and my opponent whereas in football I've got 10 other guys helping me. I'm so proud of myself because I worked so hard to come this far.

"I envisioned this happening and for it come true, I'm not surprised, but I'm just so happy. Boxing is one of the biggest challenges I've ever had to pick up. 

"It's about how far you want to go, you have something inside you that says you need to keep going further and that's what boxing brings out of me, this is the perfect sport, I want to see how far I can go, I want to test my limits. 

"I've put my hard work and passion into this and if I put my heart into this I know I can be the best at it."

Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell will swap the pads and helmets for gloves and shorts after agreeing to meet in an exhibition boxing match later this month.

The veteran running backs are due to face off in the squared circle at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on July 30.

Bell, a three-time Pro Bowler, made the announcement on social media.

"[And] it's official nothing else needs to be said, let's gooo," Bell, 30, posted on Twitter, accompanied with a poster promoting the bout.

Peterson is not officially retired from the NFL but made just four appearances for the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks in the 2021 season.

The 37-year-old became a star name during a 10-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings and was named MVP in 2012 - a campaign where he became the seventh player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

Peterson ranks fifth on the NFL's career rushing yards list with 14,918 and is a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Like Peterson, Bell has not officially hung up the cleats but has struggled to find a permanent home since leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018. Last season, he made eight appearances for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ESPN reported the fight will take place on the undercard of Social Gloves 2, an event promoted by YouTube star Austin McBroom.