Celebrity boxing has been around for a while now and it’s only increasing in popularity. People’s natural desire to witness fights may explain why celebrity boxing has gained popularity. Even several retired NBA players have traded the court for the ring. Some use it as a new method to regain fitness, while others might do it just for the thrill of trying combat sports.
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Lamar Odom will be the most recent of these retired NBA stars to enter the ring. The former Los Angeles Lakers star will square up against Izzy Drake, or “Fake Drake”. Odom has previously engaged in two exhibition fights and has a perfect record.
Lamar Odom will fight Fake Drake' in a celebrity boxing match
MORE: https://t.co/RsY9y67K9r pic.twitter.com/QT1CNakSBo
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 13, 2022
He knocked out Aaron Carter in the second round in his first-ever bout. A few months later, he overcame Ojani Noa in a decision.
“Fake Drake” had intended to fight the real Drake in a $1 million boxing bout; however, Odom stepped in to fight him instead.
“I hear this news that this fake lookalike wanna fight my man Drake,” Odom said. “But my man don’t really get his hands dirty, so what I’m gonna I’m gonna step in the way and take that fight.”
Wayment! Looks like Lamar Odom and Fake Drake (Izzy) will be taking their talents to Celebrity Boxing! 👀 (🎥: @celebboxing1) pic.twitter.com/gmCs3Q0rsE
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) July 13, 2022
While the towering 6’10” Odom is ready to unleash those hands, not everyone has taken these retired NBA players putting on the boxing gloves well.
Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams is upset that Lamar Odom has stepped in the ring
Lamar Odom has had a handful of setbacks in the past, but he has denied letting them affect him. In fact, the former Laker is all in for a new challenge. This new challenge now comes in the form of a boxing bout against “Fake Drake”.
While he is locked in, NFL Veteran Anthony Adams isn’t pleased about these retired NBA players taking the boxing route. Spice expressed his displeasure on a recent edition of Shaquille O’Neal‘s podcast “The Big Podcast with Shaq.”
“Did you all see, your (Shaq’s) boy Lamar Odom is talking about doing a celebrity fight with the Fake Drake? Have you seen the Fake Drake,” Adams said. “The Fake Drake said he wants a million dollars to fight the actual Drake and so Lamar stepped in and said ‘Na na na Drake, I ain’t gonna let you go out like that…I am gonna take this fight. I’ll fight the Fake Drake.'”
“What is going on with the retired basketball players?” he questioned.
Nischelle Turner then went on to blame Spice, claiming that everything was his fault. “This is your fault. This is all your fault. Because you co-signed all those boxing matches early. You co-signed that mess. And then it spread like wildfire,” Turner said.
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‘Oh yea, so and so can fight, Chad Johnson can fight, this person…I wanna see that’, and what I’ve been saying, retired athletes…SYAD! Shaquille, what does it mean?” Turner asked. “Sit your a** down,” Shaq replied. O’Neal then joked that he would have to go with the Fake Drake for this fight.
Deron Williams after beating Frank Gore: “I'm going to go sit my old dumb a** down somewhere and let these professionals do their s**t. Honestly, I probably looked terrible out there…I’m one and done.” pic.twitter.com/QLdoIXeJQP
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 19, 2021
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To be fair, the NBA has not dodged this celebrity boxing fever. Former NBA players such as Deron Williams and Nate Robinson have all stepped in the ring. Nick Young is also set to face rapper Blueface in a boxing match. Lamar Odom is now the latest to embrace this growing trend.