Jason Burgos
The life of former Cleveland Browns No. 1 pick Johnny Manziel took another bizarre turn this week.
Manziel has had one of the more odd stories in the history of pro sports. In 2012, the Texas native took college football by storm with one of the best freshman seasons of all-time. In his debut year at Texas A&M, he was not only an All-American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, but “Johnny Football” was also the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
He had just as electrifying a sophomore season as he hit on 69.9% of his passes, threw for 4,114 yards, ran for 759 more, and tallied 46 total touchdowns. Despite being just 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, his exhilarating play led him to be the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Browns. Then things went downhill fast.
A wild party life and a serious lack of dedication during game week quickly proved that the star, who was barely out of his teens, was not ready for the NFL. Then, when allegations of domestic violence emerged in 2016, the Heisman Trophy winner was out of the league in just two seasons.
Since his exit, he has played for the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and then Fan Controlled Football (FCF) a couple of years ago. He has been unable to recapture the success or money making opportunites he had a decade ago.
Johnny Manziel set to have boxing bout in UFC Apex this month
It is why he has transitioned to ventures away from the field, including owning a bar, a podcast, and reality TV. Well, it seems he plans a return to sports soon, but not football. Instead, he will step into a boxing ring to take on influencer Bob Menery later this month (May 23) inside the UFC Apex, according to ESPN’s Andreas Hale.
“The fight will be promoted by Kick streamer Adin Ross’ Brand Risk Promotions, which is known for pitting celebrities against content creators in boxing matches,” Hale reports.
UFC CEO Dana White has shown big interest in the fight since he has an ongoing beef with Menery. While this probably should be a one-off, in the era of Jake Paul being a star in boxing, it would not be surprising if this is the start of a new and unexpected career for the 33-year-old.
