• Andreas HaleMay 7, 2026, 12:46 AM ET

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  Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024.

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Former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will try his hand at the sweet science when he steps into a boxing ring May 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas to face social media influencer Bob Menery.

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.

Manziel, 33, had been linked to a celebrity boxing match with Menery recently, but the expectation was the fight would take place in Miami. Instead, it will land in the Apex, which isn't by accident, as UFC CEO Dana White has expressed significant interest in the fight.

White and Menery have had a tumultuous relationship; the UFC CEO said he'd bet $10,000 that the social media influencer would back out of the fight. Now, White will host it.

Manziel, who starred at Texas A&M, was a first-round NFL draft pick of the Browns in 2014 but lasted only two years in the NFL, throwing for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns before Cleveland cut him during the 2016 offseason.

Manziel went on to play in other leagues, including the Canadian Football League. He also was the subject of Netflix's "Untold" anthology series, with "Johnny Football" premiering in 2023.

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