There are more circus level “celebrity” boxing shows.
The celebrity boxing trend continues, and the promotion that put on that horrible circus mismatch between former NBA player Lamar Odom and pop star Aaron Carter is back.
Despite both men dealing with years of very serious health issues and addiction, along with not really having much skill in boxing — or for Carter’s case, any fighting ability — they will still be returning to the ring soon.
The 41-year-old retired NBA player won by TKO last June, in a mismatch that not only shouldn’t have happened, but also lasted way too long. The significantly smaller and lighter Carter tried to repeatedly quit after multiple knockdowns, and took unnecessary damage in the “celebrity boxing” mismatch.
Carter and Odom will both return less than four months after that bout, and they’ll have separate opponents for the October 2 event. According to TMZ, Carter doesn’t have an opponent finalized yet, but Odom will be facing a long retired former heavyweight champion in Riddick Bowe.
Bowe hasn’t fought in over a decade, and his prime was far before that too. Here’s how our friends at Bad Left Hook summed it up:
The 53-year-old Bowe (43-1, 33 KO) was one of the great fighters of the 90s in his heyday, ultimately leaving the sport in 1996 after consecutive DQ victories over prick-pounding Pole Andrew Golota. He had a brief comeback in the 2000s, but hung up the gloves once again in 2008 without accomplishing much, then got leg kicked into oblivion in a one-and-done Muay Thai stint five years later.
Apart from their gross mismatch that predictably didn’t end well for Carter, we also previously detailed why their health issues made it unwise to keep booking these two in a sport designed to dish out more head trauma.
Both have had very serious health conditions stemming from drug abuse and addiction in the past, and stepping into a ring for added brain trauma just doesn’t seem like something that should happen at all.
Odom nearly died in a brothel in 2015 because of a drug overdose. He was in a coma after suffering kidney failure, several heart attacks and 12 strokes. Doctors didn’t think he would make it, let alone fully recover, but Odom somehow battled back and got well enough to play competitive basketball again in 2019.
Carter, who grew to fame as a child pop star in the early 2000’s, also dealt with substance abuse and drug-related arrests in the years after his fame. He also battled severe weight loss, reportedly going as low as 115 lbs in 2017. He’s also been involved in numerous controversies and legal issues through the years, along with filing for bankruptcy in 2013.
While having a reason to get in shape could be good for them, there seems to be much safer and healthier ways to make money than signing up to get punched in the head.
Also on the card is Paulie Malignaggi. The 40-year-old will face Corey B, who is apparently a social media influencer. The former two-division champion in Malignaggi retired from pro boxing four years ago, but did return past his prime and lost to Artem Lobov in bare knuckle boxing in 2019.
There are several similar boxing events with even lesser known “celebrities” happening all over these days, such as the upcoming Big Brother USA vs Big Brother Canada event in August.
While the celebrity boxing matches involving the likes of Jake and Logan Paul have drawn well, there are other promotions trying to latch on that have flopped. The YouTubers vs TikTokers boxing event reportedly lost “at least $10 million” recently, and the competitors and investors — like James Harden — struggling to get paid since.