Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown stepped into a boxing ring in Nigeria this week, taking part in an exhibition bout against Nigerian heavyweight boxer Solomon Imoleayo.
The exhibition took place in Lagos during Brown’s visit to Nigeria with his 7uice Foundation. Video of the unusual matchup quickly circulated on social media, showing the NBA star trading punches with the Nigerian heavyweight in front of a crowd.
Brown, who was traded from the Boston Celtics to the 76ers in July, admitted that he had done “0 prep” for the boxing appearance.
There was no official result, and the bout was not a sanctioned professional contest. No reliable report has indicated any knockdowns, while the exact number of rounds and duration of the exhibition have not been officially reported.
Brown does have some combat-sports background. He has trained in Muay Thai and has previously spoken about his interest in fighting. His father, Quenton Brown, was a professional boxer and former WBU heavyweight champion.
For Brown, however, the Nigerian appearance appeared to be more about having some fun and challenging himself than launching a second professional sporting career.
