George Foreman 68, challenges Steven Seagal 65, for 10 rounds of Boxing

Would You Shell Out Money to Watch This Odd Fight?
Former heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman, 68, wants to take jabs at 65-year-old actor Steven Seagal — for 10 rounds
by Zachary Leeman | Updated 05 Oct 2017 at 1:02 PM

The televised and highly promoted fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor reportedly brought in about $700 million when it aired in August.

It was a bout that drew the attention of boxing and UFC fans alike — as well as newcomers caught up in the fiery rivalry between the champion boxer and champion mixed martial artist.

What could be the next fight that grabs the public's attention as Mayweather vs. McGregor did? Could it be a match between two men with a combined age of 133?

Former heavyweight boxing champion of the world George Foreman, who is 68, has publicly challenged action movie star Steven Seagal, 65, to a 10-round fight in Las Vegas.

George Foreman ✔@GeorgeForeman
Steven Seagal, I challenge you One on one, I use boxing you can use whatever. 10 rounds in Vegas

The challenge came after Steven Seagal appeared on "Good Morning Britain" in an interview in which he both dismissed Russian tampering in the U.S. 2016 presidential election and criticized NFL football players who've kneeled during the national anthem.

"I believe in free speech. I believe that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I don't agree that [the football kneelers] should hold the United States of America or the world hostage by taking a venue where people are tuning in to watch a football game and ... imposing their political views," Seagal said by satellite from Russia, of which he recently became a citizen.

Seagal also had positive things to say about President Trump in the viral interview, and he called Russian election hacking conspiracies "stupid."

The interview clearly got the attention of 68-year-old Foreman, who took to Twitter to issue his challenge to Seagal.

The "Under Siege" actor, who is a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, has not yet responded, but a parody Twitter account of the actor "accepted" the challenge from Foreman — and the boxer at least temporarily fell for it.

It's likely not a coincidence that Foreman's challenge to Seagal came after the actor so publicly supported the president and dismissed Russian election-hacking theories. Yet Foreman has been equally positive about the president when speaking in the past.

On the "Offended America" podcast, Foreman praised Trump as a "good president" and gave him credit for pulling the boxer out of bankruptcy: Trump bankrolled a fight between Foreman and Evander Holyfield in 1991.

"I was broke, too. Bankrupt. Put me back — he was part of writing those checks, so I could be on the wealthy side again. So I'll always be grateful to the entrepreneur Donald Trump," he said. "And now President Donald Trump."

Related: John Rich on Vegas Concert Nightmare: 'An Attack on America'

He added, "He's a good president. A lot of people don't like him, but evidently more do, because he was elected president of the United States."

Foreman has also been critical of athletes who have become politically outspoken, such as former quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Kevin Durant.

With all this in mind, Foreman's challenge could simply be a friendly offer to Seagal or playful jabs, as the men seem to have similar worldviews.

The boxer has been tweeting more about the fight, taunting Seagal with humorous retweets.

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