Patrick Clark, the former WWE performer known as Velveteen Dream, will make his professional boxing debut on Saturday, August 29. He meets Canadian podcast host Ryan Pownall in a cruiserweight bout at the Kia Center in Orlando.
Duel: Arena and Pownall announced the fight on social media Monday night. Pownall, who hosts the “Pillow Talk” podcast, shared the poster with a caption counting down “19 Days to Become a Pro Boxer,” which points to a first pro appearance for him as well. Clark had not commented publicly by Tuesday morning.
Neither man arrives with an established boxing background. Clark spent more than a decade in professional wrestling, including a run in WWE from 2015 until his release in 2021, while Pownall built his following through podcasting and short-form video.
A Betting Operator’s First Promotion
The show is the debut event for Duel: Arena, a promotion launched by betting company Duel, and it runs three rulesets across one night. Mixed martial arts, boxing and kickboxing bouts share the same bill, with every fight contested in a ring rather than a cage.
Former UFC fighters Jimi Manuwa and Rashad Coulter will also box, at heavyweight, and Phil Rowe faces Javanis Ross. Mike Perry and Dillon Danis headline under MMA rules, with streamer Gypsy Crusader meeting Ben “King” Azoulay in a kickboxing co-main event.
Matchmaking is being handled by Dean Toole, who described the debut card as “the beginning of something special” when the main event was confirmed last month.
Clark brings a complicated history outside the ring. WWE released him in May 2021 following 2020 accusations that he sent inappropriate messages to minors. He denied the allegations, and no charges have ever been filed against him.
