Gable Steveson appears to have found his footing in the world of combat sports. The Olympic Gold Medalist made his professional boxing debut on Friday night, competing for “Dirty Boxing Championship,” a new promotion established by MMA veteran Mike Perry.
Steveson was featured in the main event of “Dirty Boxing 4,” facing 31-year-old Billy Swanson. The match did not last long, as Steveson secured the victory by knocking his opponent out in just seconds with effective uppercuts. This quick victory marks another successful venture for Steveson outside of the sports entertainment world.
The athlete’s journey in professional wrestling began with high expectations. Gable Steveson signed a WWE NIL (Next In Line) contract in 2021, a move announced with significant fanfare following his appearance at the “SummerSlam” event that year.
His signing was notable as he became only the second Olympic Gold Medalist to be signed by the promotion, following in the footsteps of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.
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Following his signing, Steveson was assigned to the “Raw” brand during the 2021 WWE Draft, but he never went on to wrestle a match on the Monday night show. He made several sporadic television appearances over the next year before he was quietly reassigned to the “NXT” brand to begin his formal training and development.
The 25-year-old finally made his official in-ring debut at the 2023 “NXT Great American Bash” event. He was placed in a match against veteran Baron Corbin.
That bout, however, ended in a no-contest and was met with a poor reception from the live audience. This proved to be Steveson’s only televised match within the company. Gable was quietly released from his WWE contract in May 2024, ending his anticipated run with the promotion.
Since his WWE departure, the young star seems to be charting a new course and finding success in combat sports. Prior to his boxing debut, Steveson won his first MMA fight last month at LFA 217.
He defeated his opponent, Braden Peterson, in less than two minutes during that contest. Now, adding this dominant boxing victory to his resume, Steveson’s career in full-contact competition appears to be on a strong upward trajectory.
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