Adrian Peterson to fight poker foe in boxing match amid money woes

Adrian Peterson is going from the gridiron to the ring.

The former Vikings running back, who earned over $100 million in his career and has faced recent money woes, is set to fight poker foe Joe “Baby Joe” Castaneda after agreeing to a Celebrity Boxing contract Wednesday, according to TMZ.

The news comes weeks after Peterson, 40, and Castaneda got into a fistfight over a poker game gone awry.

Peterson has been at the center of financial and legal troubles in recent years.

In September 2024, Peterson was forced to turn over assets to satisfy a debt estimated to be $12.5 million.

Months later, in April 2025, he was arrested for a DWI after an appearance at the Vikings’ 2025 NFL Draft party.

He was booked on a fourth-degree driving while impaired charge, and reportedly blew a .14 on a breathalyzer, well above the .08 legal limit.

The poker room incident took place at a social club in Houston in late May, with TMZ reporting the melee in mid-June.

“Me and the guy, we’re cool,’ Peterson said after the altercation, noting alcohol was involved. “We’ve known each other. It was literally like a brother situation. We agreed to disagree, we had our words, and we threw blows — and that was it.”

The former first-round pick said he “felt really bad” after the scuffle.

“It’s a situation where I kind of regret it,” Peterson said.

Authorities were not contacted to investigate the incident, per TMZ.

A date and location of the upcoming fight have not yet been set.

Peterson spent 15 seasons in the NFL and is primarily known for his time with the Vikings, with whom he played for 10 seasons beginning in 2007. He also had stints in New Orleans, Arizona, Washington, Detroit, Tennessee and Seattle.