Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg are two names that are rarely said together. However, both of them have enjoyed quite a similar career trajectory. Smith and Wahlberg both began their careers playing humourous roles. The former was in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) and the latter was in Renaissance Man (1994).
However, they quickly changed their trajectory to focus on action-oriented films like Max Payne for Wahlberg and Men in Black for Smith. From then on they cemented themselves as action stars. Due to their newfound fame, they got offers to star in more films, and curiously, they also got an invitation to fight each other.
Will Smith And Mark Wahlberg Were Once Going To Fight In The Boxing Ring
In 2010, Damon Feldman of the Hollywood Boxing Federation issued an invitation that made every Hollywood fan raise their eyebrows. He offered Mark Wahlberg and Will Smith a million dollars to face off against each other in the boxing ring in Las Vegas. The challenge itself was shocking since the two stars never had any publicly aired issues with each other.
But more than that, the amount of a million seemed too low. After all, both of them earned several millions from each of their films. However, Feldman said that the aim wasn’t for them to take home the purse. He wanted them to be generous and agree to the match so that the amount could be donated to the charities of their choosing.
Feldman had told RadarOnline.com that “This will be a great opportunity for both stars to fight in the Superbowl of Hollywood boxing and to donate millions to their favorite charities. It would be a great event too. Can you imagine?” This wasn’t the first time Feldman had given out invitations to celebrity boxing matches.
Previously, Lindsay Lohan’s father, Michael, and The Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce fought in the boxing ring upon his invitation. But why did Feldman suddenly decide to invite Smith and Wahlberg? It’s because they both starred in high-profile boxing films and had the physique for it.
Why Were Will Smith And Mark Wahlberg Invited To Fight?
Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg have starred in critically acclaimed boxing films where they played legendary boxers. Smith starred in Ali, the Muhammad Ali biopic and Wahlberg played ‘Irish’ Micky Ward in The Fighter. Apart from this, there were other similarities too. The Bad Boys star was 42 back then and the Transformers: Age of Extinction actor was 39.
However, they aren’t of the same height and weight. The Guardian reported that “there might be some disparities in terms of each’s weight and height: Smith is 1.88m (6ft 2in)… while Wahlberg is 1.75m (5ft 9in) and is a welterweight in The Fighter.” However, the fight wasn’t going to be for long. The site stated that the stars would be going at each other for “three one-minute rounds.”
Additionally, the outlet quoted Feldman saying “We don’t think these two are going to rip each other’s heads off. We’re just hoping they get into the ring and have a little fun duking it out.” The match was scheduled on 26 February 2011 in Las Vegas. But it didn’t happen. Guess fans have to wait to see if these two ever throw hands at each other.
Source: The Guardian
