Patrick Clark, the former NXT North American Champion who performed in WWE as Velveteen Dream, is booked for his first professional boxing match. He faces podcast host Ryan Pownall at Duel: Arena 1 on Saturday, August 29 at the Kia Center in Orlando.
The promotion and Pownall announced the cruiserweight bout on social media Monday night. Pownall, a Canadian who hosts the “Pillow Talk” podcast, shared the fight poster with a caption counting down “19 Days to Become a Pro Boxer.” Clark had not publicly commented on the booking a day later.
From WWE Comeback Campaign To The Boxing Ring
The fight lands about 15 months after Clark spent the spring of 2025 publicly lobbying for a WWE return, posting on Instagram that he was owed apologies and urging fans to petition Triple H and Shawn Michaels on his behalf. No major wrestling promotion has signed him since.
Clark was released by WWE in May 2021, following 2020 accusations that he had sent inappropriate messages to minors. He denied the allegations and said a private photo of his had been shared without his consent. WWE investigated, and Paul Levesque said publicly that the company found nothing, though one accuser said he was never contacted during that process. Clark has never been charged.
His in-ring work since has been limited to a handful of independent dates, including a 2024 Dynasty Wrestling booking that drew criticism from other wrestlers. He was also arrested several times in Florida after the release, including a 2022 battery and trespassing case that was later closed without a hearing.
Duel: Arena 1 is the debut event for a promotion launched by betting operator Duel. The show runs a hybrid card of MMA, boxing and kickboxing bouts, all contested in a ring rather than a cage, with Mike Perry and Dillon Danis headlining under MMA rules.
