Full of hype! 53-year-old O'Neal to take part in celebrity boxing match: His opponent used to be Will Smith’s bodyguard.

On August 25th Beijing time, 53-year-old O'Neal revealed he is prepared to "put on the gear" and step back into the ring — except this time, it won’t be basketball sneakers, but boxing gloves.

The 53-year-old O'Neal has agreed to a celebrity boxing bout against Charlie Mack, who previously worked as Will Smith’s bodyguard and holds some recognition in the hip-hop world; it’s said he is also past fifty.

This week, Charlie Mack posted a video challenging O'Neal to a boxing match and explained that their conflict began years ago during an encounter. “We were at a signing event in Dallas, and he tried to cut the line,” Mack said. “I tapped his neck to send him back to the end of the line.”

O'Neal responded to the challenge in the video comments and later posted his own video on Instagram. In that clip, the NBA Hall of Famer also referenced the old grudge with Mack.

“Hey, celebrity boxing and Charlie Mack, I’m in. You tapped my neck back then, Charlie Mack, and now I blame you for the way I’m talking. It’s time to settle the score,” O'Neal said. “Name the time and place, I’ll be there. The ‘Big Diesel’ never backs down... You better check my police record, Charlie Mack.”

In his latest update, Mack also shared a boxing event-style poster featuring images of both himself and O'Neal.

O'Neal stands 2.16 meters tall and weighs about 147 kilograms, while Mack is 1.98 meters tall and weighs around 132 kilograms. “Man, this is a super heavyweight showdown,” Mack said in the video, even giving O'Neal a mocking nickname, “Shark KO,” adding, “This is exactly how you’ll end up.”

It’s worth mentioning that the official celebrity boxing events have previously hosted matches featuring retired sports stars, including Jose Canseco (former MLB baseball star), Lamar Odom (former NBA player), and Tonya Harding (former figure skater), among others.