Halle Berry got into the spirit of combat on Saturday night, December 8 – only, this time around it wasn’t in the interest of honoring the bodacious physique that followers have become accustomed to watching her tone with each #FitnessFriday she’s put in the books. Rather, the Academy Award winning actress headed out to show some appreciation for HBO on the night of its last ever boxing telecast.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Berry was one of several notable figures who came through the StubHub Center to say goodbye to HBO boxing after its 45th year in the business. But whereas most of the attention drawn to the event focused on WBA, WBO, and Ring magazine lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko’s headliner against Jose Pedraza, Berry more eagerly anticipated a couple of the women’s match-ups on the undercard. She was in attendance as the invited guest of personal trainer Cris Cyborg, after all, and seeing how there’s been talk of Cyborg jumpstarting a transition to the ring, it was only right that Berry join the UFC star in scouting out her first opponent.
According to MMA Fighting , Cyborg and welterweight title holder Cecilia Braekhus have got their eyes on one another. Braekhus would go on to show the octagon brawler that she’ll be no piece of cake in a scrap, by dominating Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopes. Budding superstar Claressa Shields also put on for Berry, Cyborg, and fans packing the outdoor arena. By winning every single round in her contest against Belgium’s Femke Hermans, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist kept the world on notice that she is not to be overlooked.
Berry would later take to Instagram to share a snap of her posing with Shields and thanking Cyborg for involving her in her weekend plans. Just last week, TMZ reported that Berry has begun working with Cyborg in preparation for her role in “John Wick 3.” Their partnership is sure to contribute some added intensity to the regimen she’s had going with fellow actor, nutritionist, and mixed martial arts specialist Peter Lee Thomas since January.
In an article that Men’s Health published back in April, it was revealed that Berry had been worked into a routine that included everything from jogging, to yoga, and medicine ball. As fans have come to learn, courtesy of the motivational posts she puts up at the end of each week, the 51-year-old Hollywood star has also taken to boxing, and according to Thomas, she is far from a bad striker in her own right.
People magazine quotes him as projecting that Berry could “very easily transition into becoming a professional athlete, if she was coached the right way.”