It was announced Tuesday that Deron Williams, a former NBA point guard, will face Frank Gore, an ex-NFL runningback, in a boxing match undercard to the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury undercard. The fight will take place in Tampa, Florida on December 18.
Williams and Gore will make their pro boxing debuts. The bout will be 215 pounds in weight and will last for four rounds.
Gore, who has been boxing for many years, declined offers from the NFL to concentrate on his first fight. Malki Kawa, a long-time fight rep for First Round Management, is his manager. Malki also represents NFL players.
Williams has been a long-time fighter and has trained in mixed martial arts for many years. He is a part-owner at Fortis MMA in Dallas where he will train under Sayif Saud.
Gore, 38 is a five time Pro Bowl selection. He ranks third in NFL history, with 16,000 rushing yard. The San Francisco 49ers' most prolific rusher was Gore, who spent 16 seasons with the league, the last being 2020 with the New York Jets.
Gore stated that he was excited to fight on the card and could not wait to share what he's been working on with the world. "Boxing is exciting to me, and Dec. 18 you can expect fireworks!"
Williams, 37, was a three-time NBA All-Star selection for the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and other teams. Williams won gold with the U.S. men’s national team at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.
Williams stated that combat sports were a major part of his life from the earliest days. Before I became a basketball player I was a wrestler. Since 2015, I've had the opportunity to own an MMA gym and have been trained in many martial arts to keep active. Since 2015, I have been waiting for the right moment to make my professional debut.
Amanda Serrano is ESPN's No. 1 female boxer. Miriam Gutierrez will be the third-ranked pound for pound women's boxer.
Serrano wants to face Katie Taylor in 2022, a highly-publicized matchup.
Anthony Taylor, Paul's friend, will be fighting Chris Avila in another fight. Avila is a protégé of UFC star Nate Diaz.
