Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.
What can be said about the boxing exhibition between former NBA player Deron Williams and former NFL running back Frank Gore other than it delivered the violence? The fight was so wildly entertaining that former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who commentated ringside, was calling for Part 2 before the final round even began.
Williams came out the winner by split decision with scores of 38-37, 37-38, 40-35 on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., but he might not exactly have felt like one after four grueling rounds.
“I’m gonna go sit my old dumbass somewhere and let the professionals do that sh*t,” Williams said. “Honestly, I probably looked terrible out there.”
That much was true for both Williams and Gore, who’d never boxed before Saturday night. But that probably didn’t matter to the crowd in attendance or anyone watching on Showtime pay-per-view.
The fight was full of action for 12 minutes, with neither man backing down. Both Williams and Gore threw haymakers at each other, but it was Williams’ height and reach advantage that made the difference.
.@DeronWilliams got Frank Gore's attention 👻#WilliamsGore #PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/lIr5BqXE4k
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) December 19, 2021
They set the tone in the first round, with Williams fighting a little more composed than Gore. Round 2 was where things went off the rails as Williams and Gore stood and traded with each other. A big right hand from Gore staggered Williams at one point, and the former NBA All-Star’s retort was to push Gore through the ropes, which temporarily stopped the action. When they resumed, Williams bull-rushed Gore, who used the momentum to throw Williams onto the ropes. The round didn’t end without Williams pushing Gore a second time, forcing the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher to the canvas.
In Round 3, Williams scored the only knockdown of the fight. He landed a right hand near the corner while Gore’s hands were down. A couple of more follow-up shots forced Gore to hold onto the ropes to avoid dropping to the canvas, but the referee ruled it a knockdown anyway.
By Round 4, both Williams and Gore were winded, but that didn’t stop them from closing out strong.
“It was fun,” Williams said. “I’m glad I had a chance to get out here and do it, but like I thought coming into this, I’m one and done.”
As for Gore?
“We’ll see,” Gore said. “I had fun tonight. I’m gonna go back and talk to my team to see what I’ve got to learn. I know I’ve got to learn where I’m grabbing, punch to get out. Other than that, I think I did good.”
[lawrence-related id=27112]