Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Photos: The wild Deron Williams vs. Frank Gore exhibition.
Former NBA All-Star Deron Williams defeated former NFL Pro Bowl running back by a split decision in an exhibition match Saturday on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley II card in Tampa, Florida.
Here are images from the fight. Williams has blonde hair and a beard.
All photos by Chris O’Meara of The Associated Press.
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Photos: The wild Deron Williams vs. Frank Gore exhibition.
Former NBA All-Star Deron Williams defeated former NFL Pro Bowl running back by a split decision in an exhibition match Saturday on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley II card in Tampa, Florida.
Here are images from the fight. Williams has blonde hair and a beard.
All photos by Chris O’Meara of The Associated Press.
[lawrence-related id=27115,27112]
Deron Williams defeated Frank Gore by a split decision in an entertaining exhibition on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley II card Saturday.
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]
Deron Williams defeated Frank Gore by a split decision in an entertaining exhibition on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley II card Saturday.
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]
Photos: Frank Gore, Deron Williams train for boxing match.
Former NFL running back Frank Gore and former NBA guard Deron Williams are the latest retired athletes to take up boxing.
They’ll do battle in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley pay-per-view card Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Gore and Williams allowed photographer Cooper Neill of Showtime to shoot their workouts. Gore is in blue, Williams wearing a beanie.
Check it out.
FRANK GORE
[lawrence-related id=26936,26654,26627,26615]
Photos: Frank Gore, Deron Williams train for boxing match.
Former NFL running back Frank Gore and former NBA guard Deron Williams are the latest retired athletes to take up boxing.
They’ll do battle in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley pay-per-view card Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Gore and Williams allowed photographer Cooper Neill of Showtime to shoot their workouts. Gore is in blue, Williams wearing a beanie.
Check it out.
FRANK GORE
[lawrence-related id=26936,26654,26627,26615]
Former NBA guard Deron Williams, former NFL RB Frank Gore ready for boxing debuts on Jake Paul-Tommy Fury card.
Editor’s note: This story originally published at USA TODAY Sports.
NEW YORK – Deron Williams and Frank Gore insist they aren’t entering the squared circle because they need the money or any extra notoriety.
Both excelled in sports that made them household names and millions of dollars. But as they venture into a boxing ring, both say the competitive juices that most athletes need to succeed still burn inside.
The former NBA and NFL athletes will make their pro boxing debut on Dec. 18 in a four-round heavyweight match at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Williams and Gore are on the undercard of the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury main event, with undefeated seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano also on the card. Both have heard the skeptics questioning former athletes who go into different ventures – especially combat sports – after their playing careers are over.
And there are plenty of doubters to go around. Williams is 37 years old, four years removed from his last competitive professional basketball game. Gore is 38 and played last season with the New York Jets, where he finished the season ranked third on the NFL’s all-time leading rushers list.
Chris DeBlasio, SVP of Showtime Sports Communications, said the network had to think twice before entering into the world of celebrity boxing.
“We had to ask ourselves are they serious about boxing. Was this going to be a circus? Is this serious boxing, and can we show the respect for the sport and with that, a celebrity fight,” DeBlasio said. “These guys have trained for months and sometimes years and we want to make a legitimate competition, just like any other fight.”
Both fighters will be contractually limited to weighing 215 pounds or below for the fight, which will be broadcast on Showtime PPV.
“I have always been drawn to contact sports, it has always in the back of my mind,” Williams said.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been training for six years leading up to this fight and said he had an MMA match in the works before the global pandemic hit. “If I didn’t take this opportunity, I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life.”
Gore is a decided underdog, mainly because of six-inch height disadvantage.
“I have been an underdog all of my life. From living in a one-bedroom apartment with 12 people, to making it the NFL and with the knee injuries and I overcame that. Nobody thought I would make it,” Gore said. “But anyone who is willing to get in the ring has to be tough, so Dec. 18 we will find out.”
Former NBA guard Deron Williams, former NFL RB Frank Gore ready for boxing debuts on Jake Paul-Tommy Fury card.
Editor’s note: This story originally published at USA TODAY Sports.
NEW YORK – Deron Williams and Frank Gore insist they aren’t entering the squared circle because they need the money or any extra notoriety.
Both excelled in sports that made them household names and millions of dollars. But as they venture into a boxing ring, both say the competitive juices that most athletes need to succeed still burn inside.
The former NBA and NFL athletes will make their pro boxing debut on Dec. 18 in a four-round heavyweight match at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Williams and Gore are on the undercard of the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury main event, with undefeated seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano also on the card. Both have heard the skeptics questioning former athletes who go into different ventures – especially combat sports – after their playing careers are over.
And there are plenty of doubters to go around. Williams is 37 years old, four years removed from his last competitive professional basketball game. Gore is 38 and played last season with the New York Jets, where he finished the season ranked third on the NFL’s all-time leading rushers list.
Chris DeBlasio, SVP of Showtime Sports Communications, said the network had to think twice before entering into the world of celebrity boxing.
“We had to ask ourselves are they serious about boxing. Was this going to be a circus? Is this serious boxing, and can we show the respect for the sport and with that, a celebrity fight,” DeBlasio said. “These guys have trained for months and sometimes years and we want to make a legitimate competition, just like any other fight.”
Both fighters will be contractually limited to weighing 215 pounds or below for the fight, which will be broadcast on Showtime PPV.
“I have always been drawn to contact sports, it has always in the back of my mind,” Williams said.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been training for six years leading up to this fight and said he had an MMA match in the works before the global pandemic hit. “If I didn’t take this opportunity, I would be kicking myself for the rest of my life.”
Gore is a decided underdog, mainly because of six-inch height disadvantage.
“I have been an underdog all of my life. From living in a one-bedroom apartment with 12 people, to making it the NFL and with the knee injuries and I overcame that. Nobody thought I would make it,” Gore said. “But anyone who is willing to get in the ring has to be tough, so Dec. 18 we will find out.”
Frank Gore and Deron Williams have agreed to fight one another on the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury pay-per-view card on Dec. 18.
More former athletes are choosing to get punched in the face.
Former NFL running back Frank Gore and retired NBA player Deron Williams have agreed to exchange blows with one another on the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury pay-per-view card on Dec. 18 in Tampa, Florida, Showtime announced.
They are making their professional boxer debuts in the scheduled four-round bout, with an agreed-upon limit of 215 pounds.
Williams, 37, is 6-foot-3 and played at around 200 pounds. The three-time all-star last played in the 2016-217 season. Gore, 38, is 5-9 and weighed about 215 as a player. He retired after last season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWELN9Ul8KA/?utm_medium=twitter
“Combat sports have been a part of my life since my youngest days,” said Williams, who grew up in Texas. “Before I was a basketball player, I was a wrestler. Since 2015, I have had the privilege of owning an MMA gym, and through that I have trained in various martial arts to stay active.
“Over the last year, I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to translate my training into a professional debut. I’m making that happen on December 18 against Frank, one of the physically strongest NFL players in history.”
Said Gore, a future NFL Hall of Famer from Miami: “I’m excited to be fighting on this card and can’t wait to show the world what I’ve been working on. Boxing has me excited, and on December 18 expect fireworks!”
Paul (4-0, 3 KOs) and Fury (7-0, 4 KOs) will fight one another in a scheduled eight-round cruiserweight bout. Fury is the half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
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