By: Hans Themistode
Time and time again, Jake Paul has brought about some of the more whackier events on his boxing undercards. Now, with the social media star turned professional boxer set to take on Tommy Fury on December 18th, at Amalie Arena, in Tampa Florida, an expected showdown between two fighters from opposite sports, is likely to take place.
As first reported by Shams Charania, an NBA Insider for The Athletic, former NBA All-Star Deron Williams will make his pro boxing debut. Although an opponent has yet to be finalized, former multiple-time Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore has emerged as a possible candidate.
For a number of years now, Gore has trained his body to deal with the rigors of an NFL season. However, as of late, Gore has shifted his focus more and more towards a potential boxing career. Although Gore has yet to officially hang up his cleats, he’s long expressed a desire to box on a professional level.
“I’ve been training for both — football and boxing,” said Gore to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com several months ago. “I’ve always loved boxing, so that’s what I’ve been doing. And we’re trying to make a fight happen. If we do that, you’ll see me in the ring.”
News of Williams trying his hand in combat sports comes as a bit of a surprise. Not because he’s known for swishing and dishing on a basketball court but because he’s mostly been linked to a possible future in the world Mixed Martial Arts.
Williams, a former state wrestling champion in his earlier days, has an ownership stake in Fortis MMA, a Dallas-based gym. Williams has also gone on record numerous occasions stating that he fully intends on competing in BJJ tournaments in the near future and consistently works on his craft.
Nevertheless, the former three-time NBA All-Star is now focused on making his professional boxing debut in a little under two months.