Miami football legend Frank Gore will box former NBA All-Star Deron Williams

Miami football legend and Hurricanes Hall of Famer Frank Gore will fight former NBA All-Star point guard Deron Williams it was announced on Tuesday. Gore and Williams are making their pro boxing debuts on the undercard of the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight on December 18 in Tampa.

Gore has been training to become a boxer after playing what will likely become his last NFL game with the New York Jets in 2020. NFL teams contacted Gore to play in 2021 but he declined to focus on a potential boxing career. Williams has been interested in mixed martial arts for many years and training in the discipline.

Gore was the backup to Clinton Portis on the 2001 national championship Miami football team and finished his Hurricanes career with 1,975 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns and had 23 receptions for 225 yards. Gore is third all-time in NFL history in rushing yards behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.

Williams spent 12 years in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, the New Jersey and Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Gore is listed at 5’9 213 pounds on his Pro Football Reference page. Williams is 6’3, 200 pounds on his Basketball-Reference page. With a 6’9 wingspan, Williams will have a significant advantage.

Gore turned 38 on May 14. Williams turned 37 on June 26. Williams’ last season in the NBA was 2017. According to Pro Football Talk other former professional athletes that have taken up boxing include basketball players Nate Robinson who also played football in college at Washington and former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson.

Gore and Williams will enter the Amalie Arena ring on December 18 in Tampa. The bout will be televised by Showtime Pay Per View. Gore is trained by Pete Bommarito and has Javiel Centeno in his corner according to an article by WSVN last month. A potential purse for the fight has not been released.

Neither boxer needs the money. Gore earned $63 million during his NFL career, Williams $157 million in the NBA. This is far more than a celebrity boxing match. Both players have trained in the sweet science in recent years. Where Gore and Williams will go after their bout as boxers is to be determined.