Getty Former Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams exchanges blows with Frank Gore.
Former Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams proved on Saturday that it’s never too late to mix things up. The three-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist took on legendary NFL running back Frank Gore in a boxing match as part of the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley undercard.
It ultimately proved to be a successful debut in a new sport for D-Will, who won the four-round bout by split decision. However, he has no plans to embark on a new career in the fight game.
After beating Gore in what, at times, was a wild and woolly affair, Williams promptly announced his retirement from boxing.
“I’m gonna go sit my old dumb ass down somewhere and let these professionals do their s***,” Williams said after the fight, via the New York Post.
“Honestly, I probably looked terrible out there… As soon as you get out here and you start getting touched, all your training goes out the window. It was fun, I’m glad I had the chance to come out here and do it, but like I thought coming into this, I’m one and done.”
A Strong Showing
Although Williams and Gore are similarly aged (at 37 and 38, respectively) and both appeared to be in great shape heading into the fight, D-Will leaned on his massive height and reach advantages during the first round. Along the way, he landed some strong blows to Gore’s head.
The intensity picked up in Round 2 when Gore seemingly tried to bring Williams down by his legs. In short order, the former Net responded with a flurry of punches, backing his opponent into the ropes. At that point, Williams shoved the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher out to the ring apron.
Nevertheless, Gore outlanded him 16-15 in total punches during the round.
Williams responded by scoring a knockdown on Gore in Round 3. However, his best round was the fourth, when he outlanded a fatigued Gore 12-5. By the end of the fight, he outlanded Gore 48-39 in total punches, 35-28 in power punches and 13-11 in jabs, as tracked by CompuBox.
Consequently, he won 38-37, 37-38, 40-35 per the judges’ scorecards.
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D-Will Is No Stranger to Combat Sports
For Williams, winning the fight was a matter of pride. He was intent on proving that the “soft” label that occasionally gets tagged to pro hoopers is an inaccurate one.
“I always was a physical point guard,” Williams said post-fight, via ESPN. “I never shied away from contact, and I showed that today. People think basketball players are soft, but I never was one. That’s what I was looking to accomplish here today.”
Williams wasn’t just a physical point guard, though. He was a lifetime of experience in various combat sports. As a youth in Texas, he won multiple state championships as a wrestler. More recently, he has trained in boxing and mixed martial arts. In 2015, he opened up the gym Fortis MMA in Dallas.
Since then he has sparred with high-level boxers and MMA fighters.
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