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For the second time in a matter of months, a former member of the Buffalo Bills is ready to dive into a new sport.
Buffalo was one of the many stops during the 16-year career of running back Frank Gore, and his next move could be into the boxing ring to fight another former professional athlete making a change in sport. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that three-time NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams has been confirmed for the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight on December 18, and Gore could be his opponent.
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Gore’s Move into Boxing
The 38-year-old Gore could have made a return to the NFL this season, with NFL.com reporting that he fielded calls from some teams inquiring about his services, but he turned down the opportunities so he could focus on a move into the ring.
“I’ve been training for both — football and boxing,” Gore told the outlet. “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.”
At the time that Gore spoke to NFL.com in September, the report claimed that there was a “high-profile fight in the works,” but hadn’t yet given details on what that might be. At the time, Gore hired agent Malki Kawa, who has worked both with football and fighting clients.
Williams has already been training in boxing and mixed martial arts for years before stepping into the ring, NBA.com reported. He also owns a stake in the Dallas-based MMA training facility Fortis MMA, which is regarded as one of the sport’s most highly regarded facilities.
Another Former Bills Player Tries a New Sport
Gore is now the second former Bills player to move into a new sport this year. Back in the spring, former Bills and Patriots receiver Chris Hogan stepped away from football to try his hand at this first love, lacrosse. Hogan was a standout lacrosse player in high school and later played for Penn State, where he led the team in goals his junior season.
Hogan announced that he was signing with the Premier Lacrosse League.
“As many of you know, my roots are in lacrosse, and I’m excited to fight for a roster spot with the best in the world!” Hogan wrote on Twitter.
As Boston.com reported, Hogan said he kept a lacrosse stick in his football locker and even introduced himself as a Penn State across player during his “Monday Night Football” introductions.
Hogan told Boston.com that he dreamed of one day stepping back onto the lacrosse field.
“I always had a vision of going back to lacrosse in some way, shape, or form,” Hogan said. “I had talked to the PLL about potentially making this a reality. It wasn’t something that just happened overnight. I’ve been talking about it for a little while, and I think it just made sense.”