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Eric WoodyardESPN
Deron Williams’ phone is flooded with calls and notifications when he Boxing match against former NFL rerun Frank Gore was announced last week.
Among the first to contact was Chris Paul, point guard of the Phoenix Suns. Williams once challenged Paul for the label of the NBA’s top point guard during his heyday, but friends turned away by opponents are now in favor.
At 36, Paul continues to compete at a high level, now leading the league in steals and assists. While Williams, 37, is long retired and is looking for a cure for his lifelong itch. His professional boxing debut was December 18, a Saturday.
“It was very impressive,” Williams said of Paul. “A bit jealous that he’s still out there doing his job. I actually just spoke to him last week. When they announced the fight, he called me right away. He was trying to get into the fray and he couldn’t get through- I said, “If CP3 can’t get the front row, that means they’re going to run like hot cakes.”
So, why did Williams get into the ring? Especially after seeing former NBA keeper Nate Robinson suffer a second-round knockout loss to Jake Paul on YouTube in the framework of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibit. in 2020. What makes him different?
“I watched it. I’m not Nate Robinson. I think I have a bit more experience than Nate. I’ve been doing standing and boxing for 8-10 years,” Williams said. “I’ve been up against high-level UFC guys who are bigger than me, about my size, and smaller than me, so I think I was a little bit better prepared than Nate for that fight. And I wasn’t” I thought that no one really respected Jake Paul at the time as a boxer, but obviously things are changing. “
Williams is part owner of the highly regarded Fortis MMA gym in Dallas. He also wrestled as a child and started training for an MMA show before the COVID-19 pandemic, so he sees this as an offer he couldn’t resist against Gore – third in the career of the NFL.
“I’ve been needy all my life. I was raised in a one-bedroom apartment with 12 people, and I got over that, so I’m fine with that,” said Gore, a fortune teller. Pro Bowl five-timers said the backside. “I used to be the underdog when I blew my knee up, said I wasn’t going to make it to the NFL. I got over that. They said I would be in the NFL for three years, but 16 years later, I’m standing. third on the NFL’s all-time rush list, so I heard ‘the underdog,’ I’m cool with it. That’s what gives me the momentum I have today in my life.”
The former professional athletes went head-to-head during a press conference Tuesday at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. They will take part in a four-round professional bout, with a £215 limit, under Paul and Tommy Fury at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Williams has a clear height advantage of 6-foot-3, while Gore stands 5-9. The idea of fighting had been on both of their minds for some time as they developed a passion for fighting. Both insist money is not the motivating factor.
“It’s a good thing I’m different. I’m built to be different,” Williams said. “Most people, they’re afraid of something and they’re afraid of something and they don’t. I’m the opposite. I like to face my fears and life strikes that way. I afraid of sharks, but I like to swim with them. I don’t know. Try it.”
