Editor’s Note: This story was originally published at USA TODAY Sports.
NEW YORK – Deron Williams and Frank Gore insist they are not in the squared circle because they need money or any extra notoriety.
Both excel in the sports that have made their names and millions of dollars. But when they venture into a boxing ring, both say the competitive juices most athletes need to succeed still burn inside.
The former NBA and NFL players will make their professional boxing debut December 18 in a four-round heavyweight bout at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Williams and Gore are about the main event of Jake Paul-Tommy Fury, with undefeated seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano also on the card. Both have heard skeptics question former athletes who entered different businesses – especially contact sports – after their competitive careers were over.
And there are a lot of doubters around. Williams, 37, was four years out of his last competitive professional basketball game. Gore is 38 and played last season with the New York Jets, where he finished the season third on the NFL’s list of the fastest runners of all time.
Chris DeBlasio, SVP of Showtime Sports Communications, said the network had to think twice before entering the world of celebrity boxing.
“We had to ask ourselves if they were serious about boxing. Is this a circus? Is this serious boxing, and can we show respect for the sport and with it a celebrity fight,” said DeBlasio. “These guys have been training for months and sometimes years and we want to create a legitimate competition, like any other.”
Both fighters will be contractually limited to 215 pounds or less for the bout, which will air on Showtime PPV.
“I’ve always been drawn to sports, it’s always on my mind,” Williams said.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist trained for the six years leading up to this fight and said he had a MMA fight in the framework of the competition before the global pandemic hit. “If I don’t take this chance, I’ll kick myself for the rest of my life.”
Gore is a decidedly underdog, mainly due to the 6-inch height disadvantage.
“I have been the underdog all my life. From living in a one-bedroom apartment with 12 people, to being the NFL and with knee injuries and I got over that. Nobody thought I would make it,” said Gore. “But anyone willing to get into the ring has to be very tough, so December 18 we’ll find out.”
