Celebrity boxing is in vogue these days, and there are two former sports stars who could be headed for a showdown.
Stadium’s Shams Charania reported that former Nets star Deron Williams will fight on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury on Dec. 18 and that a potential opponent is longtime NFL running back Frank Gore. Per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Gore is linked up with Showtime and looking for a fight, adding that Williams is in the mix of potential opponents but that it’s up to Gore.
Five weeks ago, Gore posted a boxing training video on Instagram.
“Who wants to get in the ring with me?” he asked.
Celebrity boxing is experiencing a renaissance with all the streaming and pay-per-view platforms trying to make waves right now. The Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, are YouTube stars and boxers who continually generate buzz with their fights.
Jose Canseco “fought” on Barstool Sports’ “Rough N’ Rowdy,” losing in conspicuous fashion. Other former pro athletes who have competed in celebrity boxing include Shaquille O’Neal, Manute Bol, William “Refrigerator” Perry and Nate Robinson (who got pummeled by Jake Paul).
With 16,000 rushing yards, Gore trails only Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith for the most yards on the ground in NFL history.
Williams, 37, played 12 seasons in the NBA including five with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He has not posted any recent training videos on social media.