Tag: Deron Williams

Watch: Former NFL Running Back Frank Gore Earns KO In Pro Boxing Debut

Former NFL running back Frank Gore made his professional boxing debut over the weekend and walked away with the KO victory. The 39-year old Gore celebrated his birthday by landing a right hand in the fourth round that sent opponent Yaya Olorunsola falling face first to the canvas at Gamebred Boxing 1 in Biloxi, Mississippi….

Continue Reading Watch: Former NFL Running Back Frank Gore Earns KO In Pro Boxing Debut at MMA News.

Former NFL running back Frank Gore made his professional boxing debut over the weekend and walked away with the KO victory.

The 39-year old Gore celebrated his birthday by landing a right hand in the fourth round that sent opponent Yaya Olorunsola falling face first to the canvas at Gamebred Boxing 1 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The former NFL standout previously appeared in an exhibition boxing match against former NBA All-Star Deron Williams, losing a four-round split-decision. That bout was contested as part of the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 fight card last December.

Gore’s opponent Yaya Olorunsola was also making his pro boxing debut in this matchup. The 28-year old Olorunsola previously competed in a bare knuckle MMA bout at Gamebred Fighting Championship 1 in June 2021, losing the fight by first-round knockout.

Frank Gore played sixteen seasons in the NFL for five different teams. Best-known for his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Gore was selected for the NFL’s Pro Bowl five times and retired with the third-most rushing yards in NFL history.

What’s your reaction to Frank Gore picking up his first win as a professional boxer?

Continue Reading Watch: Former NFL Running Back Frank Gore Earns KO In Pro Boxing Debut at MMA News.

Deron Williams Vs. Frank Gore Added To Paul/Fury Boxing Card

The upcoming Jake Paul/Tommy Fury boxing card added a bout between former NBA star Deron Williams and former NFL star Frank Gore.

Both Williams and Gore will be making their boxing debut after successful careers in their respective sports. The figh…

Deron Williams

The upcoming Jake Paul/Tommy Fury boxing card added a bout between former NBA star Deron Williams and former NFL star Frank Gore.

Both Williams and Gore will be making their boxing debut after successful careers in their respective sports. The fight will take place over four rounds at a weight of 215 pounds, as announced by Showtime and later relayed by MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.

Williams left the NBA after the 2016-2017 season in which he had an up-and-down series of games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz third overall in the 2005 NBA Draft and went on to have a stellar career on the court.

Williams went on to make the NBA All-Star Team three times over his career and also played with the U.S. National Team in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Gore is widely regarded as one of the best NFL running backs of the modern era, playing for five different teams over his legendary career. He was mostly known for his time with the San Francisco 49ers, in which he made multiple Pro Bowls and helped lead his team to the Super Bowl in 2012. Gore totaled over 11,000 rushing yards over his career and smashed multiple 49ers franchise records.

Deron Williams And Frank Gore Will Make Their Boxing Debuts

Gore and Williams don’t have any experience in the boxing ring but will make their debuts on a big stage. The Paul vs. Fury fight is one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year, and both men have the opportunity to add another chapter to their athletic careers.

What is your prediction for Deron Williams vs. Frank Gore?

Continue Reading Deron Williams Vs. Frank Gore Added To Paul/Fury Boxing Card at MMA News.

Deron Williams To Box On The Undercard Of Tommy Fury VS Jake Paul

Deron WilliamsFormer NBA All-Star point guard Deron Williams is set to box on the undercard of the Jake Paul- Tommy Fury fight on Dec. 18, in Tampa, Florida. The former Jazz point guard currently trains at Dallas Fortis MMA and has been training there for many years. He is still searching for an opponent at this […]

Deron Williams

Former NBA All-Star point guard Deron Williams is set to box on the undercard of the Jake Paul- Tommy Fury fight on Dec. 18, in Tampa, Florida.

The former Jazz point guard currently trains at Dallas Fortis MMA and has been training there for many years. He is still searching for an opponent at this time.

Williams played in the NBA from 2005-2017 spending most of his career with the Utah Jazz and NJ/Brooklyn Nets. He was a three time All-Star and had a few deep playoff runs in the prime of his career. Williams also had short stints with the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers later on in his career.

The last basketball player we saw take a swing inside the boxing ring was Nate Robinson. Things didn’t go exactly as planned when Robinson stepped into the ring that night against Jake Paul. Robinson got brutally KO’d and turned into a meme that people still use on social media.

Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury headlines the event that Williams will be fighting on

Paul and Fury was finally announced after months of back and forth between the two. The two have been at each other’s throat for a while now and have some bad blood between each other. Fury fought on the undercard of Paul vs Woodley back in July. He defeated Paul’s friend Anthony Taylor via unanimous decision. The win wasn’t very impressive, but was a fight that Fury could learn a lot from.

This will be the first true boxer Paul will be getting inside the ring with as well. His other opponents were MMA fighters, a YouTuber, and a retired NBA player. This should be an actual test of Paul’s skills.

Fury is the half brother of the heavyweight champion Tyson Fury who recently defended his title against Deontay Wilder in the final bout of their trilogy.

Who do you think Deron Williams should lace up the gloves with?

Cavs Guard Deron Williams Owns MMA Gym, Wants to Compete in BJJ in the Future

You never know where you might find an MMA fan.
Back when the sport was underground, they could be anywhere—at work or school, sitting next to you at a movie theatre or alongside you on a treadmill at the gym.
Now though, in modern times, you ten…

You never know where you might find an MMA fan.

Back when the sport was underground, they could be anywhere—at work or school, sitting next to you at a movie theatre or alongside you on a treadmill at the gym.

Now though, in modern times, you tend to find them in some pretty prestigious places.

Among them? The NBA.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani Monday, discussing his love for MMA and his investment in the sport.

“I’ve been watching [MMA] for a while, just growing up being a wrestler,” he told Helwani. “As the years have gone on, I ended up meeting different UFC fighters and befriending a couple and really got into it because of that. … I just have a love for the sport; I train as well, so I think that brings me even closer.”

Williams is a former state wrestling champion in his youth and has an ownership stake in Fortis MMA, a Dallas-based gym that had ties to this past weekend’s UFC 211.

“He fought hard, man,” Williams said of Fortis MMA athlete Rashad Coulter, who lost by KO at the event. “He showed a lot of heart, and he battled. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get the win, but he put on a heck of a fight and got that fight night bonus, which I know is big for him. I’m just happy for him to get the opportunity.”

In fact, if not for practice obligations, Williams would have been there in Coulter’s corner.

“[The Cavaliers] had practice that day, the day of [UFC] 211, and [again] the next morning at 9 o’clock because of Mother’s Day, so it would’ve been really hard to get there and get back. It would have been a lot of travel for it, but…I would have been in the corner if I was [there].”

That willingness to show up in a UFC corner is not as strange for Williams as it might appear to someone unfamiliar with the NBA star, as it’s something he’s done in the past at smaller shows. Furthermore, despite his best athletic feats coming on the hard court, Williams is looking to find some combative competition of his own down the line.

“I’m gonna do some [jiu-jitsu] tournaments for sure,” he said. “I’ll probably have to [wait until retirement]; it would probably be the smartest thing to do. I do mostly no-gi; I’ve done some gi, [but] it’s just a little too slow-paced for me right now.”

Williams and the Cavaliers have been off since sweeping the Toronto Raptors in the second round, and they await the winner of Monday’s Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.

Until then, though, you’ll probably find him on the mats getting some work in.

   

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder.

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