Deron Williams TNS

Report: Former NBA All-Star Deron Williams will fight on Dec. 18 Paul/Fury undercard bout

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 11/5/21

The Jake Paul/Tommy Fury pay-per-view fight set for Dec. 18 in Tampa, Fla., will feature a bit of NBA flavor, and possibly a touch of NFL as well, in an undercard bout.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, former three-time NBA All-Star Deron Williams is scheduled to compete in a fight leading up to the Paul/Fury battle and his opponent could be a familiar face with NFL fans.

NBA-Boxing world crossover, per sources: Former All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Deron Williams will fight on the Jake Paul/Tommy Fury undercard bout on Dec. 18. Frank Gore — third on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list — is a potential opponent for Williams.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 5, 2021

Williams was chosen third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2005 NBA Draft and over his 12-year NBA career, he earned All-Star appearances in three straight seasons between 2009 and 2012. During the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 campaigns, Williams was named second-team All-NBA.

As noted by Charania, Frank Gore is third all-time on the NFL's rushing list. Gore, who played 15 games last year with the New York Jets, is at 16,000 career rushing yards, and trails only Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726).

In his 16 seasons from 2005 through 2020, Gore made five Pro Bowls -- all with the Niners.

More must-reads: