Deron Williams confident about boxing debut: 'I'm not Nate Robinson'

Deron Williams believes his professional boxing debut will be better than fellow former NBA guard Nate Robinson's was.

Williams will square off against former NFL running back Frank Gore on the undercard of the Jake Paul-Tommy Fury match at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Dec. 18.

He's expecting a better outcome for himself than Robinson had in his debut, which ended with Robinson getting knocked out by Paul in the second round of their December 2020 bout.

"I watched it. I'm not Nate Robinson. I think I have a little more experience than Nate. I've been training stand-up and boxing for 8-10 years," Williams said Tuesday during a press conference, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "I've sparred against high-level UFC guys that are bigger than me, that are my size, and that are smaller than me, so, I think I'm a little more prepared than Nate was for that fight.

And I don't think anybody really respected Jake Paul at the time as a fighter, but, obviously, things are changing."

Williams, who last played in the NBA in 2017, is a part-owner of an MMA gym in Dallas and also wrestled growing up, winning two state championships.

The Williams-Gore bout will be four rounds with a 215-pound weight limit. Williams has a six-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-9 Gore.