TAMPA – Deron Williams and Frank Gore jumped well out of their comfort zone to leave it all in the ring.

Two all-star athletes in far different mediums made their way to the ring for a four-round exhibition which featured several fouls, plenty of wild punches and the support of an adoring, sellout crowd Saturday evening at AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Williams ultimately prevailed by split decision, though the final verdict will not count as an official boxing result for either participant. Gore was given a 38-37 score on the card of judge Michelle Walker-Serrano, correctly trumped by judges Michael Ross (38-37) and Efrain Lebron (40-35) in favor of Williams who floored Gore in round three en route to the in-ring victory.

Gore showed off his years of boxing training in a fast-paced, if sloppy opening round. The record-breaking NFL running back trains out of Javiel Centeno’s Sweatbox Boxing Gym in Miami, the same facility that houses newly crowned lineal lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. and top junior middleweight prospect Xander Zayas. Willlams—a Dallas native who excelled at wrestling as a youth before emerging as a world class basketball player—took a couple of minutes to settle into his game plan but eventually took the lead for good.

The fight nearly fell off the rails in round two. Gore connected with a looping right hand that connected on Williams’ temple. It was an isolated moment as Williams connected with a left hand that ignited a combination. The end result was Gore tumbling through the ropes, though the victim of a blatant shove and ensuing right hand by Williams while still tangled in the ropes.

Time was called, as Williams drew a stern warning from referee Christopher Young who did his best to restore peace. Gore was given time to recover, only to commit a foul of his own as the legendary running back greater resembled a linebacker in driving Williams to the canvas.

Williams scored the bout’s lone knockdown, which came midway through round three. Gore’s leaky defense left him open for a booming right hand, followed by a left—though nearly accompanied with a simultaneous right hand shove—which forced Gore’s glove to touch the canvas. He was given a mandatory eight count before being permitted to continue.

The pair of boxing novices lumbered their way through the fourth and final round, with the crowd showing their appreciation for both athletes in the end.

Williams can now clear another item off of his bucket list. A former wrestler who opted to stick to the hardwood, Williams forged out a terrific 13-year NBA career that came after emerging as an All-American point guard for the University of Illinois. As a pro baller, Williams was a three-time all-star and two-time Olympic Gold medalist for Team USA in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London.

Gore enjoyed a much deeper love affair with boxing, having trained regularly even throughout his 16-year pro career. The elite NFL running back became the first player in history to rush for 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 12 consecutive seasons, while also proving to be an iron horse in playing in 241 pro games, an NFL record for running backs.

Williams-Gore aired as part of a four-fight Showtime Pay-Per-View telecast. Headlining the event, Jake Paul (4-0, 3KOs) meets Tyron Woodley (0-1) in a scheduled eight-round rematch to their August 29 clash, won by Paul via split decision.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox