Rob Gronkowski appears to be eyeing a new challenge outside of football – stepping into the boxing ring for a potential showdown with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
After attending the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in Dallas, Gronk and Shaq teased fans with the idea of a celebrity boxing match featuring the two sports icons.
Rob Gronkowski talks trash to Shaquille O’Neal and challenges him to a boxing fight
The playful banter started ringside, with Shaq proposing the idea of a larger event.
“Me and Gronk gonna make it NBA vs. NFL,” Shaq said, hinting at a crossover spectacle that could include elements of boxing, basketball and football.
Gronk, never one to back down, added, “Are we talking current players vs retired players or active players vs active players” to which Shaq replied, “Either or, but we’re gonna do it.”
The idea reportedly came from Gronk jokingly challenging Shaq to a fight, with Shaq saying, “I just thought of it because me and Gronk are good friends and he challenged me to a fight.” Gronk quickly shot back, “I’m not really your friend I’m ready to fight your ass.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Gronk posted a video to his Instagram account showing him punching a tree, captioning it, “Training starts today, @shaq.” In the video, he directly taunts Shaq, saying, “You messed with the wrong dude, Shaq.”
Fans want to see Gronk vs. Shaq
Fans immediately jumped on the hype, flooding Gronk’s post with excitement and calls for the match to happen. While it’s clear much of this exchange is lighthearted fun, the prospect of a Gronk-Shaq boxing event has captivated fans.
“Is this the next big fight,” a fan said.
Another added: “We wanna see it!!”
