Syracuse, N.Y. — Michael Carter-Williams has long been a fight fan. He remembers watching boxing matches with his grandfather, his stepfather, his dad. He also appreciated mixed martial arts and has attended boxing matches and UFC fights in person. During the offseason of his NBA career, the former Syracuse point guard mixed in Jiu Jitsu and boxing with traditional basketball training. “So now that I’ve retired, I was like, ‘What am I gonna do to stay in shape?’” he said during a recent telephone conversation. “I gained some weight. I was like, ‘Man, I gotta do something before this gets out of hand.’” What Carter-Williams elected to do was box. His interest and ambition in the sport led to his amateur boxing debut in the Broad Street Brawl, a charity fight card on May 29 designed to raise money for Bigvision Community, a non-profit dedicated to supporting young people in recovery from substance abuse. Uprising Promotions is presenting the card with HIIT the Deck Boxing Gym; the night will feature a variety of amateur bouts. A friend of Carter-Williams was involved in the event. When MCW inquired about it, “one thing led to another” and he’s now set to fight Sam Khatib, a 36-year-old amateur boxer, at the Léman Ballroom in New York. The fight is scheduled for three 2-minute rounds. The boxers will wear headgear. “I’m excited. I’ve been in the gym heavily. I’ve been sparring,” Carter-Williams said. “I’ve been getting my butt kicked here and there, just taking my licks, learning the game. And yeah, I’m excited for the whole process.” Carter-Williams was instrumental in Syracuse’s rise to the 2013 Final Four. He started all 40 games that season, his sophomore year, and averaged 11.9 points, 7.3 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game. Long, rangy and athletic at 6-foot-6, he was an AP honorable mention All-American and declared for the NBA draft after the Final Four. He owns SU records for most steals in a single season (111) and sits second behind Sherman Douglas for most assists in a season (292). Three times during his two-year SU career, he recorded 14 or more assists. The Philadelphia 76ers picked him 11th overall in the 2013 draft and he was named NBA rookie of the year the following season. Carter-Williams played 395 games over his nine-year NBA career and averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the league. He wrote a poignant, personal story about his mental health and other concerns for The Players’ Tribune in May 2024, then officially retired from the NBA in October. But Carter-Williams is just 33 years old. He still craved the competitive juice that defined most of his life. “I play a little golf here and there,” he said, “but for the most part, you know, that’s what I was missing, that competitive edge. I really wanted to find something that was fulfilling to me.” Boxing has filled that gap. Carter-Williams spoke with a Syracuse.com reporter from Orlando, where he has been training in “an old-school gym” for about five weeks with Jeovanny Estela, a welterweight with his own pro boxing career. Carter-Williams said he will continue boxing after the May 29 bout, though he’s unclear right now what direction that will take him. “I don’t know about being a professional,” he said, “but boxing is so broad now that you don’t even have to go pro to compete. It’s on YouTube. There’s the Misfits, there’s Adin Ross’s league. There are a bunch of different avenues that people can go down and I’m definitely going to continue to box just to see where it takes me.” Carter-Williams last season worked as a men’s basketball studio and game analyst for the ACC Network. He said he enjoyed the gig. “I learned a lot,” he said. “I had a good time. I just don’t know if I want to do it that consistently. Just sitting at a desk the whole time was tough.” Talking about basketball, it seems, is not nearly as rewarding as playing basketball. Doors open at 6 p.m. in anticipation of a 7 p.m. start for Carter-Williams’ Broad Street boxing event. Tickets are already available. NOTE: During his time with the ACC Network last season, Carter-Williams saw a lot of Georgia Tech and Nait George. George, then the Yellow Jackets point guard, has since entered the transfer portal and chosen Syracuse. “I loved the pickups we got (in the portal),” Carter-Williams said. “I think the point guard from Georgia Tech is really good.” Carter-Williams said he plans to “integrate more” into the Syracuse basketball community. Contact Donna Ditota anytime: Email | Twitter