Boxing

Ex-boxing champ Jermain Taylor just caught a HUUUGE break -- he will NOT go to prison for his role in multiple frightening and violent incidents ... as long as he keeps his nose clean.

Taylor appeared in court for 3 different cases:

1) The time he shot his cousin in 2014

2) The time he pulled out a gun at an MLK Day parade and fired shots in the air

3) The time he beat up a fellow patient at the rehab facility where he was being treated

Taylor had previously pled guilty to 2 counts of battery, 2 counts of terroristic threats, 5 counts of aggravated assault and possesion of a controlled substance.

On Friday, the former champ was back in an Arkansas courtroom -- where the judge gave him a 19 year suspended prison sentence.

Which means ... as long as Taylor completes 120 hours of community service, pays fines and court costs and passes regular drug screening tests, he will NOT serve the 19 year sentence.

But one screwup ... and the judge could force him to serve the entire term behind bars.

Here's Conor McGregor BOXING -- trading shots with a former IBO champion at a prestigious L.A. boxing gym ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

It all went down at Box 'N Burn gym in Brentwood -- when the UFC superstar stepped in the ring with former IBO welterweight champ Chris van Heerden to see if he could hang.

This is the video cops say could prove Adrien Broner beat up and robbed a man outside of a Cincinnati bowling alley back in January.

The footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, was shot outside of Madison Bowl on January 21st ... while the boxer allegedly demanded thousands of dollars back from a man he was gambling with inside the alley.

We broke the story ... Broner's accuser claims they had been wagering thousands of dollars in high stakes bowling matches ... with Broner losing a fortune. Broner allegedly demanded the money back outside the alley, and when the man refused, Adrien got violent ... knocking the man out cold.

In the video, which was submitted as evidence in the case, you can hear a voice which sounds like Broner demanding his money back ... but it's dark and blurry -- so, not exactly a smoking gun.

You can, however, hear people imploring Broner -- "A.B. chill ... A.B. c'mon!"

Broner has been charged with felonious assault and robbery -- and faces serious prison time if convicted.

Charlamagne Tha God let former boxing champ Shawn Porter do something rappers have wanted to do to Charlamagne for years ... punch him in the face ... in a live sparring match in NYC yesterday.

It all went down at Gleason's boxing gym on Wednesday afternoon ... and we're told the whole thing was the idea of Shawn's dad and trainer, Kenny, who's pretty good friends with Mr. Tha God.

Check out the clip -- Charlamagne isn't exactly Sugar Ray Robinson in there, but gets in enough good shots to not look like a newbie.

BTW -- Porter is training for a huge title fight against Keith Thurman later this month ... by fighting a guy who sits down for a living.

The end of an era could be near ... 'cause legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer says he's considering SELLING the rights to his insanely famous "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" catchphrase!

This is a HUUUGE deal ... 71-year-old Buffer has been ferociously protective of the phrase, which he famously trademarked in 1992 -- and the rights to it could be worth a FORTUNE!!!

So, it was shocking when he told us Wednesday night that he's thinking about retiring -- and selling the rights once and for all.

Good news for Conor McGregor ... Freddie Roach says he's absolutely down to train him as a boxer.

Bad news for Conor McGregor ... Freddie says CM needs 3 YEARS before he'll be ready to fight Floyd.

Roach -- widely regarded as the best boxing trainer in the world -- was talking with "Fight Hub TV" when he said he got a call from someone (presumably from Conor's camp) asking to train the UFC star.

Freddie insists he's up for the challenge ... but says if Conor thinks he can hang with Mayweather, he's out of his Irish mind.

"I'd have to train him for at leat 3 years to get him ready for Mayweather," Roach said.

Even the props on Justin Bieber's tour have swag ... including the boxing gloves he uses in the show ... which were actually custom made for Floyd Mayweather ... TMZ Sports has learned.

If you haven't seen the show (shame on you) Justin does little a shadow boxing during his (very emotional) performance of "I'll Show You" ... and drapes a pair of boxing gloves around his neck.

We spoke to Elvis Grant -- the guys who makes Floyd's $2,500 gloves -- and he tells us the gloves you see are -- or were Floyd's -- created for his mega-fight against Canelo Alvarez in 2013.

Fun Fact -- When a big deal boxer like Mayweather has a bout, multiple pairs of gloves are commissioned in case something goes wrong ... and Elvis tells us Bieber snagged a pair of backups.

Pretty cool ... and ultra pimp considering those gloves are worth around $2,500.

Donald Trump tells TMZ Sports ... he will NOT attend the Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan fight in Vegas on Saturday ... turning down a personal invitation from the fight's promoter Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya had invited Trump to the fight on Wednesday -- and ODLH had told media Trump had confirmed he would attend.

But Trump tells us ... it ain't happening, he will NOT be at the fight.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo ...

Boxing superstar Adrien Broner says he's throwing his support behind Donald Trump -- and he doesn't care about pissing off Mexican boxing fans because they ALREADY hate him!!!!

Makes sense, Broner's been talking A LOT of crap about our neighbors to the south for years ... starting with the shot he took after a fight in 2014.

As for Trump, Broner appeared on "The Breakfast Club" and openly stumped for The Donald -- telling Charlamagne Tha God that he's voting for DT because he'll help save money on taxes!

And speaking of cash ... Broner was also asked if he REGRETS shooting down Jay Z's offer to join Roc Nation Sports last year ... you know, the one that came with a $40 MILLION CONTRACT!!

Check out the clip ... AB still thinks Jay's number is chump change -- but says he feels bad for blasting Rihanna at the time.

If you thought a little thing like JAIL was gonna stop Adrien Broner from bragging ... you're wrong ... 'cause the "look at me" king has something brand new to show off ... a sick Atlanta mansion.

Broner's people tell TMZ Sports this ain't a rental -- Broner BOUGHT the $6 MILLION pad himself.

The boxer unveiled the digs to the world on his Snapchat ... showing off his foyer (with a grand staircase), outdoor dining area, office, kitchen and of course, the saltwater pool.

Sugar Ray Leonard just got EVEN MORE protection from a man who allegedly threatened to shoot and kill the boxer and his family ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Leonard had previously obtained a short-term restraining order against 55-year-old Mark Anthony Francisco ... claiming he's been waging a campaign of terror against the Leonard family since 2008.

Leonard claimed he was receiving terrifying handwritten notes, harassing phone calls and says Francisco even showed up to his home one day.

Thursday, Leonard and his family appeared in court and begged the judge to extend and strengthen the protection order against Francisco -- and the judge obliged.

Manny Pacquiao and his family were on the hit list of the Muslim extremist group that beheaded a Canadian hostage ... according to the president of the Philippines.

Wladimir Klitschko just told boxing superstar Tyson Fury to go F HIMSELF -- trashing Fury over recent homophobic and sexist comments ... and saying he disrespected Elton John.

Klitschko was doing a media event in England to promote his rematch with Fury -- he blasted the boxer ... saying the sport needs a champion it can respect, not a bigot like Fury.

"What comes out of Fury's mouth ... disrespectful," Klitschko said ... before summing up the comments Fury spewed out of his mouth in 2015.

"That all homosexual men and women and pedophiles belong in the same place, jail ... that women belong in the kitchen and on their back."

"So, that's basically where [Fury] sees Elton John and The Queen."

Then Klitschko delivered this message -- "To people that say and think the same way out there ... and to you, Fury ... I want to say, 'F*** OFF!'"

For his part, Fury insists he's not a homophobe or sexist. But Klitschko just ain't buyin' it.

Nobody wants to see a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch ... so says boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin who says if Floyd wants to come back, he should call GGG instead.

Gennady appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Tuesday night on FS1) -- and told us he's still VERY confident he'd knock Floyd out if Mayweather ever mustered up the courage to face him in the ring.

And with rumblings of Floyd coming out of retirement for one last fight, GGG says it would be a huge mistake for Floyd to fight Manny again ... since the first fight was such a dud.

Gennady fights this weekend against undefeated Dominic Wade -- but everyone wants to know who GGG will fight next ... especially with talk of a superfight with Canelo Alvarez.

Check out the clip ... GGG says he's ready for C.A. ... but if he had to choose, he'd fight Mayweather in a heartbeat.

Manny Pacquiao's promoter tells TMZ Sports a rematch with Floyd Mayweather is "more likely than not" ... but says there are still some serious obstacles to overcome.

We spoke with Bob Arum who says, "It's close to 50/50 but probably leaning more toward the fight happening ... more likely than not."

Arum says he hasn't spoken with Manny or Floyd specifically about the rematch -- but says, "If the match was available, I believe [Manny] would come back for that match."

Arum also says he knows Showtime has serious interest in Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II -- and that's an important component to making the fight happen.

So, what are the obstacles? For starters, both guys claim they're retired ... with Manny focusing on a senate run in the Philippines and Floyd focusing on promoting his fighters.

But Arum says, "If either man agrees to fight, my feeling is that they won't be able to resist."

Manny Pacquiao is getting some career advice from one of the most famous Filipinos alive -- the lead singer of the rock band Journey ... who tells TMZ Sports it's time for Pacman to officially hang 'em up.

Arnel Pineda -- who's been the frontman of the group since 2007 -- was out in NYC when he told us Manny has nothing left to prove.

"I think he needs to retire," Pineda said ... "He's on top."

"He's conquered the world."

There are rumors Manny could get back in the ring one last time to fight Floyd Mayweather in a super match ... but right now, nothing is set in stone.

Meantime, check out Arnel in action -- dude's got some serious pipes!!