Boxing

Manny Pacquiao says he's no stranger to drug use -- admitting that he tried "all kinds of drugs" before he became a boxing champion.

Pacquiao was talking about Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his plan to crack down on drug dealers in his home country ... when he delved into his own history with drugs.

"I tried drugs ... many kinds of drugs, all kinds of drugs," Pacquiao reportedly said during an interview in his senate office in the Philippines.

He noted the drug use occurred "before I became a champion."

President Duterte's crackdown has reportedly led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people -- but Pacquiao says he fully supports it because Duterte was chosen by God to "discipline the people."

TMZ Sports has obtained the mug shot for ex-boxing champ Victor Ortiz -- taken right after he was arrested for DUI on Saturday.

We broke the story ... the 29-year-old former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant was pulled over in California for expired tags on his BMW -- and during the stop, cops suspected he was drunk.

Ortiz -- who is on probation stemming from a 2015 battery conviction -- was arrested and taken to a nearby station where he was booked for driving under the influence.

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum ain't going to the scorecards -- he saw the debate as a TOTAL KNOCKOUT for Hillary Clinton.

Arum -- who worked with Muhammad Ali, Pacquiao, De La Hoya and more -- was excited about Hillary's performance while arriving to Craig's Monday night ... claiming Clinton smoked Trump.

"She showed what a phony he is," Arum said ... "She was brilliant, she's gonna make a great president."

Then again, Arum hates Trump so much -- he challenged him to a FIGHT earlier this year.

Former boxing superstar Zab Judah tried to lie after a Vegas car crash back in January -- claiming his name was "Michael Johnson" ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

The 38-year-old boxer allegedly smashed into another car at 7 AM on January 29th -- and the victim pulled out her phone to document the aftermath.

You can see Judah -- a former 4 time world champ -- in the driver's seat ... slurring his words as he's confronted by the other driver.

When the woman asks for his name, Judah says, "Michael Johnson."

The woman told Judah he "smacked the s*** out of me" and was responsible for the damage and her injuries.

She also told Judah she was calling the police because it was "obvious" he had been drinking. However, we've done some digging and can't find a record of Judah being arrested for DUI on that date.

Sources connected to the incident tell us Judah's insurance company settled with the woman ... and it was only then that the woman learned Judah's true identity.

Klay Thompson can fight.

Just ask one of the best boxers in the world -- WBO Junior Featherweight champion Nonito Donaire -- who's training the NBA superstar how to throw dem hands.

TMZ Sports talked to Donaire -- who's fighting Jessie Magdaleno on November 5th -- about footage we obtained showing Klay getting an impromptu training sesh recently at Top Golf in Vegas

It's good news, bad news for Thompson ... who Nonito says has tons of natural athletic ability. So, what needs work? Hint, Klay ain't Mike Tyson ... yet.

Check out the clips!

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin are gonna fight ... 'cause there's too much damn cash at stake not to ... so says one of the best MMA fighters of all time.

TMZ Sports talked to Tito Ortiz in L.A. Thursday night ... and asked the UFC legend whether the fight every boxing fan wants to see ... Alvarez vs. GGG ... will ever go down.

FYI -- people in the boxing world have accused Canelo of ducking Golovkin.

Tito's adamant the fighters WILL square off ... and explains why money -- not fear -- is why the men haven't thrown down.

Check out the clip!

THE SUPERFIGHT WILL HAPPEN ... because Canelo Alvarez says he WILL fight Gennady Golovkin -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's gonna happen very soon."

Canelo is currently in Dallas gearing up for this weekend's big fight against Liam Smith -- the undefeated WBO light middleweight champion. If he can emerge victorious, GGG will be waiting on the other end.

"There's no doubt about it that fight's gonna happen," Alvarez told us through a translator.

Some critics -- and even other boxers -- have accused Canelo of "ducking" Golovkin.

To that, Canelo says BS.

"I'm 26 years old, I've never ducked nobody. I've fought the best in the world, I've never ran from nobody."

Actor Duane Martin bobbed and weaved his way out of paying to air the Floyd Mayweather-Andre Berto fight in his restaurant ... according to the company in charge of distributing the bout.

J&J Sports Productions says it had exclusive rights to license Floyd's last fight -- a year ago -- to bars, restaurants, hotels and casinos. But according to a lawsuit, Martin and his restaurant, XEN Lounge, straight-up jacked the feed.

In the docs, J&J says Martin illegally intercepted the feed and showed the fight at the restaurant ... which helped them make a bundle that night.

Depending on the capacity of XEN, it would've cost a few thousand to get the fight on the up and up. Now J&J is suing for damages in excess of $175k.

Oscar De La Hoya vs. George W. Bush????

It happened ... sorta ... and now, Oscar's explaining why he squared off with the ex-President and even gave him a shot to the breadbasket.

Joe Jonas looks like he's shaping up to be a fine fighter ... emphasis on fine.

We got Jonas Bro #2 out in Bev Hills where he was practicing his hook and uppercut against women's boxing champ Ava Knight, showing off his sculpted bod in the process.

He's been training hard lately, and so has Nick. So we gotta ask ...

Rosie Perez is sick and tired of Canelo Alvarez avoiding GGG's quick hands ... saying it's past time the Mexican superstar step up to the plate and take on Gennady Golovkin.

We got Rosie out in NYC -- looking pretty amazing -- and asked her thoughts on GGG's punishing performance against middleweight contender Kell Brook this past weekend.

She told our guy she thought GGG looked great ... so great that Rosie says she's getting kinda pissed he's not getting a crack at the big PPV fights ... namely the rumble with Alvarez, which would be the biggest fight in boxing.

Tony Danza is talking some major trash on boxing star Gennady Golovkin ... saying his undefeated streak will soon come to an end in the most vicious way ... by getting KNOCKED THE %## OUT!!

We got Danza -- a former pro boxer himself -- out in NYC when we asked his thoughts on GGG's latest knockout ... a five round beatdown of Kell Brook, where Brook's corner actually threw in the towel.

It looked pretty vicious to us ... but Danza wasn't impressed at all ... and told our guy he thinks Gennady's headfirst style is gonna put him on the OTHER side of a knockout real soon.

Check out the clip ... and remember GGG, he said it, not us.

Manny Pacquiao says he made a "mistake" by saying gay people are worse than animals earlier this year -- but stands firm on his anti-gay beliefs.

PacMan was promoting his upcoming fight against Jessie Vargas when he told us he regretted making the comments back in February ... saying, "I'm just human. Nobody's perfect."

Of course, Manny started a firestorm when he went on a TV show in the Philippines and said heterosexuality is "common sense" -- you'd have to be dumber than an animal to not understand.

Roy Jones Jr. has a message for the boxing world ... I AIN'T DONE JUST YET!!

Less than a month after tearing his right bicep fighting Rodney Moore -- and saying the injury may end his career -- Jones Jr. tells TMZ Sports he feels great and is eyeing a return to the ring.

"I'm doing much better. My arm feels good."

In fact, Roy felt good enough to catch some big fish in Pensacola, Florida this weekend (Roy says he caught a shark) ... albeit while rockin' a big arm brace.

So, when does 47-year-old RJJ anticipate a return to the squared circle?

Don't call it a comeback, but Christina Milian's quick hands are back in a boxing ring ... and it's more than just a great workout, because the sweet science is in her blood.

We're told she started taking classes this week with her trainer, Jason Ross, at LA Fitness in Hollywood. It's the first time she's laced up the gloves in years, but her grandfather and father both boxed and taught her from childhood.

The video's pretty sick -- Christina's already throwing strong combinations. We're told it's mostly about fitness now, but she's not ruling out sparring eventually ... with very thick headgear, we hope.

Don't mess with yer moneymaker, Tina!

Undefeated boxing prodigy Jose Benavidez Jr. -- who's 25-0 as a pro -- was shot while out on a walk in Arizona early Tuesday morning ... but we're told he's expected to survive.

FYI, the 24-year-old Top Rank fighter is a rising star in the sport -- and recently chalked up a high profile victory over Francisco Santana on the undercard of the Crawford vs. Postol fight in Vegas.

Sources tell us ... Benavidez was out walking one of his pets near his home in Phoenix when he was approached by an unknown man who pulled out a gun and shot him in the leg.

The Phoenix PD confirms the shooting and says the victim was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

However, one source with knowledge of the situation tells us Jose's injuries pose a serious threat to his boxing career.

So far, no arrests have been made.

Story developing ...