Boxing

Former heavyweight boxing champ Shannon Briggs says his hostile encounter with Wladimir Kitschko this week was 100% REAL ... telling TMZ Sports he LOATHES the guy and wants to set up a fight, STAT.

Footage of Briggs crashing Wladimir's workout in South Florida this week went viral -- with Shannon getting right in the Ukrainian legend's face to challenge him to a brawl.

"I went there to fight totally for free ... with no gloves," Briggs says ... "He's a punk."

So, where does the hostility come from? Briggs says Wladimir dissed him in public a few years ago for no reason -- treating Briggs like a nobody outside of a random event.

Now, Briggs says he feels like the only way he can let that go is if he gets the chance to pound Wladimir's face into a jelly.

"I'm putting pressure on him daily. He's going to fight me or leave this country. I came back to boxing just to whoop his ass."

Evander Holyfield has fought some of the toughest men to ever step in the ring ... Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe -- so who punches the hardest??

Easy ... none of 'em.

The Real Deal was out in L.A. last night when he told us ... when it comes to punching power, there's one boxing legend whose fists are simply superior to everyone else.

Floyd Mayweather says people who are shocked by his friendship with Justin Bieber are simply "racial profiling" ... and need to stop making assumptions about him because he's black.

Mayweather was in Chicago promoting his upcoming rematch with Marcos Maidana when a reporter dared to ask if Bieber and Johnny Manziel were really his friends ... or marketing partners.

Money artfully negotiated the Manziel question ... but when asked what about his "odd" bromance with the Biebs, Mayweather threw the race card like a it was a left hook.

The 5-year-old boxing phenom who EXPLODED on YouTube isn't just fun to watch -- the kid has the potential to be the next Mike Tyson ... so says someone who would know, UFC star Bruce Buffer.

The fighter-in-training is Nijee "The Future" -- and footage of the kid training with his dad a few weeks ago skyrocketed to 292,000 views on YouTube.

Bruce -- who's been the UFC ring announcer for years and knows what it takes to win in the ring -- tells us the footage blew him away ... "He's like a 2-foot tall Mike Tyson!"

Buffer says the kid's form is incredible -- and if he truly has a passion for the sport as he gets older ... "He'll be a force to be reckoned with."

T.I. says the beef between him and Floyd Mayweather is over -- and if you think he's going to spill any details about what went down between them ... think again.

The rapper was out in NYC on Monday with a few friends when our photog hit him with a barrage of questions about his recent fight with Floyd ... but T.I. insisted things were all good now.

As for why he wouldn't spill any details about the actual fight, T.I. explained, "He may be used to talking after his fights ... where I'm from, we don't talk after ours."

T.I.'s temper was already revved up just hours before he got into a violent brawl with Floyd Mayweather on the Vegas Strip -- when security at a crowded pool party DENIED his ass ... and it's all caught on video.

Witnesses tell TMZ T.I. had shown up to Liquid -- the pool party at Aria where Nicki Minaj was performing last weekend -- but he tried to side step security with his posse.

Security wasn't having it ... insisting T.I. had to be searched just like the normies entering the party.

The real problem -- we're told the door staff didn't recognize Tip ... and once they did realize it was him they let him right into the event.

But the standoff was intense -- Vegas PD even got involved -- and after watching the video, you'll understand why T.I. had a short fuse when he faced off against Floyd later that night. Pretty nuts.

TMZ has sources close to both T.I. and Floyd Mayweather and it's become very clear ... each side is telling a very different version of events surrounding the fight.

No one is debating what caused it -- as TMZ first reported, it was over T.I.'s wife Tiny -- but what is up for debate ... is who hit whom during the melee.

T.I.'s side: Our T.I. sources say the rapper swung and hit Floyd ... which is what sparked the whole brawl at Fatburger in Las Vegas early Sunday morning. T.I. even hinted at the punch in an Instagram video he posted the next day.

Floyd's side: The champ is telling friends T.I. never hit him with any punch ... he only tussled with members of Floyd's security team.

Someone call a doctor ... 'cause Don King has Bieber Fever!!!

The 82-year-old boxing promoter extraordinaire was at USC yesterday to get ready for Bermane Stiverne vs. Chris Arreola ... when we asked how he felt about Floyd Mayweather having Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne in his corner during recent fights.

It's clear ... King's a HUGE fan -- telling TMZ Sports both guys are GREAT because they help bring "the masses" to the sport.

"I love 'em both! They're fabulous! They're Americana!"

When Floyd Mayweather hits the gym, it's important to listen to music that makes him wanna DESTROY people in the ring -- which could be why he likes to rock out to Justin Bieber.

Bieber just posted footage of Floyd hard at work at his boxing gym, knocking out an ab routine to Justin's track "Right Here (featuring Drake)."

Justin also posted a note with the clip saying, "The champ @floydmayweather training to my music . Atta boy."

A broken arm ... a snapped pinkie ... and evidence of extreme torture -- just a few of the injuries suffered by one of the men allegedly beaten by Floyd Mayweather's crew ... and TMZ Sports has the X-rays.

We broke the story ... two men have lawyered up, claiming Mayweather ordered them to be beaten to a pulp recently because he suspected they stole jewelry from his Vegas home.

One of the victims had X-rays taken after the alleged incident and they show a variety of painful injuries, including:

-- Broken right pinkie
-- Severe swelling of the left hand
-- Broken left ulna
-- Cracked right ulna
-- Multiple fractures in left hand that required pins to reset the bones

We're told the left arm was so badly broken, doctors drilled into the bone to attach a titanium plate so it would reset.

The men claim Mayweather was present during the attack, but it's unclear if the boxing champ actually participated in the beating.

The Mission: Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins wanted to take a stab at being a TMZ paparazzi on the streets of NYC today.

The Target: MTV star Kristin Cavallari ... who also happens to be married to Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler.

The Result: Bernard started off strong ... but things fizzled pretty quickly when it became clear Kristin had no idea who he was.

The Best Part: Bernard's post-shoot analysis ... where he talks about his paparazzi strengths and weaknesses ... and reminds us that Kristin's smokin' hot.

Floyd Mayweather allegedly orchestrated a savage attack on two of his employees he suspected of stealing his jewelry ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Sports ... the two men had been hired to work on Floyd's Vegas homes ... but when jewelry went missing, Floyd pointed the finger at them.

We're told the men claim they were contacted several weeks ago and instructed to meet Floyd at an off-site location.

When the men arrived, they claim Floyd was waiting for them -- along with a number of his "people" -- who proceeded to beat the living crap out of them with various weapons, including clubs.

Our sources say the attack was so brutal the men could have easily died. Both men had broken arms and legs and were hospitalized for several days.

One source put it this way, "It was some 'Breaking Bad' s**t."

We're told the men are adamant they never took anything from Floyd and it appears Floyd realizes that now. But here's the problem for the champ -- sources familiar with the situation say the attack amounts to attempted murder, mayhem and kidnapping. We're told the men have retained a lawyer.

We reached out to Floyd's people for comment -- so far, no word back.

He might be the welcher-weight champion of the world ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned Antonio Tarver was sued over unpaid gambling debts by TWO VEGAS CASINOS before his problems with the Wynn.

According to court docs, Tarver got into some trouble with the MGM Grand and the Bellagio back in 2009 after taking out a heavy-duty gambling marker at each hotel and failing to pay it back.

MGM Grand says ... Tarver borrowed $100k but only paid back $10k
Bellagio says ... Tarver borrowed $50k but only paid back $5k.

They sued -- and according to court records, both casinos got their money back two years later.

But Tarver didn't learn his lesson. As we previously reported, the 45-year-old was locked up for allegedly skipping out on a $200,000 gambling marker from the Wynn stemming from 2012.

Tarver suggested his friend would help him repay the debt -- as long as he gets back in the ring and starts boxing again.

We spoke to Tarver's reps who insist the guy does NOT have a gambling problem.

Wanna bet?

If boxing phenom Adrien Broner is trying to make noise outside the ring -- he found the right way to do it ... teaming up with Rick Ross on a new rap that's all about spendin' cash and stripper ass.

The 24-year-old former WBC champ just dropped his new joint, "40," which includes lyrics like:

-- "Hit the club at 12:40 with like 40 on me"
-- "The watch I got, it cost me 40."
-- “Miami nightlife [King of Diamonds] man they took 40 pictures"
-- "Man there was 40 bottles of liquor and 40 strippers"
-- "Strapped at the 40/40 with two 40s on me”

Interesting timing for Broner to drop the new song, considering Floyd Mayweather just told the media he thinks Broner should spend less time rapping and more time boxing.

Fun Fact -- In 3 years, Mayweather will be 40.

Antonio Tarver has just been released from a Florida jail ... and tells TMZ Sports he plans to hit the gym tomorrow to restart his boxing career so he can pay back his $200,000 debt.

Tarver was locked up in FL on a warrant from Nevada -- stemming from allegations he never repaid the Wynn Las Vegas on a $200,000 gambling marker from a 2012 gambling binge.

But Wednesday evening, Tarver says famed boxing manager Al Haymon spotted him the cash to post bail -- and he was released from the Pinellas County Jail. We confirmed Tarver has been released.

When we spoke with Tarver, the 45-year-old insinuated that Haymon ALSO spotted him the cash to repay the entire $200k debt to Wynn.

"It was a debt that I had," Tarver admits ... "a hiccup in the road."

Tarver says he's hard up for cash -- and hasn't "made a dime in two years" -- but vows to repay his debt to Haymon with his fists.

"With Al, it's all about friendship first ... I'm gonna pay him back by becoming the next heavyweight champion."

There's a major sports star who's trying to get the rights to call himself the "Black Mamba" -- only it's not Kobe Bryant, it's Floyd Mayweather's uncle ... who's been using the nickname for decades.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Roger Mayweather -- a former boxing champ turned trainer -- filed a trademark application with the U.S.P.T.O. hoping to win the rights to the mark, "Roger 'Black Mamba' Mayweather."

FYI -- Roger says he gave himself the nickname years ago after watching a nature show about reptiles.

According to official documents, Roger is in the final stages of locking down the trademark ... which he intends to use to brand his boxing empire (personal training, coaching, etc).

But get this ... when researching the trademark claims on "Black Mamba," we couldn't find any evidence showing Kobe has ever tried to trademark the name for himself.

We did find applications for condom brands, carbonated drinks, male enhancement products, spinal implants, cigars and more ... but nothing from Bryant.