Boxing

Anthony Joshua AIN'T DUCKIN' Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury ... the heavyweight champ wants to fight the winner of the rematch -- by the end of 2019!!!

TMZ Sports talked to Eddie Hearn -- Joshua's promoter -- after he announced AJ's fighting undefeated heavyweight star Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller June 1 at MSG in NYC ... his first fight in America.

Hearn says Big Baby is a big, tough dude who could actually beat Joshua ... but, if the British superstar does survive, he's got his sights set on Wilder and Fury.

"We 100% want the winner. Joshua wants to be the undisputed champion. He has 4 world heavyweight belts. He's missing 1. And, that's the missing link. And, that's everything that he wants."

Deontay and Tyson's rematch isn't a done deal just yet -- but, it's reportedly close -- and would likely go down in April or May.

"Those two will fight, I think. And then hopefully Joshua deals with Jarrell Miller, and then it happens later this year."

50 Cent is going scorched Earth on Floyd Mayweather -- repeatedly blasting the boxer for undermining the Gucci blackface boycott ... and it's getting personal.

Of course, Mayweather publicly flouted the boycott and dropped thousands of dollars at Gucci on Monday night ... despite calls from stars like T.I. and Spike Lee to stop supporting the brand.

They're upset over a Gucci sweater that depicts blackface -- with T.I. calling the clothing item straight "racist."

Mayweather told TMZ Sports he refuses to let other people tell him how to live -- and blew off the boycott as irrelevant to him.

The move pissed off 50 Cent ... who's been lambasting Mayweather on social media non-stop -- telling the boxer he's been "saying all the wrong sh*t" ... and urging him to get a publicist.

He also posted a meme of Floyd in the blackface sweater.

50 seems to be putting his money where his mouth is -- he posted a video burning a Gucci shirt and says he's donating all of his Gucci to the homeless because he won't wear the brand anymore.

Remember, 50 and Floyd used to be friends ... then enemies ... then friends again ... and now back to enemies.

Sounds like Floyd Mayweather wants to be the next big sports agent -- and he's already making his pitch to sign future NBA superstar Zion Williamson.

Floyd already runs Mayweather Promotions -- and reps a bunch of young boxing stars. But, Floyd tells us he's been working with NBA agent Alonzo Earle and he has serious interest in signing basketball players.

So, what's the pitch? Floyd says he can teach young superstars like Zion to not only make a ton of money during their careers, but he'll make sure they're financially set in RETIREMENT too.

"If Zion signs with me, you got my word that he gonna have a comfortable life when he's on the court and off the court ... if he did."

To prove his point, Floyd busted open a backpack filled with about $500,000 in cash.

Don't worry, Floyd says he's not worried about being robbed because he's smart when it comes to personal security -- with TMT bodyguards like Jizzy Mack and Badou, in addition to undercover police officers.

Floyd will obviously have competition when it comes to signing Zion -- every major agency in the world is trying to land the Duke superstar ... including Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports.

Adrien Broner says he doesn't get why everyone is all "bent out of shape" about the Gucci sweater that ignited a boycott ... telling TMZ Sports, "I don't care, it's just a sweater!"

Remember, stars like T.I., Soulja Boy and Spike Lee called for a Gucci boycott over a sweater that resembles blackface ... with T.I. calling the fashion item "racist and disrespectful."

But Broner seems to think the boycott is a massive overreaction -- and on his way into 1 OAK in L.A. he told us, "You can wear whatever you want to wear."

"I don't care! It's just a sweater! Why's everyone getting so bent out of shape about it?!"

Broner also said he's NOT wearing Gucci though -- explaining he's more of a Dolce & Gabbana kind of guy.

The decision seems to be motivated by fashion, not social justice.

AB's pal, Floyd Mayweather, also refuses to boycott Gucci -- in fact, he went on a MASSIVE shopping spree at the Gucci store in Bev Hills this week and proudly proclaimed that NOBODY tells him how to feel or what to wear.

Floyd Mayweather says he doesn't give a DAMN about the Gucci boycott -- telling TMZ Sports no one tells him what to do or what to buy ... and that's why he dropped a FORTUNE at the store Monday night.

The boxer -- along with his entire TMT crew -- rolled into Gucci in Bev Hills ... and when we told him about all of the stars calling for a Gucci ban over a sweatshirt that resembled blackface, Floyd scoffed.

"I'm not no follower, I do what the f*ck I wanna do," Floyd told us.

When we told Floyd that stars like T.I. and Spike Lee would be upset with him, Floyd laughed.

"You said they're gonna be upset with me? I love it, I love it, I love it. See, the thing is this, I live for myself. I do what I want to do."

Outside the store, Floyd and his crew showed off a BUNCH of bags filled with Gucci -- dropping a fortune on clothing and accessories.

"I'm not a follower," Floyd added ... "You know when everybody else they say, 'Everybody gonna boycott?' I say guess what, this boy gonna get on a yacht and live life."

"We all know racism still exists but that's not gonna stop my drive. I've got friends from all walks of life and to me of course, black lives matter first ... but my thing is this, I'm gonna continue to go out there live life and be happy."

He added, "Half of the people that's on social media saying, 'Don't wear this, don't wear that,' I ain't never seen none of them supporting The Money Team."

After the Gucci run, Floyd -- flanked by his bodyguards Jizzy Mack and Badou -- went over to Neiman Marcus -- where the store stayed open past the normal closing time so Floyd could shop.

Mayweather tells us he dropped $200-300k at Neiman. Good times.

Here's another gross display of wealth by Floyd Mayweather -- who's poor-shaming his followers by drinking out of a gold chalice while wearing a TON of diamond necklaces and bracelets.

Oh, he's also standing in a pile of money while wearing a Versace robe.

"Real Royalty," Floyd said ... "Everything I got on is real, even the cup I’m sipping out of is real gold and if you don’t like it... you’re a REAL HATER!"

"Now that’s some real sh*t."

Mayweather REALLY wants you to see how rich he is ... he posts stuff like this all the time, but it's still crazy.

Dude has reportedly made close to $1 BILLION from his pro fighting career.

How much does Adrien Broner hate Jim Gray??

"F*ck Jim Gray. Jim Gray a bitch. You a bitch!"

Yeah, that much.

The boxing star famously got into it with the broadcaster after a loss to Manny Pacquiao last month ... and it's clear -- their beef ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

ICYMI ... Broner got the snot beat out of him against Pacman on Jan. 19 -- and when Gray tried to interview him about it afterward -- Adrien got testy.

"I'm 3-3-1 in my last seven [fights], but I'd be 7-0 against you!"

The clip went viral ... with tons of people blasting Broner for the comments -- and Adrien STILL hasn't forgiven Jim for the whole incident.

In fact, when we got A.B. out at LAX on Friday and asked if an end to the beef was anywhere in sight ... he responded simply, "F*ck Jim Gray."

Broner also seemed to threaten the guy ... telling us he can't "talk about on camera" what he would do to Gray if he saw him out on the streets.

For his part ... Gray still seems to think the whole altercation was insane -- telling TMZ Sports when we got him out Craig's earlier this week, "He was way off in his assessment."

You barely EVER see a Mayweather get knocked down in a boxing ring -- but that's what happened when Floyd's 66-year-old dad strapped on the gloves this week ... and it was all caught on video.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. -- a former pro boxer who became one of the top trainers in the world -- was at his son's TMT boxing gym in Vegas this week, where he decided to spar with one of the younger guys.

It started off great ... with Floyd Sr. stickin' and movin' and throwing some pretty quick shots -- but, when the other guy started to fight back, it didn't go well for the old man.

Floyd took a few clean shots to the head -- sending him flying backward ... and ended with the elder Mayweather lying flat on his back with his feet up in the air.

Don't worry ... he's tough -- he'll be fine.

Great news for people who wanna see Jake Paul and Soulja Boy beat the snot outta each other ... Big Drako says their boxing match is 100% going down!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Soulja about his back-and-forth with the YouTube megastar ... and he says he's dead serious about setting up the celeb fight.

"Jake Paul can't beat me in no fight, you know that," Soulja says. "It's really gonna happen though. It's for real."

Of course, both dudes have offered to put $20 MILLION on the fight ... and, although Jake told us he has serious doubts about Soulja being able to cough up all that dough ... the rapper doubles down.

We also asked Drako what he thinks of Jake's skills ... and he's got one message for him.

Floyd Mayweather says he could get a 10-FIGURE CHECK from the UFC ... if he told Dana White he wanted a deal to fight in the Octagon right now.

Yeah ... that's $1 BILLION.

The legendary boxer made the revelation to Kevin Hart on the latest episode of "Cold As Balls" -- saying if he agreed to a contract with the fight company ... he'd get PAID.

"I can go get a deal right now from the UFC. Probably 3-fight, 4-fight, billion-dollar deal if that's what I wanted."

Of course, Floyd's flirted heavily with the idea in the past ... remember, he teased a possible MMA fight with Conor McGregor just last year -- even stepping into an actual cage!!!

For his part ... Dana admitted he did have LEGIT interest in inking the boxer to a fight deal -- and said they were actually in talks in December 2017.

So ... will it ever go down????

Doesn't seem like it ... Floyd says there's just no need for the cash right now, "I'mma be honest. My life is great. Smart investments. I can buy whatever I want to buy, every month."

Rocky fought Drago in the Soviet Union ... and Kelvin Gastelum's fighting Robert Whittaker in Australia -- and just like "Rocky IV," Gastelum says he's gonna beat the hell outta the home-country hero.

TMZ Sports talked to Gastelum -- whose favorite boxer is Rocky Balboa (yes, we all know he's a fictional character) -- days before fighting Whittaker, the UFC middleweight champ ... in his home country.

Gastelum lives in California ... and traveled 8,000 miles for this fight. So, he's expecting everyone on the continent to be rooting against him.

Sounds a lot like "Rocky IV" ... but Kelvin says he ain't worried.

"It's all good. Look what happens at the end. Rocky turns everybody over on his side, and he wins the fight."

Gastelum says that's precisely what he's gonna do ... but instead of a crushing knockout blow, he's gonna "rip his head off" and take his belt.

"I plan on taking that 12 pounds of gold. It's a long flight home. I don't plan on going empty-handed."

Former boxing champ Rocky Lockridge -- who later had the most famous appearance on the show "Intervention" -- has passed away at age 60, his family confirms.

Family members tell us Rocky died Thursday morning from complications from a stroke he suffered a while back.

Lockridge was a stud fighter back in the '80s -- racking up multiple titles with victories over guys like Roger Mayweather.

But, he later became addicted to crack cocaine ... and his family brought him on the A&E show, "Intervention," in an effort to get him cleaned up.

During one famous scene, family members were pouring out their hearts to Rocky and he belted out a cry that went viral. It later became an Internet meme known as "best cry ever."

Rocky's son Ricky Lockridge confirmed his father's passing and said, "It is with great pain but a whole heart that I tell you family and friends that my father Ricky Lockridge aka Rocky Lockridge has passed away."

"All he wanted was to be in the comfort of his home with friends/ family. God has called him to walk through the gates of heaven."

Lockridge had reportedly been in hospital care for the past few weeks.

Jake Paul wants to fight Soulja Boy for $20 MILLION ... and he's telling TMZ Sports that he'll cough up his own 20 milli to make it happen!!!

ICYMI -- the social media superstar and rapper traded jabs in an Instagram Live session last week ... with Soulja offering Paul a HUGE chunk of cash to get him to square up in the ring.

Paul tells us this was no publicity stunt -- he really wants a piece of Pretty Boy Swag ... and as for the money, he'll have no problem putting up the $20 milli if Soulja can't swing it.

FYI -- you're sitting down, right? -- Paul can put his money where his mouth is. The dude reportedly made $21.5 million in 2018 alone, according to Forbes.

Of course, Jake knows his way around the ring ... he easily handled Deji in his first YouTube super fight and called out Chris Brown right after taking him down.

Clearly, Jake will happily settle for Soulja Boy.

Adrien Broner says he'd LOVE to fight Manny Pacquiao again ... but isn't sure it'll happen because after he thinks he may have injured Pac-Man so badly during their fight, Manny might be DONE FOREVER.

Also, Broner shows us stacks and stacks of money ... like a lot of money ... guy claims to be very, very, economically stable.

Our broke asses got Broner -- with his buddy "The Youngest Legend" -- at LAX on his way to Atlanta, where AB told our destitute camera guy he was headed to ATL for Super Bowl festivities ... then he flashed the cash.

When we asked what the money was for, Broner said at least part of the haul -- $100k -- was to bet on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, which seems like a pretty good idea.

But, when we asked him about a possible rematch with Pacquiao to attempt to avenge his loss from earlier this month -- AB suggested he might've finished Pac-Man off for good.

"Well, they say I detached his retina, so I don't know if he gonna box again. I hope so though."

There were early reports that Pacquiao did, in fact, suffer a detached retina during the bout -- but his camp has since refuted those claims ... saying the injury was nothing more than a scratched cornea.

If true, a detached retina is a possible career ender for a boxer. A scratched cornea, not so much.

7:28 AM PT -- The accuser's attorney tells us his client is suing for $8 million.

The woman who claims she was attacked by boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has now filed a lawsuit against the Russian ... claiming the 35-year-old also brutalized her dog.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Jamie Frontz (who has identified herself publicly) claims she met Sergey at the grand opening of a boxing gym in Big Bear, CA back in June.

Frontz -- a model and actress -- claims Sergey and a friend followed her home from the party and Kovalev aggressively tried to have sex with her.

"At one point, Kovalev pinned Jamie to the couch, leaning over her with his hands on either side of her shoulders, such that she could not move away."

Jamie claims her dog sensed the danger and tried to intervene -- but Kovalev shoved the dog away and then kicked it in the chest.

While tending to her dog, Jamie claims, "Kovalev turned to [her] and punched her with full force directly in the face one time with a closed fist."

In her suit, Jamie claims Sergey fled the scene -- so, she called the cops.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... cops tracked down Kovalev and arrested him. He's been charged with felony assault and faces up to 4 years in prison. Kovalev has pleaded not guilty.

In her suit, Jamie claims she went to the emergency room where she was treated for a broken nose, head injuries and a concussion. She also suffered severe back and neck injuries.

The next morning, Jamie claims she saw Kovalev crawl out of the bushes near her cabin, and he yelled her name -- so, she called 911 and later got a restraining order against him.

Jamie is suing for more than $3 million in damages.

We reached out to Kovalev for comment -- so far, no word back.

Sergey is due back in court in March to face the criminal charge. He's also set to fight Eleider Alvarez this Saturday, in a rematch of an August bout that he shockingly lost.

Brian Ortega says he's ALMOST back to 100% after breaking his nose and thumb at UFC 231 ... which begs the question -- is a rematch with Max Holloway on the horizon?!

TMZ Sports spoke with T-City -- who just got back from some R&R in Mexico -- about his plans following his loss to Holloway last month ... and he says he'll be good to go in 2 months.

Ortega says he's got a number of options to pursue when he gets back into the Octagon ... and says he's even exploring moving up to lightweight.