Boxing

Whoa!!!!!

UFC fighter Anthony Smith HATES Luke Rockhold's guts. Like REALLY hates him.

And, moments ago, Smith issued a threat to Rockhold, despite the fact they don't even have a fight on the books.

"That guy’s a f*cking piece of sh*t," Smith said at the UFC press conference in Atlanta moments ago.

"F*ck Luke Rockhold."

So, why the hostility?

It stems back to a radio interview Rockhold did earlier this year when he called Smith a "sloppy bum" who wasn't worthy of a fight with Jon Jones at UFC 235.

Smith was clearly offended -- and used his opportunity Friday to lash back at Rockhold.

"The first opportunity I get I’m gonna drill a hole through Luke Rockhold’s f*cking face. I promise you guys that.”

“The first opportunity I get after this fight, doesn’t matter what happens. I’ll fight Luke Rockhold on one f*cking leg. I’m gonna beat that dude's f*cking ass.”

Hey Beyonce, got any plans this weekend??? Here's the self-proclaimed greatest female fighter on the planet giving you a personal invite to her big boxing match on Saturday!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with undefeated boxing star Claressa Shields leading up to her IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO middleweight unification bout with 24-0 Christina Hammer ... and she says she's out to prove she's the G.O.A.T.

"I consider myself the greatest woman of all the time," Shields (8-0, 2 KO) says. "Any woman who has laced up a pair of gloves can't beat me. If they want me to prove it, I've proven it."

Now ... clearly, Shields doesn't need any more motivation ... but we had to ask who she'd want in her corner showin' support at the Boardwalk Hall in Jersey this weekend -- and she's aiming for Queen Bey.

"I'd be so stoked if Beyonce was in the crowd and just to have her come and talk to me ... I'd be freaking out."

If Conor McGregor wants another boxing superfight, Vasyl Lomachenko says he'll be his huckleberry ... telling TMZ Sports, "I can beat him easy."

Lomachenko is widely considered one of the best boxers on the planet -- he's the unified lightweight champion of the world ... and hasn't lost a fight since 2014.

Loma has a fight this Friday against Anthony Crolla on ESPN+ -- but he's an OVERWHELMING favorite and expected to beat the ever-loving dog snot out of the 32-year-old Englishman.

So, once he rolls through Crolla, ya gotta think Vasyl is looking for a payday fight -- and Conor McGregor would definitely get him the millions of dollars he wants.

And, the good news for Vasyl ... he thinks it'll be the easiest work of his career -- essentially saying Conor's boxing skills are "amateur" at best.

"I enjoy this fight," Loma said about possible McGregor matchup ... "I will go through this guy. No problem."

The big question ... what does Conor want? He "retired" from MMA but nobody believes he's done fighting for good. And, he seems to want another shot at a pro boxing match after losing to Floyd Mayweather.

10:22 AM PT -- Big Boy from 92.3 the REAL just came down hard on Kodak Black, saying he won't tolerate disrespect like this toward royalty in Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London. BB says hip-hop culture has a tendency to look the other way on moments like this, but he argues that has to change ... and that people from the community have to hold one another accountable, including Kodak. It doesn't sound like Big Boy is committing to not playing Kodak's music on the airwaves like Justin Credible did, but he does say he hopes this helps change minds going forward about ya say about who.

Check out his full statement above.

Kodak Black apologized for something he clearly should not have done in the first place ... disrespected Lauren London, the grieving girlfriend of Nipsey Hussle.

Kodak went on IG Live Saturday with his mea culpa, though somewhat half-hearted. He said he was sorry for disrespecting her, "even though I didn't."

As you know ... on Saturday a video circulated of Kodak calling Lauren "that baby" and "whole widow out here." He went on to say he was willing to give her a year of "crying and s***" before making a move on her.

Justin Credible from Power 106 in L.A. tweeted the station was "appalled by the disrespectful and poor comments" and they would no longer play his music.

Former welterweight championship boxer Andre Berto told us Saturday in Bev Hills, what Kodak did was super disrespectful, because Nipsey Hussle's murder was so fresh, and Kodak would serve himself well by staying out of L.A.

In Kodak's "apology," he did say Nipsey inspired him to do more in his community.

As we reported, there will be a huge memorial service for Nipsey -- who was murdered a week ago Sunday -- at L.A.'s Staples Center.

Charlotte Flair is WWE royalty and Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch ain't ... and by the end of their triple threat match at WrestleMania, both Ronda and The Man will "bow down."

That's according to Charlotte ... who told TMZ Sports the other 2 WWE Superstars are NOTHING compared to her.

"I think both of them are gonna bow down to the Queen, and I've done more in the last 7 years than they've done combined."

The crap talk leading up to the WM35 main event has been INTENSE ... and there's a lot on the line for all 3 women.

Earlier this week, Ronda told us the match was a "do-or-die moment" for her.

Lynch was a guest on "TMZ Live" the following day ... and responded to Rousey's comments -- saying she thinks Ronda will actually QUIT WWE if she loses Sunday night.

It wasn't all crap talk ... Flair also talked about her reaction when she learned she'd be headlining WM ... and the significance of the 1st all-female main event.

"Obviously wanting to let all the girls know this wouldn't happen without them. There's so much depth in our division. And, then obviously the women of the past," Flair says.

Conor McGregor appears unretired from fighting ... and Justin Gaethje tells TMZ Sports he BADLY wants to be locked in a steel cage with The Notorious.

But, does Conor want to fight him? Gaethje says nah, doubt it.

"[Conor's] a warrior. I know that it would intrigue him for sure. But, I also think his mind would be like, 'no, thank you.'"

"He can't take my leg kicks. If I wanted to wrestle him, I could wrestle him all day. And, I could knock him out. The last thing he needs to be is f**king on his back reaching for the sky and I will, I could do that to him."

Gaethje's coming off a crazy impressive performance ... he starched Edson Barboza -- one of the scariest dudes in the UFC -- with a vicious right hook in the 1st round last weekend.

Earlier in the week, JG -- the 5th ranked UFC lightweight -- told us he wanted the Holloway-Poirier winner and then Khabib ... but when he was in the TMZ offices on Thursday, clearly things done changed.

"I wanna fight [Conor]. I wanna fight him in Ireland. I know it's not gonna happen in Ireland, but that's my dream. To go over there and be in that sorta chaos. That's what f**king wakes me up every day."

"I'm going out there. I'm gonna stand. I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna knock him out. If he wants to retire, I can help him on his way out."

Conor-Gaethje would be a sick fight ... both guys have great power in their hands and ain't afraid to stand toe-to-toe and mix it up.

Will Smith's kicking ass in Miami ... 'cause he wouldn't be a true bad boy if he let a stunt double handle all the fight scenes!

Will did a little shadow boxing Wednesday to warm up for this "Bad Boys for Life" shoot. The scene goes down on the balcony of a hotel ... and from the look of things, nothing -- and we mean NOTHING -- was stopping Will.

Well, maybe a little lint that got in his eye.

But, seriously ... dude's winning at life and putting all dad bods to serious shame with his sharp fighting skills. Those 'Ali' moves still seem fresh in Will's mind -- as his foe in the motorcycle helmet will attest.

Big Willie was still his fun-loving self, though ... taking time to goof around with his stand-in and the crew.

Hell yes, Meek Mill needs to get his own statue in Philadelphia, a la "Rocky Balboa" ... so says Rep. Dwight Evans who's giving the rapper praise for all Meek's done to transform the criminal justice system.

We got Pennsylvania's Congressman on Capitol Hill hours after Meek's Tuesday news conference introducing new legislation aiming to reform the state's probation and parole system.

As we reported, Meek, 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin and CNN's Van Jones -- who is also CEO of REFORM Alliance -- joined politicians to propose House Bill 1925.

Rep. Evans -- who's district includes Meek's southwest Philly neighborhood -- says the bill is commendable for several reasons. For starters, it provides hope for people who've given up on the system. He also admires Meek's determination to continue putting the spotlight on the problem ... even though he's long since put his case behind him.

As for Meek getting immortalized in bronze -- Evans says it's a move his constituents can get behind.

Fact is, the city already embraced his track, "Dreams and Nightmares" as an unofficial anthem during the Eagles' Super Bowl run ... while Meek was still locked up.

Conor McGregor vs. Anthony Pettis -- a match made in fight Heaven -- according to Pettis, who says fighting The Notorious would be a "dream fight" for UFC fans.

We talked to Pettis -- days after moving up to the welterweight division and starching Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson -- about his next move ... and he says Conor makes a whole lotta sense.

There's just 1 problem ... Pettis says if Conor's actually mulling quitting, fighting him is a very bad idea.

"Man, I wouldn't talk him outta retirement. If someone wants to retire, don't get in the Octagon with me," Pettis tells TMZ Sports ...

"It's gonna be a bad one. I'm too hungry right now. I'm too motivated. I just knocked out the #3 in the world at 170 pounds. If you're trying to retire, don't entertain a fight with me."

But, if Conor's just using the threat of retirement as a negotiating ploy, Pettis is all the way down to fight ... and he thinks it'd be a helluva entertaining match up.

"I go for the kill. He goes for the kill. We both have a flashy striking style with a great ground game.".

Ya hear this, Dana?

Jay Glazer gets hit a lot at his MMA gym -- whether it's UFC stars or big name actors, dude gets beat up all the freakin' time ... but who hits the HARDEST??

Star-Lord!!!!

That's right ... Chris Pratt's got the power that'll knock anybody out, so says the Unbreakable Gym owner ... who tells TMZ Sports Pratt straight-up hits harder than the Natural.

"It sucks getting hit by Chris Pratt more than it sucks getting hit by Randy Couture."

UMMM ... HAVE YOU SEEN RANDY COUTURE FIGHT?!?

FYI -- Couture is one bad dude ... he's got a 19-11 record and has 7 knockouts under his belt. Oh, and was a 3-time UFC heavyweight champion!!!

So ... does this mean CP will ditch Hollywood for the Octagon?? Not so fast ...

"He's too busy being happily engaged and pretty."

BONUS -- we also got an update on that tooth Demi Lovato knocked out of Glazer's grill a couple weeks ago ... and super glue really does fix everything!! (We sure hope he's kidding).

Boxing great Bernard Hopkins is a full-fledged vegan now and has a message for any current and competing fighter who wants to try the lifestyle ... DON'T DO IT FAM!!!

Don't get him wrong ... B-Hop told us he feels GREAT when we got him looking slim and trim at LAX, saying he's been a vegan for around 15 months and he's digging it.

"I feel more energy now, working as I am now with TV and Golden Boy Promotions and what I'm out here now for, so yeah, I feel great."

Sounds good ... but when we asked if going meatless is something Hop wishes he would've done while he was still IN THE RING, he kept it a buck as only a Philly Bul could.

"HELL NO. NO. Not while you're fighting, not while you're active, putting a strain on your body because it's really too much."

We should say, there are tons of fighters like Nate Diaz (is weed vegan?) who are on the diet, and they seem to do just fine, but when you hear Hopkins talk about it, he seems pretty freakin' sure.

Undefeated boxing superstar Terence Crawford has a wish ... and that wish is also undefeated, and also a boxing superstar -- Errol Spence, who Crawford says he wants, no, HAS to fight.

Spence just dispatched Mikey Garcia in a 12-round beatdown that made many believe Errol is the very best fighter in the world at 147 pounds.

Crawford -- who's gearing up to fight Amir Khan on April 20, says that ain't so ... and told us there's only one way to prove he's actually the guy and that's going to make the fight with Spence.

Some boxing experts say Crawford vs. Spence would be the biggest fight in the sport.

"I want the fight. Let me just say that right now," Crawford tells TMZ Sports ... "Just to show the world I'm the best welterweight in the division."

Both men want to lay claim to being the next big money fighter in boxing now that Floyd's out to pasture, but to do that, they gotta go through each other ... which means they gotta make a deal.

Some say Crawford is too small to handle Spence ... and Crawford wants those people to SHUT THEIR LIPS ... saying he's got everything he needs to beat Errol.

"I feel confident matching up with anybody. I can box, I can bang, I can switch, I can punch, I'm not slow."

Amir Khan says Terence Crawford's record is INSANELY deceiving -- claiming his 34-0 record is littered with tomato cans ... not REAL talented fighters.

In fact, Khan says if he fought the kind of bums Crawford has beaten, he'd be undefeated too!!

Yeah, that's some hot fire from Khan who's set to square off with Crawford April 20 at Madison Square Garden ... a fight where Khan is widely seen as an overwhelming underdog.

Khan says the so-called experts have it all wrong -- because he's faced (and beaten) MUCH better fighters than Crawford.

"Look at my resume, look at the people I’ve beaten. My resume is a lot better than Terence Crawford's. I've fought better opponents, beaten better opponents. Okay fine, he’s unbeaten, but I’m sure I would be unbeaten if I fought all the guys he did."

Khan does have some impressive W's on his resume -- with victories over legit stars like Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana and Paulie Malignaggi.

Amir's losses have mostly come by way of superstars like Canelo Alvarez and Danny Garcia.

"[Crawford has] not fought anyone like me," Khan tells TMZ Sports ... "This is his hardest fight on paper in his boxing professional career. That should say it all."

As for Terence, he has this simple advice for gamblers -- "If you wanna lose some money, bet on [Amir Khan]."

Nate Diaz's tough guy image is just a front, 'cause he's all bark, no bite ... according to UFC star Justin Gaethje ... who says, "Gangsters fight, gangsters don't run their mouth."

TMZ Sports talked to Gaethje -- who's fighting Edson Barboza (that fight is going to be ridiculous) Saturday on UFC on ESPN 2 -- when JG opened fire on the Stockton fighter.

"The only thing that's been bothering me, Nate Diaz keeps talking so much shit but the dude won't fight," Gaethje tells us ... "It just amazes me how people think he's still a gangster."

"You can't talk and not show up. That's just funny to me."

Nate hasn't fought since losing to Conor McGregor in the rematch of their blockbuster fight ... and that was 951 days ago.

Dana White says he's offered Diaz a bunch of fights ... only to be turned down. Nate did agree to fight Dustin Poirier last year at UFC 230 ... but the fight was scrapped after Poirier got hurt.

Gaethje thinks Diaz has been running his mouth (it's unclear exactly what has Justin pissed off) ... so, we asked the logical question ... do you want to fight Nate?

If JG's right, don't hold your breath ... 'cause Nate ain't interested in anything more than running his mouth.

Heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev has been suspended indefinitely by the California State Athletic Commission for kissing a female reporter during a post-fight interview, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for CSAC tells us Pulev will NOT be licensed to fight in CA until he appears before the Commission to address the incident in person.

We're told the next opportunity for Pulev to face the Commission will be in May -- though it's unclear if the Bulgarian fighter plans to attend.

Of course, Pulev is in very hot water for kissing Vegas Sports Daily reporter Jenny Sushe after knocking out Bogdan Dinu Saturday night in Costa Mesa, CA.

Sushe laughed it off during the incident -- but immediately lawyered up, hiring Gloria Allred and now she's considering taking legal action against the 37-year-old fighter.

As for Pulev, he initially brushed the whole thing off ... saying Jenny is a friend and they laughed the whole thing off together at an afterparty.

Obviously, Jenny doesn't feel the same way -- saying in a statement, "I did not encourage or consent to Mr. Pulev grabbing my face, kissing me, or grabbing my backside."

12:08 PM PT -- Jenny Sushe -- along with Allred -- just addressed the media and said the boxer not only kissed her without consent, he also groped her butt after the interview.

After the interview, Sushe claims the boxer asked her to remove the kiss from the interview because he knew how it would play out in public, but she refused.

In a letter to the California State Athletic Commission, Allred says, "We hereby request that the commission conduct an immediate investigation into the serious allegations."

"We request that Mr. Pulov's boxing license be suspended."

The female reporter who was suddenly kissed by a boxer she was interviewing AFTER his fight has lawyered up ... hiring Gloria Allred to go after his ass.

The video went viral over the weekend -- showing 37-year-old Bulgarian heavyweight Kubrat Pulev planting a kiss on the mouth of reporter Jenny Sushe during a post-fight media session.

Following the incident, Pulev said the Vegas Sports Daily reporter is a "friend of mine" -- and he passed the whole thing off as no big deal.

"On the video, after our kiss, we both laughed about it and thanked each other," Pulev said ..."There really is nothing more to this."

Well, clearly Sushe thinks it's a big deal ... she's hired Allred and she's planning to take legal action against the boxer.

In fact, in classic Allred form ... the attorney is holding a press conference Thursday to announce the plan of attack.