Boxing

Boxing legend Pernell Whitaker was killed Sunday night after he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach, TMZ Sports has learned. He was only 55. 

We're told officials received a call around 10:04 PM in response to an accident at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road.  

When cops arrived, they located the man who had been hit by a vehicle who was in really bad shape -- and our sources tell us that man was Pernell Whitaker. 

Emergency medical personnel at the scene tried to resuscitate Whitaker -- even performing CPR on him -- but unfortunately, Whitaker succumbed to his injuries and died. 

Cops are investigating. Unclear if the driver of the car was arrested but he did stay on the scene to speak with police. It's NOT a hit and run situation. 

By the way, we're told the area where Pernell was hit is NOT a popular nightlife area -- in other words, it's not like he was out partying. 

Whitaker (who's from Virginia) was a BEAST in the ring ... winning world titles at 4 different weights -- lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight. 

Sweet Pea was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006 -- and is considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of ALL TIME. 

He fought everyone from Oscar De La Hoya to Julio Cesar Chavez -- and even though he lost to Oscar and Julio was a draw ... many people believe he was ROBBED in both decisions because he clearly won the fights. 

His pro career began in 1984 and spanned all the way through 2001, with an amazing 40-4-1 record including 17 knockouts.

He also won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in L.A. 

From 1993 to 1997 he was considered the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Ring Magazine named him the Fight of the Year in 1989. 

Whitaker is survived by his 5 children. RIP

Ex-NFL star Michael Vick, who's also from Virginia, tweeted about Whitaker's passing -- saying, 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker was our hometown legend and the greatest of all time. My prayers are with his family and loved ones."

Magic Johnson added ... "Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker was in the class of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard as one of the most entertaining fighters in my lifetime. I’m praying for his family."

Every blockbuster fight needs a big-time promoter ... and Floyd Mayweather tells TMZ Sports he's the guy for Justin Bieber's potential fight against Tom Cruise!!

As we previously reported ... there have been serious talks about setting up a fight between the 25-year-old singer and the 57-year-old movie superstar after Biebs playfully tweeted about wanting a piece of TC last month. 

Dana White -- who was tagged in Bieber's initial post about the dream fight -- has said he'd be down to make it happen and predicts it would be the biggest fight in UFC history.

Enter Mayweather -- who says he wants NOTHING to do with training either celeb for the possible fight ... but wants EVERYTHING to do with the money involved.

"If they bring me in as a promoter, then I can talk about it. But until then, I gotta stay in my lane. Gotta stay in my business."

Remember, Mayweather used to be super tight with Justin Bieber -- he even let the pop star walk him to the ring for a few of his fights. Floyd even trained Bieber to box at one point.  

But, the two had a falling out back in 2017 ... and haven't really spoken since. 

Floyd didn't back Justin when we spoke with him ... but he didn't exactly praise him either. 

The greatest female boxer in the world wants a piece of the greatest female UFC fighter in the world ... with Claressa Shields guaranteeing she'd KNOCK OUT Amanda Nunes!!!

"If we were to fight, I would win," Shields told us bluntly ... "In boxing, yeah, Amanda Nunes would go to sleep."

24-year-old Shields is a MONSTER in the ring -- she's 9-0 and the undisputed women's middleweight champion of the world! BEAST!!

Of course, Nunes ain't no punk -- she's widely considered the greatest female MMA fighter EVER ... after smashing everyone from Ronda Rousey to Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm. 

Sheilds says Nunes would obviously have the advantage if they stepped into the Octagon, but in a pure fistfight ... oh man, Sheilds says Nunes wouldn't stand a chance! 

So, could it happen? 

Don't rule it out ... Nunes prides herself on her striking ability and we've seen MMA fighters jump into the boxing ring before (McGregor vs. Mayweather anyone!?). 

In the meantime, Claressa says she REALLY wants a crack at welterweight champ Cecilia Braekhus, a 35-0 superstar who hails from Norway. 

Here's video of undefeated boxing star Devin Haney makin' in rain at an L.A. strip club earlier this week -- and the money, the booty and the bling remind us of a certain someone. 

First off, Haney is amazing. The 20-year-old is 22-0, and has been called "The Future Of Boxing," by Floyd Mayweather Sr., and mentored by Floyd Jr.

That's why we couldn't help notice the similarity when we got video of Haney blowing a stack in Ballet, the hottest new booty club in Los Angeles.

It was Floyd's ESPYs awards party, and it's clear to us Devin has been studying Mayweather out of the ring as much as in it. 

BTW ... Devin didn't just treat the curvaceous ladies to some class while he was out in L.A., he also managed to do some really awesome work with the homeless population, giving back to them too. 

Good work kid ... but here's a video below to let you know you still got a little way to go.   

Heavyweight boxing champ Andy Ruiz says he's already training for the rematch with Anthony Joshua ... and tells TMZ Sports he's calling the shots this time around!!

Of course, Ruiz was a late replacement who stepped in for Jarrell Miller when "Big Baby" failed a drug test -- with Andy only getting around 6 weeks of training before the June 1 fight. 

But this time around, Ruiz tells us he's working in a FULL training camp -- and he's going to be the one to decide WHERE the fight takes place. 

Ruiz tells us he'd like to throw down in Mexico -- where he recently met with President Lopez -- or go back to Madison Square Garden in NY. 

There's one place he won't go ... England, where Joshua is from. 

Bottom line ... "I'm the champion," Ruiz says -- "We're the A-Side."

As for whether he's spoken with Joshua, Ruiz tells us, "I haven't talked to him, but I'm pretty sure he's training hard for the rematch. And, so am I."

Floyd Mayweather is laughing at the idea of a rematch with Conor McGregor -- labeling the UFC star's camp as a bunch of "circus clowns" who "can't f*ck with Money May!"

As we previously reported, McGregor publicly stated that he wants another crack at Floyd because he knows what he did wrong in the first fight and he's convinced he can win the 2nd-time around.

So, when we saw Floyd out in L.A. this week, we asked if he was down for another scrap with the Irish superstar. 

Floyd and his crew immediately began bursting into laughter -- and that's when the trash talk began. 

"Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy ... these kids are some circus clowns," Mayweather said. 

"They cant f*ck with Money May."

"They gonna keep coming my way. At the end of the day, I keep laughing, I keep living, I keep going to the bank."

Remember, Floyd beat up Conor pretty badly when they clashed in 2017 -- ultimately winning by way of TKO in the 10th round. 

We asked Floyd -- who made more than $300 mil from the first McGregor fight -- if there was a number that would get him back in the ring ... but he essentially told us he doesn't need the money. 

There's more ... we asked Floyd if he's supporting Manny Pacquiao in his upcoming fight against Keith Thurman. 

Floyd Mayweather ain't mad or embarrassed about being put on his back by streetball legend Bone Collector -- telling TMZ Sports, "My bank account won't change!"

The boxing legend hit up a fashion show at Avalon in L.A. -- thrown by BoomCups -- just 1 night after the $50k Charity Challenge Celebrity Basketball Game ... where Bone crossed him up so hard, Mayweather hit the deck. 

"It was a cool move," Mayweather admitted ... "but did they tell you I got MVP? So, we gotta talk about me being MVP!"

He's right, Floyd did get MVP of the game and his team won by 40 points -- but all everyone is talking about is that viral clip with Bone Collector. 

"It was a good move, but that comes with the territory. It's not the NBA, and we live and we learn."

Floyd says he has nothing but respect for Bone -- "nothing but love" -- and he wishes him "nothing but the best."

And, in classic Floyd fashion, he tells us he takes solace in knowing he's still one of the wealthiest men in the history of pro sports ... and an international icon. 

"My name will live forever," Floyd said ... noting that he's famous everywhere from Tokyo to Africa. 

"Money May all f*cking day," he added. 

Oh, and one last comment just to make everyone else feel real poor ... 

"You don't respect it, you will get collected." 

That's Bone Collector -- the street ball legend who put Floyd Mayweather on his back Monday -- telling TMZ Sports he still can't really believe he crossed up The Best Ever!

"Floyd Mayweather is the richest ankle I've ever collected," Bone tells us. 

Of course, Bone's highlight at the $50k Charity Challenge celebrity basketball game has gone super viral ... everyone's praising the only pro athlete to ever drop Mayweather in any sport, EVER!

So, how did Floyd react after the embarrassing fall? Bone says the guy acted like a true pro -- he got up and continued to ball out. 

"He came back and played hard," Bone says ... "After that it was more of a mutual respect thing."

Bone says he kinda feels bad for Floyd because the two are good friends and he didn't want to humiliate the guy ... but on the other hand he's LOVING all of the praise he's getting!

In fact, Bone says everyone from Snoop to Nate Robinson to Rob Gronkowski dog-piled on him after the move in one of the coolest moments of his life. 

For the first time in his career, Floyd Mayweather got PUT ON HIS BACK during a major sports event -- and the whole thing was caught on camera!!

The 42-year-old superstar was ballin' out at the $50k Charity Challenge celeb hoops game at UCLA on Monday night where Floyd was trying to play some defense on streetball legend Bone Collector. 

... but things didn't go Floyd's way -- because BC crossed Floyd over so hard, the boxer lost his footing and went tumbling to the ground. 

The crowd went crazy as Bone hit his shot -- and all Floyd could do was smile as he picked himself up. 

When asked why he would even try to cover Bone Collector, Floyd told fans and teammates he simply wanted the challenge ... gotta respect that. 

The event was all for a good cause -- raising money for Teen Cancer America. Huge stars like Rob Gronkowski, Snoop Dogg, Kyle Kuzma, Michael Blackson, Terrell Owens, Pacman Jones and Brian Quick were also in attendance. 

He got the G.O.A.T. rings ... now Antonio Brown is paying homage to the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali, with an iced-out butterfly and bee chain worth $250k!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- the NFL superstar wanted to honor the legend and his AB nickname at the same time ... getting an insane bee with butterfly wings -- and his #84 jersey number on it.

We're told Brown went to his go-to guy, Gabriel the Jeweler, for the job ... hooking him up with the piece made with a combo of pear and baguette-shaped VVS and brilliant-cut diamonds, totaling 65 carats on the cuban chain and 50 carats on the pendent.

Of course ... Gabriel is the guy behind AB's G.O.A.T rings he copped earlier this year (along with pretty much all of Brown's bling) ... and has also worked with other superstars like Amari Cooper, Odell Beckham and Jalen Ramsey.

We're told this newest piece is valued at a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS ... but don't worry, AB's in the middle of a 3-year, $50 million contract.

UFC champ Amanda Nunes won't have to look far for her bucket list fight -- she can find her opponent in the comfort of her own home ... 'cause she wants to scrap with her FIANCEE!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the MMA power couple leading up to Nunes' fight with Holly Holm at UFC 239 next week ... and her fiancee, Nina Ansaroff, says she's 100% down to fight her boo.

"We already talked about it," Nina says. "After she gets the belt, I'm gonna get my belt at [115 pounds], and then we're gonna do a super-fight at 125 ... we're so down. We really would try to kill each other."

"Why not? Bring the money home in the same household."

Even being in a lighter weight class, the women know each other's weaknesses, considering they've been training together for years.

As for Nunes ...  She's totally on board too, saying "My last fight is gonna be against Nina and then I'm gonna retire."

FYI -- the couple has been together for years and got engaged back in August 2018 ... and Nina says their relationship is rock solid, so there won't be any hard feelings after the fight.

"Afterwards it would be like, 'that was awesome.'"

"I definitely want that fight" ... that's what Francis Ngannou told TMZ Sports when asked if he's down for a superfight with Jon Jones.

Ngannou-Jones is a dream matchup ... but things heated up this week when Jon stopped by the TMZ office, and talked about the possibility of fighting Francis.

"There's a lot of fights at the heavyweight division that are always gonna be extremely appealing. Cain Velasquez, Francis Ngannou," Jones told us.

"That's a scary dude. But, that's why I'm in it. For it to be hard. I'm aware that the greater the challenge, that's what makes it great. The hard is what makes it great."

So, Jon's down ... question is, is Francis willing to put his body on the line against arguably the baddest dude on planet Earth?

We have our answer ... and it's a big hell yes.

"Personally, I mean, it would be a good fight, first of all for the fans, for me, yes," Ngannou told us.

"Even though Jon Jones is a light heavyweight, this guy has made his legacy, dominating the whole division. He's a big dude. I met him once, we almost, we are the same height, we are almost the same thing. I might just have a few pounds on him. That would be a legit fight."

Before a fight with Jones or anyone else (D.C., Stipe), Ngannou's facing badass former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 3 this Saturday -- so he's got his hands full.

But, it's very clear that Francis -- who says he ALWAYS gets asked by MMA fans about fighting Jones -- is down to make this fight happen.

UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman says he's SHOCKED Colby Covington agreed to take a fight with Robbie Lawler in August instead of waiting for a title shot ... saying, "This kid f*cks it up again!"

Usman -- who's recovering from double hernia surgery -- tells TMZ Sports he was REALLY hoping his first title defense would be against Covington ... a guy he HATES with a raging passion.

So, when Colby agreed this week to fight Lawler -- Kamaru says he was massively disappointed.

"I said from the start this was gonna be his fight to mess up," Usman says ... suggesting Covington took the fight for a quick paycheck to pay off gambling debts.

"Those gambling debts might have caught up to him!"

Usman says his fingers are crossed hoping Dana White gives him the Covington fight at some point because "there's no one right now I would love to punch more or hurt more than him."

Of course, Usman and Covington have been beefing for months -- and almost threw down for real in a Vegas casino back in March.

Meanwhile, Usman says he's recovering well after surgery and plans on fighting again in November -- and if he doesn't get Colby ... he'd love a crack at Ben Askren.

Remember, Ben mercilessly mocked Usman by calling him "Marty from Nebraska" leading up to Kamaru's title fight with Tyron Woodley.

Usman says it's time for a little payback.

Wladimir Klitschko and his family were SAVED by emergency responders in Spain on Monday -- after the luxury yacht they were traveling on, caught fire at sea!!

The rescue was all captured on video ... as firefighters and other emergency workers rushed to the boat off the coast of Mallorca around 2 AM and sprayed fire-suppressing foam on the boat.

"The boat was on fire, we're hanging out outside," the former boxing champ says on the dramatic video ... "We're in the sea getting rescued from the Mallorcan/Spanish fire department."

The yacht crew had already controlled the fire by the time rescuers showed up -- so responders mostly did some thorough inspection, made sure the fire was out ... and then towed the ship to port.

But, during the tow, smoke began to billow out of the engine room -- so the rest of the crew was evacuated to a rescue ship.

After the incident, 43-year-old Klitschko tweeted about the rescue ... saying, "Be careful what you wish for: fate took my wish for "some #adrenalin" a bit too literally and our boat-trip Sunday night ended up in our boat #igniting and family & friends being evacuated by coast guard and fire rescue-team."

"No worries: we are all fine!"

How's this for confidence ... Keith Thurman is so certain he's gonna knock out Manny Pacquiao in the 1st or 2nd round, he's putting $10,000 up so he can cash that extra check!!!

Keith and Manny are squaring off at the MGM Grand on July 20 -- in a fight Thurman thinks he'll EASILY win.

"I'm younger. I'm gonna let my hands go in a way that Adrian Broner didn't," Thurman tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm gonna make it a fight!"

Remember, Broner LOST via unanimous decision when he fought Pacman back in January -- Keith says Broner simply didn't come with any offense that night.

As for the bet, Keith says he's already 100% certain he'll get the W ... but wants to put some added pressure on himself to close the show early.

"That's motivation! I can't go 3 minutes going 'tap, tap, tap' when I got $10k on the round!"

The Justin Bieber vs. Tom Cruise hype train has left the station ... with UFC honcho Dana White saying the celebrity superfight would probably be the biggest Pay-Per-View event in combat sports history!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White said he is seriously interested in putting together the Bieber vs. Cruise fight ... after hearing from two "serious people" with connections to the stars that they'd be down to scrap.

And, we're also told Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, spoke with William Morris Endeavor co-owner Ari Emanuel and Dana White on a secret phone call and said Bieber is "100%" down with it.

So, when White was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Sunday night, he told TMZ Sports he thinks there's a real shot this fight goes down.

"Weirder things have happened, let's put it that way," White said.

"I think it would be the biggest purse ever and I think it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View ever too."

White says the situation is still developing and he hasn't heard anything official from Tom's camp yet -- but he's hopeful he'll have more info in the coming days.

Until then, White seems excited to make it happen ... though he's keeping it real when asked about the actual combat.