Boxing

Claressa Shields still has Amanda Nunes squarely in her sights, and has taken steps to make the fight a reality ... telling TMZ Sports she's met with an MMA coach and her manager talked to Dana White.

Shields -- who's only 24 years old -- is a beast. She holds belts in 2 weight classes, and is looking to make history as the fastest fighter to be a champion in 3 different divisions.

Vasyl Lomachenko accomplished the feat in only 12 fights ... if Claressa wins her October 5 fight with Ivana Habazin, the record is hers.

That's not the only history Shields wants to write ... when we talked to Claressa on Friday, she told us she's seriously considering taking up MMA ... with the end goal being a Nunes superfight.

"I'm really a hard worker, and I'm dedicated to the craft. I eat right, I don't drink, I don't smoke. When you have an athlete like that, and I'm young, I can really pretty much do anything right now," Shield says.

"It has been thoughts to actually start training. I've actually sat and talked with an MMA coach. Shit can get serious real quick."

In order to make this happen ... Dana White -- who previously told us he's open to the idea -- needs to be on board, and Claressa says her manager has already talked to the UFC honcho.

Shields isn't just gonna jump from the boxing ring into the Octagon and fight Nunes, she says she needs to develop her ground skills ... and take a few warm-up matches.

The UFC is creating a REAL custom "Baddest Mother F**ker" belt for the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal fight ... and Dana White says it ain't cheap!!!

"I think it's gonna be like $50,000," White tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, the whole thing came about after Nate Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis in August and, during a post-fight interview, declared himself the 'BMF' champion of the world.

"We're fighting for the baddest mother f**ker in the game belt and that's mine," Diaz said after the Pettis fight ... "So, I'd like to defend it against Jorge Masvidal."

White liked the idea and the UFC is running with it -- in fact, White says Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has already agreed to present the belt to the winner of the fight on November 2 at UFC 244, which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City!!!

Jake Paul wants to beat the living dog snot out of Soulja Boy ... but it's not out of hate -- it's because the YouTube superstar wants to make him relevant again!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Paul about calling out Mr. "Pretty Boy Swag" for an epic celeb boxing match ... and he says it may not happen because Soulja Boy is SCARED of getting KO'd!!!

But, 22-year-old Paul tells us he's actually trying to HELP Soulja out ... 'cause he thinks the fight will give him major clout and give him a new audience.

"I grew up a Soulja Boy fan and, so after I knocked him out, I'd be like, 'yo, respect, let's do a song together, bro!'"

Jake beat up fellow YouTuber Deji via TKO last year ... and he's been itching to get back in the ring ever since -- calling out anyone from FaZe Banks to Dillon Danis.

As for Soulja, he's been flirting with stepping into the ring for years ... and even famously came close to fighting Chris Brown in 2017, before Breezy backed out.

Paul says the 29-year-old rapper has nothing to be embarrassed about if he loses ... 'cause he thinks Soulja would be the underdog.

36-year-old boxing legend Sergey Kovalev just answered a question the whole pugilistic world has been asking for a while ... spilling the beans on when EXACTLY he's hanging up the gloves.

Kovalev has a huge fight against Canelo Alvarez on Nov. 2 -- a fight he says holds a special place in the pantheon of his career.

"Now, I can say this is the biggest fight. I'm already 36 years old. I understand that this is like a fight for legacy."

It's a tall task, he's facing a fighter seven years younger, who hasn't lost since 2013 ... but when we spoke to Sergey he seemed confident.

He also seemed confident ... certain, actually ... of when he'd finally hang the gloves up for good, a question people have been asking him since a pair of losses to Andre Ward a couple years ago.

Kovalev has rebounded since then, but still has a time in mind and he told our guy.

As for Canelo, we spoke to him too and he told us exactly how he's eating to make up that two weight-class difference ... and you'd be surprised.

And, probably disappointed.

Deontay Wilder's rich, famous and a heavyweight champ ... something he's not: anywhere near done knockin' dudes out -- 'cause his fiancee tells TMZ Sports he plans to fight til he's 40!!!

We talked to Telli Swift earlier this week in L.A. ... and with Wilder's 34th birthday coming up next month, we asked how much longer the Bronze Bomber plans to fight.

"Deontay's gonna go until he wants to stop. He says 40, but who knows. If his body allows him to."

"At least [40]."

FYI, Wilder's widely regarded as the hardest puncher in the world ... and has a record of 41-0-1 with 40 knockouts.

Telli also cleared up her man's immediate fighting future.

Deontay's supposed to rematch Luis "King Kong" Ortiz later this year ... but the fight hasn't officially been announced, leading to speculation it ain't gonna happen.

Swift says they're wrong ... 'cause it's 100% goin' down.

"It's happening. It's happening in November."

Jorge Masvidal tells TMZ Sports the UFC knows he wants a crack at Conor McGregor -- but he REFUSES to jump through hoops to get it ... saying Conor knows where to find him.

"I'm not in the business of bullying," Masvidal tells TMZ Sports ... "I like beating up bullies and stuff but, if the dude don't want it, I'm not gonna beg him for it."

Conor has been flirting with several opponents since his last fight in the UFC -- including Justin Gaethje, Cowboy Cerrone and a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Jorge previously told us he's down too -- but Dana White hasn't exactly been chomping at the bit to make it happen.

But, things might be changing ... this week, Dana changed his tune -- saying he would consider booking Conor to fight the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal when they clash at UFC 244 in November.

And, when we saw Masvidal in NY on Thursday, he claims the REAL reason White hasn't already booked the fight is because Dana knows how it would end.

"Would I f**k him up and Dana White knows it??? Hell yeah, bro!!! There's a reason we're not allowed to play with each other."

In the meantime, Masvidal says he's laser-focused on Diaz and explains why it's an absolute HONOR to fight at Madison Square Garden.

Conor McGregor's getting closer to his UFC return ... Dana White says The Notorious will fight early next year, and his opponent could be Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal.

McGregor hasn't fought since being submitted by Khabib at UFC 229 in October 2018 ... and many fans have wondered if Conor would ever fight again.

The answer to that question is hell yes.

"Early next year."

Khabib rematch??? No, not yet ... according to Dana.

"That's possible too down the road. I think Conor would fight somebody else before that."

That somebody else could be the winner of Diaz-Masvidal -- who are fighting at UFC 244 on November 2 at Madison Square Garden.

Conor against either guy would be HUGE. CM and Nate's first 2 fights are some of the biggest in the history of the UFC.

As for Masvidal ... he and McGregor have been talkin' trash, and both have said they want the fight.

White's previously said Masvidal -- who fights at 170 pounds -- is too big for Conor ... but it looks like the boss changed his mind.

We also talked to Dana about Khabib's future ... and who the lightweight champ will fight next.

"Tony Ferguson is the fight that needs to happen. We've tried to do it 4 other times so hopefully, we can do it this time. But, that's the fight that makes sense."

Khabib's openly said he wants a super fight with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre ... and when we asked White about a Nurmagomedov-GSP fight, he left the door wide open.

"That can happen too. So, we'll see what happens with Tony. Ya know Tony's had opportunities before that he didn't take, so if he doesn't, I'd be interested in talking about GSP."

Oscar De La Hoya just signed Ryan Garcia to a new contract -- but he's gunning to get Garcia even MORE money ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to make King Ryan the first boxer to sign a $700 MILLION deal!!!

21-year-old Garcia -- who's already racked up an impressive 18-0 record -- clashed with Oscar over the weekend, claiming Golden Boy Promotions has failed to get him the big money fights he feels he deserves.

There were rumblings Garcia was looking to split from Oscar -- but after they agreed to an extension, it's clear the beef is squashed.

"I called Ryan Garcia," Oscar says ... "We discussed it, we hugged it out and we're gonna move on."

"It's like when you're married or you have a girlfriend, you have your little rifts here and there."

Now, Oscar says his focus is turning Ryan into "the biggest star that boxing has ever seen, hands down."

And, as for the money, Oscar says he has a track record of getting results for his boxers -- just like the $365 million DAZN deal he negotiated for Canelo Alvarez.

"Just like I got Canelo the biggest contract in sports history at the time, I can probably get DOUBLE for King Ryan when the time is right -- when he becomes world champion -- when he has several more years under his belt."

For now, Oscar is promoting one of the biggest fights of Canelo's career -- a massive lightweight-heavyweight clash with Sergey Kovalev on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas (Garcia was just added to that card as the co-main event).

Canelo is coming up TWO weight classes -- 15 pounds -- to take on The Krusher in what many fight fans say could be the BEST fight of the year!!!

The ringside doctor SHOULD HAVE stopped the Tyson Fury fight based on the size of his gash ... but they let it go because Tyson is a huge star -- so says Otto Wallin.

The Swedish fighter tells TMZ Sports ... if the tables were turned, the doctor would DEFINITELY have called the fight because the wound was massive and posed a real medical danger.

"If it was someone else, they probably would have stopped it," Wallin said while hanging at a Vegas pool party.

Still, Wallin is being praised for his gutsy performance ... taking Fury to the 12th round despite being a massive 30-1 underdog. Dude fought his ass off.

There was one questionable moment when Wallin appeared to rake Fury's face after an exchange in an apparent effort to widen the cut on Tyson's face.

We asked Wallin if he felt the move was dirty ... and he sorta copped to it.

"He was using dirty tactics too and I'm not gonna let someone do that to me, without me answering back with some dirty tactics," Wallin said.

"This is boxing. It's a fight and you gotta do everything you can to win."

Despite the cheap shots, Wallin says Fury came to his locker room after the fight to congratulate him on the performance ... "[He] showed some respect."

So, what's next for Wallin? He wants a rematch with Fury but knows he probably won't get it any time soon because Tyson has his sights set on a rematch with Deontay Wilder.

"After that, maybe I could get the winner. That would be great, fight for the world title."

Until then, he's got a message for Fury ...

"I wanna say it was a good fight. Thank you for the opportunity and I hope we can do it again."

Tyson Fury was so grateful for the miracle his amazing cutman, Jorge Capetillo, pulled off to keep him in the Otto Wallin fight, he broke the guy off with a CASH BONUS, BABY!!!

That's according to Capetillo himself, who says Fury showered him with praise for the way he treated the two MASSIVE gashes he suffered during Saturday night's main event.

If you saw the fight ... you know Jorge's handiwork -- he somehow managed to slow the bleeding and ultimately prevented Fury from losing the fight (and his championship belt) due to a doctor's stoppage.

So, when we spoke with Capetillo (nicest guy ever BTW), we asked if Fury gave him some love after the fight.

"Yeah, he gave me a bonus, that's for sure!"

Capetillo also told us Fury's cut was THE WORST he's ever seen in his career as a cutman -- and explained his strategy in tending to the wound.

The big question ... how many tubs of Vaseline did you go through?!?!?!

Capetillo says he visited Fury the day after the fight to check in and Tyson was in great spirits -- once again, thanking Jorge for his tremendous work.

Say what you will about Tyson Fury ... but the dude is tough as nails -- battling through a massive gash over his eye to beat Otto Wallin on Saturday ... and then getting 50 STITCHES after the fight!

Check out Tyson's before and after pics ... Fury had TWO gashes on his face -- one on his eyebrow and one on his eyelid.

Wallin opened up the bigger gash with a flush shot to Tyson's face in the 2nd round of their heavyweight championship fight in Vegas on Saturday.

Throughout the fight, Wallin targeted the wound -- and it took every drop of Vaseline in Nevada to keep the wound in check so Fury could continue fighting.

A second gash opened up later on ... and it REALLY seemed as if the ref and ringside doctor would stop the fight -- but somehow, they let Fury finish.

Fury ultimately won in a unanimous decision and went to the hospital right after the event -- where docs used 50 stitches to close him up.

Gotta say ... props to the docs -- they did a pretty great job!

Tyson Fury's a MASSIVE 20-to-1 favorite this weekend ... but there's a 268-pound reason Otto Wallin believes he'll kick the Gypsy King's ass -- Andy Ruiz Jr.

Wallin's 20-0 with 13 KO's ... but almost no one gives him a chance against Fury -- who Ring magazine calls the best heavyweight in the world.

If this sounds familiar, it's basically the same situation Ruiz faced when he fought Anthony Joshua (he opened as a 30-1 underdog) ... and that's exactly why Wallin tells TMZ Sports he's using "The Destroyer" as motivation.

"As a fighter, you know that anybody can get beat. And, it can happen at any time," Wallin tells us ... "Like I said, it's happened before, and it's gonna happen again. I wasn't surprised by this, but it's still a big inspiration that Andy did it and I'm looking to do it again."

Wallin and Fury got into at the weigh-in on Friday -- jawing at each other while Tyson rocked a luchador mask!!! Good stuff!!!

Wallin also had a message for everyone who thinks there ain't a shot in hell he'll beat Fury.

"Just look at the other fights. Andy Ruiz-Joshua, Mike Tyson, he wasn't supposed to get beat. He got beat from Buster Douglas. We had a Swedish guy, Ingemar Johansson, 60 years ago he came over to New York and beat Floyd Patterson. He was a huge underdog and he beat him. It can happen at any time."

Undefeated boxing superstar Devin Haney says he's got Vasyl Lomachenko SHOOK ... because Haney thinks Loma is ducking the smoke with him, and Devin is SICK OF IT.

Haney is 22-0 and being hailed by some as the next Floyd Mayweather, because of the way he dominates his opponents in the ring, and his flashy style outside of it.

We got Devin in NYC and asked him who he wants next, when and if he dispatches Zaur Abdullaev on Friday night, and it's clear he wants a crack at Loma.

"After this fight, I'm the mandatory for Lomachencko. I'm going to make [the people] demand a fight with Lomachencko."

Haney's got a problem, he says Lomachencko doesn't want to tangle with him -- instead opting to move around at different weight classes and take fights with guys for headlines. Devin said it's time to stop all that.

"Stop ducking me, let's make it happen."

If you're looking for this fight to go down soon, don't hold your breath ... Haney is young, INSANELY DANGEROUS, and still building his boxing name, which means Lomachencko will probably take bigger money fights against other guys.

Tyson Fury says he doesn't give a DAMN about money -- telling TMZ Sports he's not boxing for the paycheck because he's never met one single happy millionaire.

"I know a lot of millionaires and I don't know one happy one. Not one," Fury said.

"They're always unhappy because they're searching for more. Material stuff or money will never make a man happy. Man has got to find happiness deep within his soul."

So, why are we talking money with Fury?

He's fighting undefeated Otto Wallin on Saturday -- and if he wins that fight, Tyson says next up is a rematch with Deontay Wilder ... which comes with a MASSIVE PAYDAY.

But, Tyson tells TMZ Sports the money ain't the motivator ... it's deeper than that.

"I'd rather have the victory than money, that's what I'm gunning for. I'm not gunning for his belt, I'm not gunning for the paycheck ... I'm going for his blood."

Fury continued, "It's not about money at all. When you're comfortable in your life, what do a few zeroes mean really anyway?"

"Money's one thing, but you're talking to a KING -- El Rey de los Gitanos!! I am the Gypsy King! The real official Gypsy King!"

Fury says he has millionaires and billionaires lining up to be his friend because they want to be close to greatness ... but he doesn't care because money can't buy happiness.

Andy Ruiz turned 30 years old on Wednesday -- and he celebrated by hanging out with inmates at one of the most infamous prisons in Mexico.

Just days before the heavyweight boxing champ kicks off training camp for the Anthony Joshua rematch, he visited Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Mexico ... where he was cheered by the hundreds of prisoners like a conquering hero!!!

It just so happened, the prison was hosting the prison championship boxing tournament that day -- so Ruiz got to see some of the inmates flex some real athletic ability.

During the visit, Ruiz spoke with the inmates and encouraged them to follow their dreams and get their lives in order ... noting that he was on a bad path himself before turning his life around and becoming a boxing superstar.

Andy's rep tells us, "For his birthday he decided to spend the day with these guys and talk to them and motivate."

Ruiz will get a second crack at Joshua on Dec. 7th in Saudi Arabia.

By the way, Topo Chico prison is notorious for a 2016 prison riot in which 49 people were killed. Two rival factions of the infamous Zetas cartel went to war inside the facility ... setting the cell blocks on fire.

In 2011, police found the body of a prison official -- completely dismembered -- inside of a box in an abandoned car near the penitentiary.

There's more ... but it's similar stuff.

Sorry, Conor McGregor ... there's a "0.00% chance" you'll get your rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- so says Khabib's manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz (looking fresh in his Versace shirt) after Khabib's big victory over Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi this weekend ... and we had to ask who's next on the hit list!!!

Of course, Dana White has said he wants Khabib to fight Tony Ferguson -- the #1 ranked lightweight contender -- but Ali says Tony's not the priority.

"Georges St-Pierre is next," Ali tells TMZ Sports ... "If Khabib is going to fight for legacy, a fight with GSP would be a huge fight."

Ali says Tony has never been a champion -- while GSP is widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time ... so for him, it's a no-brainer.

Plus, Ali says there's WAY more money in a Khabib vs. GSP fight ... explaining, "People would care more!!!"

Ali tells us, Khabib could be ready to take that fight before the end of 2019 -- and he's confident Georges could be ready too.

As for Conor -- who recently tweeted about wanting a 2nd crack at Khabib -- Ali says Khabib has nothing left to prove ... and since he smashed McGregor so badly in the first fight, there's no need for a rematch.

"Not interested at all ... for what?!? We already beat him, we already whooped his ass."

Ali also says Khabib doesn't want to get involved with the "ugliness" associated with Conor ... an obvious reference to the racist and disgusting insults McGregor spewed while promoting the fight.

"We don't wanna go through with this Conor bulls**t again."

When asked specifically about the chances of a rematch coming together, Ali said bluntly -- "0.00."