Boxing

Errol Spence Jr. is on a mission to get Manny Pacquiao into the ring and nothing ... not even the L.A. turn-up scene, is going to get in the way of that.

We got Spence out in L.A. only a night removed from a razor-thin victory over Shawn Porter in what some are calling the best fight of the year, and he still had one thing on his mind ... Manny.

"I want Manny Pacquiao."

Spence has been calling out Manny for a while, wanting both the big money and the prestige boost that would come from fighting -- and maybe beating -- an all-time great.

Pac-Man has said he's not gonna fight again until 2020, and hasn't said against who ... but after watching the success Porter had against Spence (just look at Errol's face), you gotta wonder if Manny is more inclined to dance with ES.

We'll see about that ... and we'll also see Errol coming from a mile away ... dude's neck was DRIPPING with ice.

Vanes Martirosyan -- a stud boxer who just fought Gennady Golovkin last year -- was arrested earlier this month and cops suspect he headbutted his wife.

TMZ Sports has learned 33-year-old Martirosyan -- a middleweight with a career record of 36-4 -- got into an argument with his wife in their Glendale-area home on Sept. 15.

Our law enforcement sources say the altercation started as a verbal fight ... but then things took a violent turn.

We're told the 5-foot-11, 175-pound boxer allegedly grabbed his wife by the arm and is believed to have headbutted her square in the face.

We're told she was able to flee the home ... and after cops showed up to the scene, they found her with a bruise on her arm and a messed-up nose.

Looks like the Bagel Guy pulled a fast one on folks hoping he'd get in the ring with Dustin Diamond -- aka Screech -- 'cause he just announced he's not fighting the guy.

Chris Morgan took to Twitter Saturday night to laugh in fans' faces as he pulled out of the celeb boxing event in Jersey that he and others had been hyping up for weeks now. In a bizarre video he posted, Chris says ... "I fooled you all! I ain't coming to the fight!"

He went on to say that the best way to NOT get hit is to not be there, and then continued to mock everyone who paid to see him duke it out with Screech.

Chris didn't make it immediately clear why he canceled last-minute, but in two videos he'd gone live with prior to the boxing match -- in which he's sitting alone in his car and arguing with fans who engage him -- he alluded to not wanting to be a laughing stock.

Jermell Charlo ain't fighting this weekend ... but all eyes are gonna be on him anyway, 'cause the boxing star just copped an insane amount of jewelry worth $553k!!!

The former WBC light middleweight champ is gonna be iced out when he hits up the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter boxing match at Staples Center on Saturday ... with a haul that would make Floyd Mayweather blush.

Charlo hit up celeb jeweler Iceman Nick for the task for the watch, chain, pendant, rings and bracelet order. Here's the breakdown:

Errol Spence says anyone who thinks Shawn Porter can't beat him is DEAD wrong ... 'cause Spence says Showtime definitely has what it takes to pull the upset.

Porter is a heavy betting underdog in the fight this weekend -- even though Shawn is an elite fighter himself -- and current WBC Welterweight champion.

Most think Spence is too big and skilled to lose the fight, but when we talked to Errol he told us he's not even listening to that talk ... cause he knows how good Porter is.

"This is a huge fight. He has the pedigree to upset me if I'm not on pinpoint and I'm not sharp and I'm not accurate. Me, I'm going to stay focused and not care about the odds."

Those odds are pretty lopsided -- you have to bet $800 on Errol just to win $100 -- but Spence says being the favorite hasn't changed his process.

"I'm 100% focused on the hunt."

Errol has another reason to lock in as well ... he's eyeing a big-money match-up with Manny Pacquiao down the line.

But, lose Saturday, that $100 million fight goes up in smoke.

No pressure though, right???

We also talked to Porter ... and no surprise, he also believes he can beat Spence. In fact, he says it's a 100% lock he wins.

UFC fighter Steven Peterson's spinning backfist was so vicious there's buzz it could be "KO of the Year" ... except the guy who landed the crushing blow says he doesn't deserve it.

That honor is reserved for Gamebred ... Peterson tells TMZ Sports.

"Man, I would love to get knockout of the year, but I can't beat Jorge Masvidal's knockout. You can't beat the flying knee knockout. I bet I'll get runner up, and I'm happy with that. I'm ecstatic to have runner up behind Jorge Masvidal."

Of course, Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee 5 seconds into their July fight.

Spectacular ... but so was Peterson's.

If you missed his fight, the 29-year-old featherweight switched off Martin Bravo's lights with a perfectly placed spinning backfist in the 2nd round at UFC Fight Night 159 Saturday night.

So, what was it like landing the perfect shot full force to the button of Bravo's chin???

Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion ever ... but there's another champion he could've been ... UFC champion, so says MMA legend Rashad Evans.

Mike and Rashad are buddies and business partners -- remember Tyson recently hooked Evans up with boxing pointers on the sideline of an NFL game -- so when we talked to "Suga," we asked how Iron Mike would've fared in the Octagon.

"He could've been amazing, because every single time he lowers his level in a crouch situation, that could've been him faking for a shot and doing a level change, or doing a shot. So, he would've thrown the person off not knowing if he was going for a shot or go for a punch."

"You know when Tyson came up from that crouch position. He was coming up with those hands and that left hook, overhand right. It would've been lights out."

But, UFC heavyweight champion???

"Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. At a young age too. That's the thing, Mike Tyson's a sponge. That's one thing I learned about Mike, Mike knows everything. Mike's gonna study everything. There's no doubt in my mind, he would've been proficient in almost every aspect of the sport just because that's the way his mind works."

FYI, Rashad -- who was retired -- just secured his release from the UFC ... and is now available to sign with other promotions. We're told he's looking to take a fight in the near future.

So, the former light heavyweight champ's back ... but now he's got some schooling from Mike Tyson.

1 legendary Met is out, another is in ... 'cause Dwight "Doc" Gooden will referee the Bagel Guy vs. Dustin Diamond celebrity boxing match this weekend.

Promoter Damon Feldman tells TMZ Sports he struck a deal with Gooden ... who will be inside the ring reffing Saturday night at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City.

Remember, the fight was originally supposed to be Bagel Guy Chris Morgan against NYM great Lenny Dykstra ... but Nails pulled out last minute.

We broke the story, Dykstra was replaced by "Saved By The Bell" star Dustin Diamond ... aka "Screech."

Lenny Dykstra will NOT fight Bagel Guy Chris Morgan ... the ex-MLB star has pulled out of the celebrity boxing match just DAYS before it was set to go down.

Dykstra had been promoting the Sept. 28 event for weeks -- he's been training, trash-talking ... he even shoved Morgan during a face-off earlier this month.

But now, it's all over ... Lenny went on Howard Stern Monday morning to make the announcement himself -- "Unfortunately, the fight will not happen."

Lenny's attorney, John Pierce, issued a statement explaining Dykstra pulled out to focus on preparing for his upcoming trial, stemming from a malpractice suit.

As we previously reported, Lenny filed a $15 million lawsuit against L.A. County and several deputies claiming he was badly beaten while serving a jail sentence in 2012.

Now, he's suing the Boucher Law Firm -- which represented him in his lawsuit -- and his new attorney believes the boxing match would be too big of a distraction with that legal issue on the horizon.

Dykstra's attorney says ... "The fight will not be rescheduled."

We're told "Bagel Guy" wants a new opponent -- after all, he's been training with UFC stars like Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta ... and he wants to unleash the fury on someone!

Stay tuned ...

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."