Boxing

The Doc is in ...

Dwight Gooden has signed a contract to participate in a Celebrity Boxing match on March 7 in Atlantic City, TMZ Sports has learned.

The former MLB star -- who has recently been dealing with substance abuse issues -- has decided that getting physically active again could be the best thing for him ... so he's agreed to box.

54-year-old Gooden has been working with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman for months -- in fact, Doc was the guest referee for Dustin Diamond's (Screech) last fight back in Sept.

But now, he'll get back in the ring as a competitor ... though CB is still working on locking up an opponent for the baseball star.

Celebrity Boxing has had some issues lately with stars like Lenny Dykstra and the Angry Bagel Boss Guy dropping out at the last minute -- but we're told Doc is fully committed.

No fake beef to sell a fight here ... Sergey Kovalev tells TMZ Sports he flat out admires Canelo Alvarez ... and is a HUGE fan of the superstar boxer.

But, for those thirsting for blood, don't sweat it ... Kovalev says he's gonna try his damndest to beat Canelo's ass when they fight Saturday night in Vegas.

Kovalev surprised boxing fans when he fanboy'd out during a backstage meeting with Canelo at a promotional event for their November 2nd mega-fight on DAZN ... even asking Alvarez to take a selfie.

Some people clowned Sergey for the selfie move, but The Krusher says he doesn't feel the need to create fake beef just to sell tickets.

“I like his boxing style," Sergey tells us ... "He’s a great champion, really, and I follow him for like all of my career from 2011 when I met with him. Because I saw how he sparred with Gennady Golovkin, and after this, I started to follow him."

As much as Kovalev likes Canelo, he was clear that once they're across from each other on Saturday, he's out for blood ... 'til the final bell rings.

"Inside the ring, we will be like the athletes. We will be like athletes, like boxers. Boxers should punch each other and after the fight, we will be friends again. This is just the sport."

The love ain't only one-sided ... we also spoke to Canelo, who was super complimentary of Kovalev.

Evander Holyfield's 22-year-old son is less than 24 hours away from making his pro-boxing debut on the undercard of Canelo vs. Kovalev ... and you better believe the Real Deal flew in to watch it go down in person.

Evan Holyfield is taking on Nick Winstead on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Vegas ... and says it's the opportunity he's been waiting for his entire life!

"It feels like Christmas right now!" Evan says ... "I'm not nervous, I'm excited!"

Evan's been fighting at the amateur level for 10 years -- logging 80 fights before getting a shot at the pro level ... and he can't wait to show the world what he's made of.

Of course, Evan's dad is one of the best of ALL TIME -- so he's had a pretty great mentor to guide him along his boxing journey.

In fact, Evan says Evander is already in Vegas and they had lunch this week to talk about strategy and get ready for the fight.

Evan says his dad is also excited for him -- "He knows what skills I have and all about the hard work I put in."

"I'm just ready to showcase what I have to do."

Oh and get this ... back in July Evan told us his dream match up would be against Canelo. So, consider this an audition for a possible match up!!!

Good luck!!!

Ryan Garcia is one of the best up and coming fighters on the planet but says he's still routinely challenged to street fights by macho idiots looking to test their mettle ... and it's becoming a problem.

In case you need his resume, 21-year-old Garcia is 18-0 and fighting on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev undercard on DAZN this weekend.

Oscar De La Hoya recently told us Garcia could be the first fighter to sign a $700 million multi-fight contract in the near future.

Despite having the ability to kill most people with his bare hands, Garcia tells TMZ Sports normies constantly hit him up looking to test his skills outside the ring.

"They're always trying to bully me for some reason, they're always like, 'Yeah, you don't even look like a boxer. I would whoop your ass on the street,' and this and that. And honestly, I don't even pay attention to it."

"I just keep it moving, you know. Alright, whatever. Say what you want. I'm gonna do my thing. Don't matter."

Garcia says people really test his patience, but he always opts to walks away ... 'cause he realizes if he beats up a civilian it could cost him that fat deal.

"Once in a while I just want to throw a left hook right across the face like, 'bang.' But, of course, you can't."

"Then I'll lose my $700 million to lawsuits. So, I'm good."

As we previously reported, Garcia has his sights set on some of the biggest names in the sport ... Gervonta "Tank" Davis, Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko.

KSI is eating like the Notorious leading up to his rematch with Logan Paul ... hiring Conor McGregor's personal chef to cook his meals leading up to the fight!!

The 26-year-old British internet superstar gave an inside look into his insane training program for the Nov. 9 bout ... revealing he hired combat sports superchef Eric Triliegi to help him get in fighting shape.

"When it comes to cooking, we needed to upgrade the nutrition," KSI said on DAZN's "40 Days: Behind-The-Scenes With KSI" docuseries.

"We needed something more performance-based and that's why we decided to get Eric in."

As we previously reported, KSI says he's spent $300k of his own money on boxing training and other fight preparation expenses ... dude's taking this extremely seriously.

Chef Eric -- who's worked with pro fighters like McGregor, Anthony Pettis and Miesha Tate -- gave a breakdown on the diet he's cookin' up for KSI ... and it doesn't hurt that the food looks BOMB.

"Our main goal is to give fighters food that enhances performance. If we're not doing that, then why are we even here feeding them?"

Logan also kept the cameras rolling for his 'Countdown to Fight Night' docuseries with DAZN ... which shows the intense training he's been putting into the rematch. There's a cool moment where he puts on the 10 oz. gloves for the first time.

"This shouldn't be allowed. I swear to God, this shouldn't be allowed," Logan said ... saying the 2 oz. glove difference from the 12 oz. gloves they rocked in the first fight will give him a huge advantage.

Logan also had Elvis Grant Phillips -- founder of Grant Boxing Worldwide -- over to his mansion to try on a sick pair of silk-lined gloves, which Elvis says is a first of its kind.

"I feel like I am holding a gun in my hand."

Boxing star Ryan Garcia has a little something in common with Arya Stark -- they've both got hit lists ... with Ryan calling out some of the biggest names in the sport!

The 21-year-old -- who's fighting this weekend on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev undercard -- was walking through the MGM Grand in Vegas when he started naming names.

"I want the biggest fights, but I know that won't happen until later on," the 18-0 fighter said.

"Gervonta Davis. Devin Haney. Vasyl Lomachenko" ... "Those are the fights I really want."

Gotta hand it to Garcia, those are three REAL KILLERS he just named.

Of course, Garcia's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, recently told us Garcia has the potential to be the highest-paid fighter of ALL TIME ... and wouldn't be shocked if he signed a $700 MILLION contract later in his career.

The way to get to that number is by fighting -- and beating -- the best in the business and it seems like Garcia is on board.

Did Floyd Mayweather just diss one of the richest guys on the planet? Seems that way.

Mayweather was walking into Craig's in L.A. on Monday night when our camera guy asked about the challenge made by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, a Chinese billionaire who wants to fight Floyd.

Ma made a video with Manny Pacquiao this week ... both guys called out Floyd. Manny wants a rematch and 55-year-old Ma says he's down for an exhibition scrap with TBE.

"I am ready. Any time, any place, Manny's team is ready," said Ma, who's been working out with Team Pacquiao.

The bad news for Jack ... Floyd says he's never heard of the guy!

"Who?!" Floyd said ... "I don't even know who he is!"

Yeesh. That's gotta hurt Ma's ego, right?

Floyd also responded to Manny Pacquiao's latest call for a rematch by mocking the way Manny called him out.

There have been rumblings Floyd is considering a rematch with the Filipino superstar ... but so far, nothing's in stone.

Douglas Lima says he ain't just the best welterweight in Bellator ... he's the best freakin' welterweight MMA fighter on planet Earth.

Yes ... ya listening, Kamaru Usman? 'Cause Lima says (in the most respectful way ever) he knows for sure he'd beat you!!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 31-year-old Lima -- who's got a record of 32-7 with wins over beasts like Michael "Venom" Page and Paul Daley -- 2 days after his Bellator Grand Prix title win over Rory McDonald.

The prize? The welterweight belt and a million bucks.

We'll get to the money later ... but first, we asked Lima where he stacks up when it comes to the badass welterweight fighters in the UFC.

Flat out, Douglas says he's the best ... and he's tired of people shading him and his skills 'cause he isn't in Dana White's promotion.

"I know real MMA fans, they recognize, they know I'm up there with those guys. They know I can beat, I can fight any of them. But, most of them it's like, 'Man, you're not in the UFC, you're a nobody.'"

Lima continued ... "Man, I hate that. That's people who doesn't understand the sport. It's not the name UFC or Bellator or ONE FC. There's killers everywhere."

Usman is the current champ ... so we point-blank asked Lima what'd happen if they fought.

"I'd beat him. I'd probably KO him. He's a great wrestler for sure, he wrestles a lot. But man, at any point in that fight if I connect, I can put him away. I don't even think about that, I just know I can beat him, I can beat anybody at this weight class.

"I'm not talking bad about the guy. He's a champion there. He's doing his thing. But, I just know it, man. If one day something like this happens, I definitely believe in myself to go over there and kill it."

Now, bout that milli ... the check hasn't hit Douglas' account just yet, but when it does -- he's got some pretty cool plans for the dough.

Andy Ruiz sprang into action after seeing an elderly man struggling to push his stalled car over the weekend -- hopping out of his ride to lend a heavyweight hand!!!

The boxing superstar was cruising with his childhood buddy, Alexander Martinez, in his pricey Lamborghini Urus when he spotted a guy struggling to move his Land Rover in the street.

That's when Martinez says Ruiz jumped into action ... telling The Sun, "Andy noticed he was trying to push the car himself and we pulled over and he got out with Anthony Garnica, a fellow fighter."

You can see in the video what happens next ... the two fighters get the stranded car through the intersection and to safety in a hurry -- and it's pretty awesome footage.

Both dudes struggle to keep their jeans up (seriously, guys, get a belt!!!) while pushing the car ... all while Martinez jokes about this being part of Ruiz's training for Anthony Joshua!!!

"They pushed the car and got back in," Martinez said of the deed. "The guy had no idea who he [Ruiz] was which was cool."

Seems like nobody was injured in the whole ordeal ... and it looks like the man's car is going to be fine after some minor repairs.

Tyson Fury wasn't just talkin' that talk when he said he wanted to get into MMA -- he was serious ... now announcing he'll be training with the Notorious MMA to get ready.

The heavyweight boxer confirmed the big news Sunday while talking to Sky Sports News, telling them that he's got something even bigger in the works than his upcoming WWE match against Braun Strowman in Saudi Arabia. What might that be, you ask???

It's the Octagon, baby!!! The Gypsy King himself says an MMA debut is on the horizon, and that none other than Conor McGregor is going to help him train across the pond.

And, when is this gonna be happening, you may wonder??? Tyson had an answer for that too ... he says if all goes according to plan, we may be seeing him get in the cage sometime this year. Keep in mind -- it's October, folks. So, if he's serious, that's a quick turnaround.

Lucky for Tyson, he looks to be in great shape right now ... and is definitely on a tear to take over all combat sports, as he told us just last week in NYC. We couldn't tell if he was simply hyped off his WWE debut by roping in MMA, but clearly he wasn't. He's dead serious.

How's this for AWKWARD -- undefeated boxing phenom Shakur Stevenson is fighting his GF's brother on Saturday night ... and he's vowing to bust that dude up!!!

Don't get it twisted, Shakur's opponent is no bum -- he's undefeated 23-0 Joet Gonzalez -- and they're fighting for the WBO featherweight championship!!!

So, how does 22-year-old Shakur feel about trying to knock out his girlfriend's sibling? NOT BOTHERED AT ALL!!!

"He's bothered by the situation," Shakur says. "He's the one who hates me. I don't really hate him."

We asked Shakur if he was going to take it easier on Joet because of the family connection -- and man, he straight up laughed in our faces.

"Hell no! F**k no! I'm not taking it easy at all!!!"

In fact, Shakur says ... "Saturday night I've got something that's gonna make him more mad!"

By the way, Shakur has been dominant in the ring ... and has HIGH HOPES for his pro career -- even calling out Vasyl Lomachenko, widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on Earth.

"Lomachenko. Lomachenko. Lomachenko is my dream fight."

Shakur says the guys have been in the ring together a lot ... 'cause he sparred with Vasyl back in 2017.

The dream could become reality very soon ... as in like the next 2 years, according to Shakur.

"I actually respect Lomachenko, he's one of the people that I think are one of the best in boxing. He's one of the people that I want to take their spot."

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields is getting more and more serious about switching over to MMA -- telling TMZ Sports she's down to fight in 2020 ... and she's getting help from one of the BEST in the game.

Shields is 9-0 as a pro boxer and holds a BUNCH of world titles -- but she admits she's getting a little bored with the lackluster competition in women's boxing ... and wants a challenge.

Shields recently began training in MMA with accomplished wrestler Adeline Gray -- and she's doing really well.

In fact, MMA rising superstar Kayla Harrison was so impressed ... she's offered to step in and help Claressa too.

"I see some true potential there," Harrison says ... "If she wants to continue to work on her [double leg takedown], she's got my number. I'll show her some judo throws. We can make it happen!"

Harrison told Shields there's one catch ...

"As long as you help me straighten out my striking! So far in my MMA career, I've thrown about zero punches on my feet."

Kayla thinks Shields could take a pro-MMA fight in 6 months -- and when we asked Shields if that sounded realistic, she was all about it.

"Yeah! It sounds great! MMA is interesting because I just love fighting, I really do. I love to punch people!"

Ultimately, seems Claressa's goal is to fight UFC superstar Amanda Nunes -- which would be AWESOME!!!

Canelo Alvarez is distancing himself from the sexual assault allegations levied against his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya ... saying, "I don't want to get involved in his business."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman is suing Oscar claiming he violently sexually assaulted her at his Pasadena home in 2017. Oscar vehemently denies the allegation.

And, since Canelo is a client of Oscar's Golden Boy Promotions, he was asked by Univision how he feels about the serious allegations against the boxing legend as he gears up for his big Nov. 2 fight against Sergey Kovalev.

"Listen, everyone has their own issues," Alvarez said (translated from Spanish) ... "He's got his problems, I have mine, and we each take care of our own stuff."

"He knows how to navigate them, and I don't want to get involved in his business."

Alvarez was asked if Oscar's issues affect him as an athlete, to which Canelo replied -- "No. For me, I do things the way I have to do them. It doesn't affect me at all."

Canelo was also asked if he had beef with Oscar over the allegations.

Logan Paul says the Mayweather family "doesn't give a f**k" if KSI wins their boxing rematch next month ... telling TMZ Sports Floyd's fam is only training him to promote their YouTube channel.

Of course, KSI has been training with some of the top guys in the industry -- including "team advisor" Jeff Mayweather (Floyd's uncle) -- leading up to the Nov. 9 bout at Staples Center, which will stream on DAZN.

24-year-old Paul was training at Wild Card Boxing gym in L.A. on Tuesday ... when he told us his opponent is being used by the legendary family for clout.

"I think the Mayweathers are smart. I think they know if they put KSI's name in their video, they'll get views on their YouTube channel," Logan said.

"Let's be honest. I'm pretty sure Floyd Mayweather or any of the Mayweathers don't give a f**k if he wins or loses the fight ... but you got those views on that YouTube channel!! Way to go!!"

FWIW -- we spoke with KSI earlier this month about his training ... and he's so serious about pursuing a career in the sport, he's already spent $300k of his own dough on training, diet, equipment, etc.

Jake Paul is doubling down on his claim he hooked up with Bellator fighter Dillon Danis' GF ... and he tells TMZ Sports he WILL take their beef to the ring ... just not yet.

So, a bit of a crash course here -- 22-year-old Jake first called out Danis last year, saying he'd beat his ass in a boxing match because his "striking is super weak."

The 2 have traded insults ever since ... and Jake recently went to IG to tell Danis to "ask savannah about the time we hooked up," ... referring to Savannah Montano, an Instagram model Danis has been dating for a while now.

Fast forward to Monday, when Danis told Ariel Helwani he was offered between $4 to $5 million to face off with Paul to finally settle their differences in the ring (while also calling BS on Paul's most recent jab).

We spoke with Jake at Wild Card boxing gym on Tuesday about the huge offer ... and Paul said, "I don't know what he's talking about."

And, then Jake went IN on Danis.

"Dillon, I know you're watching this ... Just remember you're still a bitch and I hooked up with your girlfriend. Savannah, how you doing? What's good?"

Jake added ... "He's not worth $5 million. The only reason anyone knows who he is, is because he's used me and my brother's name to make a name for himself and he got punched in the face by Khabib [Nurmagomedov after UFC 229]. That's the peak of his career."

"He's Conor McGregor's best friend. That's all this guy's done."

Jake says he's not fighting Danis yet because it's not what the fans want right now ... but when the time is right, he's fully prepared to take him on.

At least one Paul brother will be taking the ring soon ... Logan will have his highly anticipated rematch with KSI on Nov. 9, which will be streamed on DAZN.

No hostility, just respect ... at least that's how it went down when Canelo Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev met backstage for a recent fight event -- with Kovalev even asking for a selfie!!!

The two came face to face during a Sept. 18 promotional event leading up to their big Nov. 2 fight in Las Vegas ... and it was like old friends getting together!!!

Sergey commented on Canelo beefing up as he prepared his body to jump two weight classes to fight Kovalev as a light heavyweight ... the first time Canelo's ever fought at that weight.

And, after a friendly exchange and a fist pound, Canelo agreed to pose a quick selfie.

It was all captured for DAZN's docu-series, "40 Days: Canelo vs. Kovalev" -- which features all of the behind the scenes drama leading up to what could be the fight of the year.

The 3-part series, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's Uninterrupted brand -- along with Mexican soccer superstar Carlos Vela -- kicks off Tuesday night ... and features stars like Gabriel Iglesias, Draymond Green and DJ Khaled.