Boxing

Tyson Fury has finally returned home to England ... and turned the airport into a nightclub!!!

There were HUNDREDS of fans lined up to greet the 31-year-old heavyweight champ at Manchester Airport on Tuesday morning ... including a DJ who pumped music to the pumped-up crowd.

Fury LOVED IT -- and played along to the crowd as he continued to celebrate his victory over Deontay Wilder.

Tyson had a few marks on his face -- but overall, he looked pretty good ... much better than his last fight anyway (remember, they had to sew his face shut after that gnarly gash).

"Thank you, everybody, for coming to support me," Fury told the crowd ... "God bless!"

Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder has said he wants a 3rd crack at Fury and will exercise the rematch clause in his contract.

No word on when that will take place -- but whenever it happens, ya gotta think Wilder will cool it on the ring walkout costume next time around ... maybe get carried to the stage like Tyson!

Don McLean says he saw Tyson Fury sing his #1 song, "American Pie," after beating Deontay Wilder in Vegas Saturday night ... and tells TMZ Sports he thought it was AWESOME!!!

After Fury got the TKO against Wilder in the 7th round, he took the mic during the post-fight interview and said, "I said I'd sing a song tonight didn't I?!" ... and delivered his version of McLean's 1971 classic "American Pie!"

"He did very well," McLean tells us, "I would say he's the #1 bar room singer. Excellent job!"

McLean says he was even more ecstatic when the WHOLE CROWD joined the new heavyweight champ ..and they also KILLED IT -- word for word!

"The thing that knocked me out was that everybody, all the old folks, young folks, everybody knew all the words. Kind of a thrill for me to see that!"

And, he hopes Fury does it again 'cause he's down to get in the ring and sing with him ..."That would be fun!"

"I'm looking forward to hear him do it again and winning again!"

McLean is actually on tour right now, so we asked since Fury got some time now, if he can join him ... and ya gotta hear what he says!

Deontay Wilder wants ONE MORE SHOT at Tyson Fury ... so says his fiancee, Telli Swift, who's vowing the Bronze Bomber will be champion again.

Of course, 34-year-old Wilder lost the WBC heavyweight title to the Gypsy King on Saturday in a 7th round TKO. It was the first loss of Wilder's pro career.

Wilder has a rematch clause in his contract and everyone wants to know if Deontay will exercise it.

Now, some clarity courtesy of Deontay's fiancee -- who posted on Monday morning, "#WilderFury3 here we come!!"

Telli Swift buried the statement at the bottom of a long Instagram post praising Wilder -- in which she explains why she's confident he'll return to the top of the boxing world.

"Deontay, you showed us what Strength, Passion, and Courage looks like. You showed the world what it takes to Be A Champion."

"Most people have no idea just how hard you train, the blood, sweat, and tears you put into this sport for other people’s entertainment ... One moment in time does not define your legacy, your legacy is created throughout time and we will continue to do just that."

Swift ended her tribute saying "Continue to give god the glory so we can get back our belt!  #WilderFury3 here we come!! #thesagacontinues #stillourchamp #bombzquad."

And, get this ... BEFORE the fight, we asked Tyson Fury how he felt about a 3rd bout with Wilder -- and the comments he gave us are encouraging if you're hoping for a trilogy.

Boxing star Sergey Kovalev was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles early Monday morning, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 36-year-old former light heavyweight champ -- who recently fought (and lost to) Canelo Alvarez -- was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol around 2 AM.

During the stop, the trooper believed Kovalev was under the influence and arrested him for DUI. He was taken to a nearby station where he was booked.

Records show Kovalev was released on his own recognizance around 7:35 AM.

It's not Kovalev's first brush with the law ... in fact, the Russian star is currently in the middle of a felony assault case stemming from an incident where he allegedly brutalized a woman in 2018.

As we previously reported, Kovalev is accused of attacking Jamie Frontz -- who says the boxing star got violent after she rejected his sexual advances after the opening of a boxing gym in Big Bear, CA.

If convicted on the assault charge, Kovalev faces up to 4 years in prison -- though he has pled not guilty and is fighting the case.

Kovalev is 34-4-1 as a pro -- winning several light heavyweight belts during his outstanding career.

Tyson Fury ... YOU NASTY!!!

The boxing star not only beat up Deontay Wilder in their heavyweight clash Saturday night -- he LICKED THE BLOOD off Wilder's neck during the fight!!

31-year-old Fury had dominated from the start -- teeing off on the Bronze Bomber (and likely busting his eardrum in the process) in their highly anticipated rematch.

Wilder was dripping blood all over the place -- and during the 6th round, Fury flicked out his tongue and began licking the blood off of Wilder's bloody neck!!!!

It was super gross -- and Fury loved it.

Wilder's corner ultimately threw in the towel in Round 7 -- it was clear Deontay just didn't have it Saturday night.

After the fight, Fury's crazy antics continued ... he grabbed the mic and sang Don McLean's "American Pie" while encouraging the Vegas crowd to sing along! The place went nuts!

Fury praised Wilder as a great fighter and said he thinks Deontay will be champion again -- but for now, Tyson reminded everyone why he's the "Gypsy King."

Still, the tongue thing was super gross ... your highness.

Deontay Wilder isn't only known for his devastating knockout power ... he's also famous for his epic ring walk costumes, and the heavyweight champ tells us he dropped 40 grand on this weekend's epic outfit.

TMZ Sports talked to the 34-year-old Bronze Bomber on Thursday ... 2 days before of one of the most anticipated fights in heavyweight boxing history.

As you'd expect, Wilder says he's gonna flatten Fury ... but we also talked about what's really important -- the walk out uni.

So, what does Deontay have planned?

"Oh my goodness! It's going to be amazing man. Come Saturday night, one of the things that I made a promise to myself talking to my advisor Al [Haymon], when I got to a certain point into my career, I said, 'I wanna give the boxing fans, I wanna give the world something that they can remember me by.'"

"Not only just the knockouts, but me expressing myself before coming out and entering into the ring."

Wilder says "expressing" himself this weekend is gonna run him $40,000 ... but it's worth it 'cause the costumes are part of his legacy, and will end up making him a crapload of money in the future.

"Spending money on these costumes and stuff, whether it's [$10K to $40K], I know they're going to turn to millions. It's gonna be 10 million, 40 million, after I get finished, because of the things I've done in boxing and the way I was able to do it in."

If you're not familiar with what Deontay does ... this was his outfit for his last fight against Luis Ortiz. It sounds like he's even going bigger this time around.

Floyd Mayweather celebrated his 43rd Birthday in grand fashion Friday night ... with tons of celebs to help him out.

Floyd and co. shut down the Sunset Eden nightclub in Hollywood where hundreds of folks lit up the room, including Snoop Dogg, French Montana, Lil' Kim, Reggie Bush, Tiffany Haddish and Quavo.

There were sexy ladies riding "Air Mayweather" planes flying up and down with smoke and fire. Check out the woman on the shoulders of a man surrounded by golden flares.

There were plenty of 100 bills with Floyd's face on them.

Andre Ward retired as an undefeated 33-year-old fighter, and the future HOF'er tells us he misses fighting ... so, is there a comeback in the cards for the superstar boxer?

Hell no.

TMZ Sports talked to the now 35-year-old Ward -- who retired in 2017 with a 32-0 record -- about a return to the ring ... and for S.O.G. fans, this ain't good news.

"I hate to bust any bubbles. Do I miss it? Absolutely. Being around a fight week and you kinda get the smells, and the feels and the sights, of course you miss it."

Ward continued ... "Man, I'm a warrior. I been in this game since I was 9 years old, and you definitely have thoughts but they're fleeting. Then you remember all the pain, you remember the training camps, you remember getting hit in the face, you remember all of that stuff, then all the sudden the thoughts go away just like that."

Ward had a stellar career ... he was a multiple-time world champion across 2 weight classes with wins over fighters like Sergey Kovalev (twice).

But these days, Ward says ... "I'm content wearing the suit now, and I'm excited to watch these other guys compete."

The guys he's pumped to watch fight are Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury ... 'cause Ward's working the super-anticipated rematch Saturday night in Vegas.

Adrien Broner was just arrested and taken away by cops at the Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury weigh-in ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

30-year-old Broner -- who is no stranger to run-ins with the law -- was cuffed and hauled away by Las Vegas Metro police officers on Friday after Broner refused to leave the MGM Grand Garden.

Here's the deal ... back in November, AB was twice told he was NOT allowed to visit the property (it's unclear exactly why). Regardless of the warning, Broner showed up at the weigh-in.

We're told AB was asked to leave, but he ignored the request ... so hotel security detained him until police took over.

We're told Broner is being taken to the county jail ... where he will be processed ... before being released with a misdemeanor trespassing citation.

Broner (33-4-1) -- once considered one of the best boxers in the world.-- hasn't fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in January 2019 and has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Deontay Wilder is considered by many the HARDEST PUNCHER of all time ... but Tyson Fury says that's BS, 'cause he's faced someone who hits harder.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Fury Thursday afternoon, days before his rematch with Wilder ... and we asked about the Bronze Bombers legendary power.

"I'm not so sure [Wilder's the hardest puncher ever], I'm not so sure. He hit me with his best shots, I got back up again. I think Wladimir Klitschko was a massive puncher. Probably a bigger puncher than Deontay Wilder."

W. Klitschko was a beast in the ring ... known for his great knockout power. Fury and Klitschko fought in October 2015 ... and Tyson won by unanimous decision. It was WK's first loss in a decade.

Wladimir finished his career 64-5 ... with 53 KO's.

As for 42-0-1 Wilder, he's got 41 wins by knockout ... KO'ing all but 2 of his opponents.

When Fury and Wilder fought last year, Deontay knocked Tyson down twice ... but Fury somehow managed to get back to his feet. The bout ended in a draw.

The 2 massive heavyweights settle their beef Saturday night in Vegas ... and Fury says it's gonna be him doing the knocking out.

"I think the judges can do a good job, and will do a good job. But, I'm going out there anyway to knock him out," Tyson says.

Chad Johnson -- the bad boy from JoJo's season of "The Bachelorette" -- is out for blood ... specifically from Colton Underwood or Nick Viall, but the violence is for a good cause!!!

We got Chad out Tuesday at Elite Boxing Club in the San Fernando Valley, and asked about his boxing match coming up April 22. The event's being dubbed "Battle of the Bachelors" ... and there's only one problem.

Chad doesn't have an opponent, at least not yet. Of course, he has a wish list, and he didn't hesitate to explain why he's dreaming about doing some damage to Nick's "stupid face."

His first choice though is Colton, who of course appeared in Becca's season of "The Bachelorette" ... and later was the Bachelor himself.

Chad's no stranger to beefing with CU, or anyone else in 'Bachelor' nation -- but at least this time it will benefit someone besides Chad. All donations from the event will go to the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation.

The event -- hosted by alums Corinne Olympios and Josh Murray -- is still 2 months away but Chad's getting a head start on trash talking and training.

Jake Paul says his team is actively in talks with KSI's people to make a boxing super-fight happen ... but tells TMZ Sports he thinks Logan's foe is too chicken to get in the ring!!!

Of course, the younger Paul bro has vowed revenge following Logan's controversial loss to KSI back in November ... and now that he bulldozed his way past AnEsonGib, there's only one fight to make.

We spoke with JP about his fighting future ... and he sees another easy W coming at the hands of KSI VERY soon.

"Our teams are talking," Jake tells us. "I'm telling you, I'm gonna knock this kid out in the 1st round," he said. "I have to avenge the family name."

Jake even adds a direct message for KSI, saying, "I know you're going to be watching this. Stop being an embarrassment. You said you'd fight me and I embarrassed your friend, who you said was gonna beat me. I think you have to take this fight."

Jake believes his words are gonna fall on deaf ears though .. saying KSI watched his fight and realized Paul might be too skilled in the ring now.

"I think deep down, (he) saw my performance and is like, 'wow, do I really need to like risk this? I can just YouTube and make shitty music.' That's what he's thinking."

As for a fight date?? Jake makes it clear he doesn't wanna waste any time -- he says he's down to scrap right now!!

Ryan Garcia was still TURNT ALL THE WAY UP at his victory party following his KO of Francisco Fonseca ... telling the crowd, "How about that f**king left hook?!"

Just hours after the 21-year-old boxing superstar put together another highlight-reel performance, Garcia and his crew celebrated at a house party in Orange County.

Garcia -- who barely broke a sweat -- grabbed the mic and thanked everybody in the crowd for supporting him in his meteoric rise to boxing stardom ... saying, "This is a team effort."

He also talked about the crazy work ethic that helped him become the WBC silver lightweight champ -- saying, he busts his ass "every f**king day!"

Garcia is 20-0 with 17 knockouts ... and his last 2 fights have lasted a grand total of 2 minutes and 58 seconds!

So, what's next for Garcia? His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, says he's already reserved the Staples Center for a fight with former world champion Jorge Linares.

After that ... Garcia has said he wants everyone from Gervonta "Tank" Davis to Devin Haney.

Ryan Garcia says he knew he was going to knock out his opponent on Friday night -- which he did, BTW -- so he sent a little prayer up to the man upstairs on behalf of the guy.

We talked to the lightweight boxing sensation Friday at an after-party following his vicious one-punch, first-round knock out of Francisco Fonseca -- and Ryan tells us point blank ... he knew it would happen, and actually asked God to wake the dude up sooner than later.

ICYMI, it was a spectacular hit, and now Ryan's the talk of the town in boxing. People are calling him a phenom, and also the new poster boy of the sport. You can see why.

Word around the ring is ... Floyd Mayweather's protege, Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, took about 8 rounds or so put down Fonseca not too long ago -- and Ryan did it in a matter of seconds.

Obviously, the chatter about a potential matchup here is in full swing -- but Ryan doesn't wanna rush things, and actually wants to prove himself first with other opponents. Check it out ... he gives a list of names of guys he'd like to see first before Tank.

Spoiler ... sounds like he's confident he can take all of them down, and has a message for Floyd too.

BTW, Ryan had a subtle tribute to the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, on his trunks during the Valentine's Day bout -- and he broke it down for us here too.

"AB is a man of failure. Just a series of repeated failures."

That's Logan Paul going OFF on Antonio Brown ... saying AB is ducking him when it comes to their proposed celeb boxing match!!

"I'm a man of action," Logan tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm here to make money and win. And, AB is consistently losing and getting rocked by life."

Paul and AB appeared to have an agreement to fight each other this year ... but Logan told us out at Dan Bilzerian’s Angels & Devils Party on Thursday talks have fallen through.

And, when Paul was explaining why ... he basically said it's all Brown's fault.

Of course, AB did seem serious about the scrap at one point in time ... even getting in the ring with a trainer last month to hit the mitts and get his footwork down.

But, Brown seems more focused on getting back in the NFL than fighting YouTube stars these days ... he's been on a huge apology tour, clearly, with the hopes Roger Goodell will allow him back in the league next season.

Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis have BADDD BLOOD, so it's shocking the star boxer told us he does NOT want Tank locked up for domestic violence ... but only 'cause Garcia can't put his hands on Davis in jail.

Remember, Davis was arrested for domestic violence last week ... days after a video appearing to show Tank grab his baby mama by the neck went viral.

Gervonta is facing up to a year behind bars, if convicted.

TMZ Sports talked to Davis' rival, Garcia about the situation ... and the 21-year-old undefeated boxer weighed in on the viral video and arrest.

"I just see that he's not focused. Right now he's not focused. He's not being a disciplined type of person. For you to get angry like that. To do that in front of people is just crazy."

Garcia continued ... "I think he needs to get right back on focus cause we need to fight. So, I need him to get right back on track. I need him to stay focused in the gym. I want him in the gym so we can fight."

We asked Garcia if that meant he was rooting for Tank to make things right with the mother of his child so he could avoid jail.

"100 percent. I was like just crossing my fingers. Like, 'don't go to jail. Stay focused. Continue on to your next fight and let's get it on.'"

Speaking of next fights ... before Garcia can box Davis, he's got a big bout with 26-year-old Francisco Fonseca Friday night on DAZN.

If Garcia beats Fonseca -- who's 25-2-2 -- he could fight Tank later this year ... as long as Davis is a free man.