Boxing

George Foreman says Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.'s return to the boxing ring is a "beautiful thing" ... but admits he is scared the legendary pugilists could be seriously hurt.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 54-year-old Tyson and 51-year-old Jones Jr. are coming out of retirement to put on a massively anticipated 8-round exhibition fight -- and combat sports fans are PUMPED!

But, Foreman -- who had 81 professional bouts against immortal fighters like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier -- says he's very concerned about "Iron Mike" and RJJ's well-being.

"There's a time when you gotta worry about your health, but it's a beautiful thing that they would even come out," George says.

"Maybe they can even name a charity or something for the recipient of the funds. I think it's good to come out but its gotta be a fun thing, but I hope one does not hit the other."

FYI, Tyson -- who last fought in 2005 -- told us he's donating a portion of his fight paycheck to charity.

Foreman is admittedly anxious Mike and Roy could be permanently hurt, so we asked him if he'd advise the men to rethink their decision to step back into the squared circle.

"I would just tell them it's really dangerous but when you make up your mind to do something like that, you can't tell them 'don't do it.' They're not gonna hear that. Even me. Big fool like me, back in the day, I only saw what I wanted to see."

George says he totally understands why Mike and Roy want to fight ... and even revealed he attempted to make a third comeback in his mid-50's.

(Of course, George became heavyweight champ for a 2nd time at 45 years old.)

"I was 55 years old. I was in shape and everything," Foreman says, continuing ... "[My wife] says 'you're not going to do anything like that,' I said, 'I'm telling you, you can't tell me what to do. I can still  -- I said don't you believe in me? Look at me, I can still do it!'"

Mike Tyson was seeing green when he signed his contract to fight Roy Jones Jr. ... puffing away on a joint that would make Snoop Dogg proud!

Check out the footage ... both Mike and Roy were all smiles when they officially signed on the dotted line last month during a Zoom call.

Our sources tell us Triller -- a social media app looking to overtake TikTok -- shelled out roughly $50 mil for the rights to the fight, looking to make a statement that they're serious about moving into the live events space.

Mike says he's personally not getting rich from the fight -- saying his cut will go to charity ... "I'm not getting anything."

Tyson says his mission in life isn't to amass wealth -- it's to help people in need, and doing this fight was a great way for him to make an impact.

As for Roy, he tells us the way his contract is structured, he has the potential to rake in more than $10 MILLION for the fight, as long as the PPV numbers are big.

Roy says he can make more money at 51 years old than he did when he was 31!

As we previously reported, the epic matchup is set to go down in California on Sept. 12 -- with no fans in attendance due to the COVID pandemic.

MIKE TYSON JUST BOOKED HIS FIRST COMEBACK FIGHT -- AND IT'S AGAINST ROY JONES JR.!!

The 54-year-old boxing legend has been training his ass off to get back in the ring ... and now, we've learned his first opponent is one of the greatest fighters EVER!

"Iron" Mike will take on Roy Jones Jr. on Sept. 12 in an 8-round exhibition being called Frontline Battle -- available on Pay-per-view and on the social media platform, Triller.

We're told the fight will take place in California -- and will be sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission.

The event will include an undercard and live musical performances from top artists -- and since Triller is backed by big stars like Snoop, Lil Wayne, Future, The Weeknd, Pitbull, Marshmello and more -- the entertainment should be pretty solid!

FYI, Triller is a rapidly growing social media platform that's gunning to take over the TikTok crowd -- and while it's previously focused on music (including partnerships with major labels) it's now making a concentrated foray into live events including sports.

Tyson has been talking about a comeback for months and got some massive offers -- so, we're guessing Triller shelled out some big bucks to land the rights to his first comeback fight.

There's more ... we've also learned Triller locked up the rights to a 10-part docuseries featuring Mike and Roy preparing for their fight ... with 2 episodes dropping every week until fight night, streaming on the platform.

As for the combatants, RJJ is 51 -- and held titles in 4 different weight classes ... middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

Roy most recently fought in Feb. 2018 -- but he's been training constantly and feels he can compete with Tyson.

Of course, Tyson hasn't had a pro fight since June 2005 ... and battled substance abuse and weight issues after he stepped away.

But now, Tyson says he's made health and fitness a priority again -- and wants to get back into the ring to help raise money for charity.

Tyson had previously told us his sights were set on Evander Holyfield in a comeback fight ... and we're told that's still a possibility down the road -- but first up is Roy.

RJJ has had 75 pro fights -- with an unreal 66-9 record. He's got victories over guys like Antonio Tarver, Felix Trinidad, James Toney, Bernard Hopkins and Vinny Paz.

Tyson was 50-6 as a pro -- with victories over guys like Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Trevor Berbick and more.

The Floyd Mayweather boxing comeback is back on -- he's actively looking for new exhibition fights after shutting things down earlier this year.

We broke the story ... Mayweather had previously been gunning for 2 fights in 2020 -- one against a pro boxer and one against an MMA star (he was really into the idea of Khabib Nurmagomedov).

But, some unforeseen circumstances changed those plans -- not just the COVID pandemic ... but Floyd was also crushed by the unexpected deaths of his uncle, Roger Mayweather, and Josie Harris, the mother of his children.

Back in March, Floyd was telling people close to him he wasn't in the right state of mind to focus on a comeback ... but now in July, he says he's ready for some exhibition fights in Japan.

"We’re working on some things right now for Tokyo," Floyd told Forbes ... "Whether 2020 or 2021."

The opponents are still up in the air -- but Floyd is making it crystal clear, these will be boxing matches and NOT mixed martial arts fights,

“No [I won’t compete in MMA],” Mayweather said -- "I think just like how winning teams receive home-field advantage in the playoffs ... you don't fix what isn't broken, and my record isn't broken.”

Floyd had previously teased the idea of an MMA fight -- and even began MMA training -- but ultimately decided, he'll stick to fists-only.

As for a Conor McGregor boxing rematch -- Mayweather says there's no deal in place, but he's keeping the opportunity open.

"For now, I'm happily retired. You never know, but it would have to be worth it,” Mayweather said.

An undefeated pro boxer was AXED by his management company Wednesday after the fighter went on a disgusting homophobic rant on TikTok.

Meet James Hawley ... a 21-year-old fighter from the U.K. -- he's 6-0 and was signed with MTK Global, which reps huge boxing stars like Tyson Fury, Carl Frampton and Billy Joe Saunders.

Hawley decided to do a little Q&A on TikTok recently and was asked, "Do you support LGBT?"

His response ... "I one-thousand, one-million percent do not agree with this stuff."

Hawley said he appreciates hot lesbian chicks -- but gay dudes and transgender people just rub him the wrong way.

What a renaissance man, right?

Hawley continued to spew a bunch of super offensive and graphic stuff that we're just not going to include in this article.

He ended with, "I feel sorry for your families."

The rant caught the attention of a "RuPaul's Drag Race U.K." star named Baga Chipz -- who reached out to MTK Global to find out why they would represent someone with such a hateful message?

To MTK Global's credit, they responded to Baga Chipz almost immediately -- saying they cut ties with Hawley after seeing the clip.

"The management team have made the decision to terminate Mr. Hawley's contract with MTK Global with immediate effect and will no longer be representing him in any format."

"MTK Global does not in any way condone, or support the views that were shared in any way, nor will these comments ever be considered as acceptable from any of our fighters hence the decision that was made by management."

After his release, Hawley made a video addressing the move -- and sort of (but not really) apologizing.

Hawley's defense is that he was being sent graphic photos and videos from gay people and lashed out in a fit of anger.

Hawley says he is the victim of abuse by those people -- and isn't backing down.

Of course, Hawley also offered up the "I have gay friends" excuse.

Undefeated boxing star Travell Mazion -- known as "Black Magic" -- was killed Wednesday in a car crash in Austin, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was only 24.

Details about the crash are unclear -- we're working on it.

Mazion was 17-0 as a pro -- most recently defeating Fernando Castaneda at the Alamodome in San Antonio back in January.

It was an impressive 58-second victory for Mazion -- who won the NABF 154 pound title in the process.

Travell was a talented guy with tremendous potential. He was once backed by NFL star Von Miller.

Tributes are already pouring in from the boxing world.

Boxer Vergil Ortiz Jr. said, "I can’t believe it, R.I.P Travell Mazion."

"For those who don’t know him or never met him, he was a very talented boxer and one of the coolest people I knew. Always enjoyed watching him fight. Love you bro, watch over us."

Now we know why Mike Tyson was throwing a steel cage on the beach in L.A. the other day ... SHARK WEEEEEEK!!!!

The 54-year-old boxing legend has teamed up with Discovery Channel for an August 9 special called, "Tyson Vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef."

So, what's the show? Seems Mike will "train" with a shark?!! Here's the show description from Discovery ...

"With famed ring announcer Michael Buffer calling the shots, these two heavyweights will square off underwater, where Mike Tyson will try to score a TKO over the massive shark ... all in the name of research."

He adds, "Someone's gonna get bit!"

Again, not really sure what that means -- BUT, WE'RE HERE FOR IT!

"I took on this challenger to overcome fears I still deal with in life," Tyson says in a statement.

"I equate this with overcoming my fear of getting back into the ring at 54 years old. I learned from this experience doing Shark Week that whatever intimidates me, I am still able to step up to the challenge of overcoming anything that would prevent me from accomplishing my life’s mission of reaching my highest potential in life and bringing me closer to God."

As we previously reported, Tyson hit the beach in L.A. a few weeks ago to shoot the spot -- and looked like a BEAST as he tossed around a steel cage, like it was a toy.

Two kangaroos got into it on camera -- and by the looks of how the bout went ... one of them was Tyson Fury, the other was Deontay Wilder, and one got his ass kicked.

These fully-grown marsupials were going at it in a (sorta) hardcore boxing match down on a farm in Australia -- and while they both seemed to be in the same weight class and have the about the same reach, one of the 'roos certainly had the upper hand ... and the upper jab!

For funsies, let's just call these fellas Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa (from Part I), where the former was delivering a serious beat-down, but the Stallion just kept coming back for more.

That's kind of what's happening here -- the more proficient boxer of the kangaroos gets tons of clean hits in ... and a few hard kicks to the body too, while balancing on its sturdy tail. Apparently, anything goes in the animal kingdom -- it's almost like a UFC Octagon out there.

It's also just wild to see these creatures in action, 'cause they clearly do this type of thing all the time, and they look almost human-like as they rumble.

"Even with the 'rona right now, I'll beat the sh*t out of Nate Diaz right now, if I had to."

That's UFC star Gilbert Burns -- who was pulled from UFC 251 for testing positive for coronavirus -- saying he's still down to scrap with Nate Diaz, even while being ravaged by COVID!!!

Yeah, this is some gangster stuff!

Long story short ... Burns was supposed to fight Kamaru Usman in the main event at Fight Island on Saturday -- but COVID killed those plans.

Instead, Jorge Masvidal is taking his place -- and Gilbert says he's super bummed out because he was REALLY looking forward to his title shot.

Still, Burns says he has faith that God has a plan for him -- "My time is gonna come."

In the meantime, Nate Diaz has talked some trash about Burns -- claiming his scrap with Usman wouldn't have been a "real fight."

"This guy is a clown," Burns says ... "I'm as real as it gets."

"If it wasn't for COVID-19, [Usman] would be my 3rd fight in 5 months. And, all tough fights, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman, the reigning champion."

"And, this guy [Diaz] comes from a loss that he gets beat up from Masvidal."

Burns says simply, "He's just talkin' sh*t ... he don't want no smoke from me."

So, what's next for Gilbert -- he hopes to fight the winner of Usman vs. Masvidal ... but if that doesn't work out, "I would love to beat the sh*t out of Nate Diaz."

As for Gilbert's COVID battle, he's feeling better but he's not out of the woods yet.

Today we nearly said goodbye to Steph Curry's face ... the NBA superstar decided it was a good idea to spar with Canelo Alvarez on a golf course -- and it nearly cost him his forehead!

The hilarious/terrifying scene all went down at the Edgewood Tahoe resort in Lake Tahoe on Thursday ... when Canelo and Steph were getting in a practice round for this weekend's famous celeb American Century Championship tournament.

For some reason ... Curry decided to get in a little boxing lesson with Alvarez on one of the tee boxes -- and spoiler alert, it did not go well for the hooper.

Canelo danced around the 32-year-old for a couple seconds, before unleashing a violent jab that almost caught the Warriors star right between the eyes!!!

"Steph!" someone yelled off-camera. "You're supposed to move, dude!"

Yeah, no kidding!!!

Of course, the two were just playing around ... there's no bad blood between the boxing superstar and Curry -- the guys were all smiles and even posed for a photo after the play sesh.

Want a personalized shout-out from Floyd Mayweather?? Hope you've got an extra GRAND laying around -- 'cause TBE is charging $999 for Cameo vids!!!

Floyd joined the popular site this week ... and in true Money Mayweather style, he claims he's now "the most expensive celeb" on the app.

So, what exactly does a thousand bucks get you from Floyd? Mayweather says he'll provide customizable messages -- both for personal and commercial use -- at "an affordable rate."

Some of the examples ... Floyd says he can give birthday shout-outs, motivational messages and even boxing tips!!

"I want to be the first celebrity to make a million dollars on Cameo," Floyd said.

Mayweather says the Cameo signup is all part of a partnership with Stardam, a company that helps facilitate celeb endorsements for businesses.

In other words, if you own a burger stand and want Floyd Mayweather to make a custom video talking about how he LOOOVES your food, he'll do it -- for a price.

And, Stardam claims Mayweather is available for green screen vids ... which should make for some interesting clips down the road.

By the way, if you're wondering how Floyd's Cameo price compares to other big-name sports celebs ... it appears to be the most by a pretty good amount.

Here's "Iron" Mike Tyson tossing a steel cage around an L.A. beach this week like it's a toy ... and it's pretty fun to watch!!

Unclear why Mike hit the sand ... but it's all obviously part of a larger production -- hence the video cameras and crew members (all of whom were wearing masks btw, so props on that!).

In addition to the cage flip, Tyson was also spotted carrying buckets of bloody fish, tossing life rafts and wearing snorkeling equipment.

It almost seems like a promo for Shark Week.

Tyson just turned 54 years old this week ... and has said he wants to get back in the ring for some exhibition boxing matches -- but so far, nothing's a done deal.

The boxing legend told us he'd even be down to take on his old rival Evander Holyfield (who's also training for a comeback) but only if they could raise a bunch of money for charity.

"That would be awesome for charity," Tyson told us back in May ... "Can you imagine me and him going in the ring together?"

Tyson is also the focus of an upcoming movie -- with Jamie Foxx playing the boxer ... and he's already transforming his body into fighting shape.

Mike Tyson was a goner if he thought he could walk the super-crowded Venice Beach boardwalk undetected ... because even with a mask, Iron Mike was an easy mark.

Mike was checkin' out shops along the famous boardwalk Saturday, and it seems everyone recognized him and most wanted -- of course -- a selfie.

Mike obliged, as most normies struck a fighting pose with fists clenched. Tyson played along.

Unclear why Mike was there ... no film crews in sight. It's probably just as simple as this ... it was a beautiful day in SoCal and perfect for a little sand and surf.

Roberto Duran -- the boxing legend who famously battled Sugar Ray Leonard in the '80s -- has been hospitalized with COVID-19, his family confirms.

The 69-year-old was admitted to a hospital in Panama City, Panama on Thursday ... but the good news, he seems to be doing okay so far.

"My father's tests have just arrived and confirm that he is positive for COVID-19," Roberto's son, Robin Duran, posted on IG.

"Thank God he is not having symptoms beyond something similar to a cold."

Duran is NOT in intensive care or on a ventilator, according to his son ... but he is still under observation.

Duran's son also notes that his father already had a bad lung due to a 2001 accident in Argentina ... and because of that injury, they can't mess around with coronavirus.

"We just talked to the doctor and he tells us that the lungs are fine and there are no signs of serious damage."

"Let's continue to have faith that everything will turn serious injury well. I keep you informed."

Duran -- who was born in Panama -- was a monster in the ring ... winning titles in 4 different weight classes during his 33-year pro career!!

He retired with 119 fights under his belt ... racking up 103 wins and only 16 losses.

Of course, everyone remembers his fight with Sugar Ray -- Duran won their first bout in 1980 but lost the rematch later that year.

In his loss to Leonard, Duran refused to come off the stool in the 8th-round ... saying, "No Mas" -- which became one of the biggest moments in boxing history.

The two actually became friends after their fighting careers ended.

Mike Tyson and his tiny shorts are back in the gym for another terrifying training video ... AND THIS ONE IS SCARY AS HELL!!

Once again, the 53-year-old -- who turns 54 next week -- is just going H.A.M. on his trainer, terrorizing the guy with some ultra-violent combos.

He's changing levels, he's striking with power ... it's more of the Mike Tyson you love.

Even Odell Beckham chimed in -- saying, "Mannnnnn hellllll na!!!! I don’t want no smokkkke y’all stop playin wit him."

UFC star Tyron Woodley added, "He baaaaaaaaack!"

As we previously reported, Tyson says he's serious about taking a charity fight ... and is considering Evander Holyfield as an opponent.

"That would be awesome for charity," Tyson told us back in May ... "Can you imagine me and him going in the ring together?"

57-year-old Holyfield has also been training -- so, it's possible the two will it back at some point.

But, right now, Tyson says he's focused on "having fun, looking good, showing off my new bod and stuff."

Jamie Foxx is also showing off his new bod -- the Hollywood star is getting into boxing shape to play Iron Mike in an upcoming flick ... and he looks JACKED!!

Jamie Foxx is BECOMING Mike Tyson -- he's got the voice down ... and now he's showing off his yoked out body!!

Foxx is starring in an upcoming biopic about the boxing legend -- he'll play both young Mike and older Mike. He's been working on the project for years.

But, the production seems to be picking up steam -- and during a recent episode of "Catching Up with Mark Birnbaum," Jamie revealed how he's transforming his body to look just like Tyson.

So, how's he doing it?

Foxx says he has a daily workout regimen of 60 pull ups, 60 dips, 100 push ups ... "It's changing the body. Top half."

As for lower body? There's a different plan for that.

"I ain't got no legs, I ain't got no calf muscles so we're gonna have to get some prosthetics for that."

Foxx says he'll be 216 pounds when shooting begins (he starts as young Mike) -- and then to play Old Mike, he'll "balloon to 225, 230 which will look like 250 on screen."

Jamie's been super excited about the project for years -- and even previewed the opening scene on HOT 97 back in 2015.