Boxing

The last man to fight Mike Tyson says he's down to run it back -- with Kevin McBride telling TMZ Sports, "Let's get it on!"

Of course, McBride is the man who sent Tyson into retirement when the Irishman dominated Iron Mike so badly in their 2005 matchup, Tyson quit on his stool before the 7th round.

After the fight, a then 38-year-old Tyson told the media he lost his passion for boxing and wanted to move on with his life.

McBride continued fighting professionally until 2011 and now works as a laborer at a tree company -- primarily doing heavy lifting.

Now, Mike is 54 and coming out of retirement for an exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. ... and McBride says once that's done, HE WANTS NEXT!

"Let's get it on! Definitely would love to fight him again," 47-year-old McBride tells us.

"Nobody can rule out anything in this world because that's life. It would be explosive to fight Mike Tyson again and I'm sure Mike would love to rectify his loss and I would just love to jump in the ring again with him."

Plus, McBride says the payday would be awesome -- he could use the cash to help put his kids through college.

In fact, Kevin says his boss at the Brendan Hoarty Tree Services company is fully supportive of rematch with Mike -- and already promised him time off so he could properly train again.

There's more ... we also spoke with Kevin about how that victory over the baddest man on the planet changed his life forever.

Mike Tyson says he WILL be trying to knock out Roy Jones Jr. when they step in the ring in Sept. ... claiming his mentality is still "search and destroy."

The issue is, the head of the California State Athletic Commission recently told the media the guys will be going EASY on each other and WON'T be headhunting.

So, who ya gonna believe?!!?

Here's what CSAC executive director Andy Foster told Yahoo Sports -- "This isn’t a situation where they’re going out there to try to take each other’s heads off. They’re just going to be in there moving around the ring and letting fans see these legends."

But, when we saw Tyson leaving a training session in L.A. on Saturday, it didn't seem like he got that memo.

"This is search and destroy and I’m looking forward to recapturing my glory," a hulking Mike Tyson told us.

When we asked specifically if he'll be looking for a knockout, Tyson told us, "If the opportunity comes, I'm always looking for it."

Tyson is 54 and hasn't fought since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride ... and that concerns boxing legend George Foreman who recently told TMZ Sports he's worried someone might get seriously hurt.

Mike appreciates George's concern -- but says, "Don't worry about us."

"[George] wasn't worried about getting hurt when he went on his tour of coming back and fighting."

Foreman famously retired at 28 -- and after a 10-year layoff, mounted a legendary comeback at 38. He became the heavyweight champ at 45 and finally retired for good in '97 at age 48.

Tyson says both he and Jones know exactly what they're getting themselves into -- "We're both professionals. We know how to handle ourselves and whatever happens, happens."

He adds, "The fighting game is what I'm about and hurting people is what I'm about."

We've seen the training videos -- Tyson still looks like he could do some serious damage.

As for Roy, he told us he's expecting Tyson to be headhunting from the opening bell -- but insists he's got a HUGE conditioning advantage over Mike.

Undefeated boxing star Travell Mazion was speeding around a curve when he crossed over the centerline and slammed head-on into oncoming traffic ... this according to the crash report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Mazion -- who was just 24 years old -- was fatally injured in the July 15 wreck in Travis County, Texas at around 9:40 p.m.

In the crash report ... cops say the weather was clear and the road was dry -- but they add it was a dark and not well-lit area.

Officers say in the report, Mazion was speeding as he entered into a curve in the roadway ... crossed the centerline, clipped a car and then crashed head-on into another vehicle.

The report doesn't say how fast Mazion was going ... but the cops say he WAS wearing a seatbelt.

According to the report, Mazion was pronounced dead just a few minutes after the crash. He was not tested for drugs or alcohol at the scene.

The driver of the other car -- a 61-year-old male -- was pronounced deceased at a local hospital hours later.

Mazion was 17-0 as a pro -- and most recently defeated Fernando Castaneda in San Antonio in January. He was considered a rising star in the sport, and was once backed by NFL All-Pro Von Miller.

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which repped the fighter, said of Travell after the crash, "Mazion was a kind, charismatic young man who lit up every room he walked into and brought excitement to fans inside the ring."

Conor McGregor's used fight shorts could be yours -- if you're into that sorta thing -- his gear just hit the auction block and bids are already through the roof!

The gloves, hand wraps, fight shorts and Irish flag Conor used during his UFC 246 showdown with Donald Cerrone back in January is up for grabs on the Fanatics Authentic auction site.

Remember, Conor dominated Cowboy in his first fight back in the Octagon since taking an L to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 -- defeating Cerrone in just 40 seconds.

Starting bid on Conor's used (and signed) gloves was $2,500 -- but it attracted a WAVE of interested buyers who quickly bid the price up to $31,000 ... and there's still 19 days left to go!!!

The used shorts are also signed by Conor -- starting bid was $2,500 ... and now it's up to $11,000.

The Irish flag Conor raised after the fight is also on the block -- it's signed too! That's at $2,500.

First Roy Jones Jr. ... then Conor McGregor?!

Mike Tyson says if the UFC superstar was his next opponent in his return to the boxing ring ... he'd beat the hell out of The Notorious -- saying, "I'mma kick his ass!"

Iron Mike went on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Monday to promote his new huge comeback fight with RJJ ... when Jimmy decided to play a little "Who Would Win?" game.

Rocky? Mike says he'd dominate. Ivan Drago? Tyson says he'd beat that ass too. Drago's too bulky and too damn slow.

As for McGregor? Mike says that'd be no issue ... as long as they played by boxing rules!!

The clip is funny ... Tyson says there IS one opponent who'd beat him -- the 'Karate Kid' -- saying, "I'mma have to surrender to him on this one."

By the way, a fight between Conor and Mike would almost certainly never go down ... the age gap (54 to 32) is huge, and the two are great friends these days. They even smoke weed together!

Any Jimi Hendrix collectible is significant, but this rare electric guitar oozes with so much history ... it's no wonder it'll fetch a HUGE sum of money when it goes up for auction.

The folks over at Kruse GWS Auctions are in possession of Buster's early 1960s Japanese Sunburst electric guitar that's expected to snag at LEAST a cool $50,000. That's the minimum bid but GWS expects to fetch a historic amount ... and here's why they just might.

Legend has it the guitar god used this exact axe shortly after he returned home from the U.S. Army in 1962 and moving to Clarksville, Tennessee. While he was there, Jimi played the Chitlin' Circuit with some incredible talent -- like Sam Cooke and Ike and Tina Turner.

Jimi's brother, Leon Hendrix, has said "that was the last time that Jimi sounded happy." Leon recalls, "I remember Jimi calling me from New York saying he so broke he can't even pay attention. He pawned his guitar and his friends got him one."

When Jimi moved to London in 1966, he left this guitar in NYC at the apartment of one of his best friends. Cut to 54 years later and the winner of this bid will also get a letter of provenance from Leon, who will also have a private lunch with the winning bidder.

BTW ... there will be TONS of other cool items up for auction, like Prince's custom purple boots, Elvis Presley's owned and worn Neo-style sunglasses, Tom Hanks "Cast Away" costumes -- and perhaps the greatest ... Muhammad Ali's custom white terrycloth "World Champion" robe!!!

The war between Mike Tyson and Don King is officially over -- so says Don King who tells TMZ Sports the two have finally made peace after decades of animosity.

The beef between the two men is legendary -- Tyson had accused his former promoter of bilking him out of millions of dollars during his boxing heyday.

In fact, Tyson famously sued King for $100 MILLION in 1998 -- but ultimately agreed to settle for $14 mil.

Tyson has bashed Don publicly over the years -- even calling him a "wretched, slimy, reptilian motherf**ker."

And, who could forget when Tyson threw water on Don King for touching him without permission during a 2018 boxing event.

But, GOOD NEWS ... Don says despite all of the drama, they're back on speaking terms!

"I love Mike Tyson," King tells us ... "I have never had anything negative to say about Mike Tyson."

"I just talked to him on his birthday on June 30th -- him and his beautiful wife and I wished them a happy birthday. "

King says the two men had a "substantive call" -- and he's excited about the way it went down.

"I'm just very very happy to be able to still see Mike around."

As for Mike's upcoming fight against Roy Jones Jr., Don danced around the question when we asked him to pick a winner -- but it's clear he still thinks Tyson is as dangerous as ever.

By the way, King is still VERY involved in pro boxing -- he's promoting a huge fight between undefeated heavyweights Trevor Bryan and Christopher Lovejoy on Sept. 26 for the WBA interim heavyweight title on the Impact Network.

88-years-old and still going strong -- only in America!

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.