Boxing

Head to the strip club for the girls ... and stay for the shrimp -- at least, that's what boxing star Errol Spence Jr. is saying.

The IBF welterweight champ -- one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world -- has become a bit of a partying connoisseur ... and he told us the most underrated place for food on the planet is -- your local gentlemen's club!!

"Strip club food is the best," Spence Jr. told us in NYC.

"Shrimp, chicken -- you can get a salad. Sometimes you get a steak. I mean, they got a whole kitchen back there!"

By the way, Errol's a perfect 24-0 in his boxing career with some big-time wins ... but he told us fighting at Jerry's World in his hometown would be the highlight of his resume.

Evander Holyfield believes in the wisdom of Evander Holyfield ... which is why he wears T-shirts with quotes from Evander Holyfield.

We spotted the champ out at Reagan National Airport -- and, while our photog wanted to talk about the World Cup, we couldn't help but notice the Real Deal's fashion statement.

"When I was eight years old my coach told me I could be like Muhammad Ali. DREAMS DO COME TRUE -- Evander Holyfield."

The shirt also features a pic of a young Evander.

Oscar De La Hoya says he was so serious about saving the GGG vs. Canelo rematch, he shelled out millions of dollars of his own money to get the deal done.

Remember, Oscar -- Canelo's promoter -- previously said Gennady Golovkin wanted a 50/50 revenue split with Canelo or he would NOT accept the fight.

Oscar came on the "TMZ Sports" TV show and we asked what it finally took to get the deal done -- and the Golden Boy told us it came down to writing a big, fat check.

"I actually came out with my own money to bridge the gap and make this fight happen," Oscar says.

"GGG wanted a bigger piece of the pie. It was a matter of a few million dollars. I couldn't get it from Canelo's side because he was gonna stick to his guns ... so I had to come up with the difference."

Gabriel Rosado -- the real life pro boxer who fought Michael B. Jordan in "Creed" -- says he's ready to return the ring ... and he's got his sights set on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

32-year-old Rosado is a middleweight fighter who's squared up against the likes of Gennady Golovkin, Jermell Charlo and Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin.

Rosado hasn't fought since Oct. 2017 -- but tells TMZ Sports he's "in talks" to make his comeback against Chavez Jr., the former WBC middleweight champ.

"We might be out here in the Staples Center," Rosado says.

Perfect location ... dude loves Hollywood.

By the way, Rosado lost when he fought GGG, but the dude was a warrior ... fighting into the 7th round in one of the bloodiest fights of Golovkin's career.

Logan Paul says his beef with KSI is 100% real -- telling TMZ Sports he "hates" the YouTube star, and says he's calling his shot in their upcoming boxing match.

Logan and KSI came face-to-face during a heated news conference this past weekend -- things got physical ... and Logan is adamant the hatred ain't just to sell tickets.

"It's real beef," Paul told us on the way out of Catch in West Hollywood ... "I hate the kid."

The two will fight for real in August when they square off in Manchester -- but, for now, it's gonna be a LOT of trash talk.

"I'm fighting a sack of potatoes. KSI, you suck."

Paul says the fight isn't just a big moment for YouTube stars who want to show they're bigger than social media -- it could also be a HUGE moment for the sport of boxing.

Logan Paul says his battle with KSI is gonna be a critical one ... because he plans to put his YouTube foe in the hospital.

We got Logan just a few minutes before he and KSI nearly came to blows at an L.A. nightclub earlier this week ... and when asked which hospital he was gonna put KSI in -- he didn't back away.

"I don't really know the L.A. hospitals, but I feel like he's gonna make rounds to all of them."

What's he gonna do AFTER he checks KSI in? We asked if it involved partying with Floyd Mayweather and, guess what ... IT DOES.

"You got to [celebrate with Floyd], bro," Logan told TMZ Sports.

"I trained at his gym, that was my first training session. So, I feel like it's only right."

The thing is ... KSI's also been in Floyd's TMT gym in Vegas -- with Floyd's pops giving him firsthand lessons ... so, either way, it looks like Floyd will get some turn-up.

Dude just can't lose.

Logan Paul and KSI officially went full Mayweather vs. McGregor today in L.A. ... and the bros' brouhaha to promote their upcoming bout got a little physical on stage.

The YouTube superstars took nonstop shots at each other -- mostly verbal -- at a massive news conference outside the L.A. Coliseum at noon Saturday. Their younger brothers, Jake Paul and Deji, opened up the presser ... because they're the undercard for the mega boxing event at Manchester Arena on August 25.

Heavyweight boxer Shannon Briggs was the surprise emcee, as the Pauls flaunted fancy suits and traded insults with KSI and Deji ... who opted for more casual wear.

The most exciting moment came when KSI put on a Logan Paul wig, which Logan yanked off and followed with a push ... which prompted KSI to charge like a bull. Unfortunately ... no punches were thrown.

As we reported ... Logan and KSI gave a preview of their smack talk during a heated exchange at a nightclub this week. Both guys have been busting their asses training for the fight ... and there's talk it could even haul in more viewers than last year's Floyd vs. Conor extravaganza.

Let the trash talk begin!!!!

Logan Paul and KSI are ripping a page from Mayweather vs. McGregor and holding a massive news conference at the L.A. Coliseum for their full-contact beatdown ... and it's all going down this weekend!

As we previously reported, the two social media stars have agreed to fight each other on August 25 in Manchester, England ... and there's talk it could bring in more viewers than Conor vs. Floyd.

Besides Logan and KSI, both of their younger brothers -- Jake Paul and Deji -- will also be participating in the presser ... since they're also fighting each other that night.

Logan is taking the fight VERY seriously -- he's been training like a maniac and beating the hell out of his sparring partners.

KSI has trained up at Floyd Mayweather's gym in Vegas ... and already has one boxing victory under his belt.

Surprise, surprise ...

Ya just knew Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin were not about to walk away from MILLIONS ... finally hammering out a deal to set up boxing's long-anticipated rematch ... this according to Oscar De La Hoya.

Despite the fact the two sides were at loggerheads for months, ODLH tweeted out moments ago that a deal has been made and the fight is set for Sept. 15!

Oscar had previously set a noon deadline for GGG to accept his final offer, but c'mon ... with that much money on the line, everyone on the planet knew the deadline wasn't REALLY a deadline.

Noon came and went ... and finally at 2 PM, the deal was announced.

Oscar's problem was the GGG's camp wanted a 50/50 revenue share -- and Oscar said that was WAY too much money.

Unclear what the final deal entails.

The rematch was originally slated for Cinco de Mayo, but it was derailed when Canelo tested positive twice for PED. As we reported ... Canelo started training again, only this time he knows his next opponent. The fight's set to happen at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

He's got no opponent yet ... but Canelo Alvarez has returned to his boxing gym to start training -- while his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, is now turning up the heat on Gennady Golovkin.

Remember, Oscar said the GGG train had left the station because Gennady's team refused to budge from their negotiating terms ... they wanted a 50/50 revenue split.

Oscar said that wouldn't happen ... and told the media Canelo was now focusing on trying to make a deal with other fighters, including Daniel Jacobs.

But moments ago, De La Hoya went to Twitter and wrote, "Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. If any fight freaks see @GGGBoxing in Russia, perhaps you can lend him a pen. #whereisGGG."

So, seems like the GGG train hasn't left the station after all.

Both sides have said they want a Sept. 15 fight date -- our bet is the two sides will work something out before then.

Wondering if Mike Tyson still hates Don King? The answer's yes. How much? A lot ... 'cause the legendary boxer straight-up chucked his drink at the promoter Saturday night!!

It all went down at the Boxing Hall Of Fame Induction Weekend in Canastota, NY ... when King tried to give Tyson a friendly tap on the shoulder ... and Mike returned the gesture with some water to his face!!

Tyson's explanation for it was pretty simple the following day -- WE AIN'T FRIENDS!!

"He talked in there like he was my friend and that was just bullcrap," Tyson said.

"He really did me in."

Remember, Iron Mike and Don have had beef for a long time ... with Tyson at one point suing him for $100 MILLION alleging Don cheated him out of a TON of money when he used to promote Mike's fights.

KSI is gonna wanna see this ...

Here's Logan Paul beating the dog snot out of his sparring partner during a recent training session -- and ending it all with a CLEAN knockdown shot to the face!!!

TMZ Sports got our hands on the footage of a recent workout for Paul's August 25 boxing match against KSI ... a fight that some say could get more viewers than Mayweather vs. McGregor.

The YouTube star is clearly taking the fight seriously ... he's been training like a maniac and looks pretty solid in this video.

Check out the footwork, the power and the speed ... it's genuinely impressive for an amateur.

Sources tell us Paul has been training in Los Angeles -- and we know his brother, Jake Paul (who's also fighting on the card) -- has been reaching out to pro fighters to get him ready.

FYI, Paul and KSI are both MASSIVE social media stars -- and are fighting to show the world they're no punks.

In fact, KSI -- who has over 18 MILLION followers on YouTube -- already fought earlier this year against Joe Weller and beat his ass.

He's been doing some training at Floyd Mayweather's TMT gym in Vegas.

Muhammad Ali's ex-wife says Donald Trump is wasting his time if he's considering pardoning the legendary boxer ... telling TMZ Sports he should focus his energy on the LIVING!

We spoke with Khalilah Ali -- who was married to Muhammad from '67 to '76 -- and she was shocked when she watched Trump tell the media he was considering pardoning Ali ... presumably for his conviction for resisting the draft in 1971.

That conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court ... so, as Khalilah pointed out, "There's no necessary need for a pardon."

"I think [Trump] probably was a fan of Ali and he thought he would say something positive about him. That might be it ... but it's a little too late."

Khalilah says if Trump really respects what Ali stood for ... he would "pardon" the NFL players who knelt during the national anthem -- and by that, she means Trump should stop trashing them for standing up for what they believe in.

Floyd Mayweather isn't ALL smiles over his top rank on Forbes' highest paid athletes list this year ... telling TMZ Sports he shoulda been technically No. 1 AND No. 4!!

"Conor's at No. 4 because of me," Floyd said of the UFC superstar he boxed back in August.

"I'm No. 1, and the guy that's No. 4 is because of me."

The shade over the Irish fighter didn't stop there -- especially when we asked if he thinks Conor can ever get to his No. 1 spot.

"Absolutely not. Conor McGregor can never get to No. 1 without Floyd Mayweather."

For the record ... Forbes credited Floyd with making $285 mil the last 12 months, and Conor with $99 mil. Their respective purses from their monster summer fight were estimated to be around $200 mil and $70 mil ... so Floyd might have a point.

Bad news for Conor McGregor ... Floyd Mayweather's changed his mind about an MMA fight -- telling TMZ Sports he's way too busy to take a fight in the Octagon any time soon.

"I'm not thinking about fighting right now," Floyd told us while shopping with his crew in Beverly Hills.

Remember, Floyd was flirting with the idea of taking an MMA fight in 2018 -- with his eyes on McGregor -- and even reached out to UFC champ Tyron Woodley to set up a training program.

But Floyd says life has gotten in the way ... and he's been spending way too much time focusing on his family and growing his real estate business.

In fact, Floyd says he's a MAJOR investor in One Vanderbilt -- which he says will be the tallest skyscraper in New York.

Floyd says he's got more than $100,000,000 invested in NYC real estate projects -- and that's more important to him right now than learning a new combat sport.

The good news ... Floyd isn't completely closing the door on MMA, and insists he's keeping himself in shape just in case.

Stay tuned ...

Floyd Mayweather is distancing himself from Donald Trump ... telling TMZ Sports he doesn't consider POTUS a real friend -- despite showing serious support for Trump for years.

For the record, Floyd visited with Trump after he won the election back in November and has defended Trump's "Access Hollywood" comments as stuff a "real man" says.

So, when we saw Floyd out shopping in Bev Hills, we asked how he felt about his friend's stance on the national anthem.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up," Floyd said ... "Friends is a strong word."

Floyd proceeded to point out some guys he considers real friends and then explained his relationship with Trump is WAY more casual.

"I know a lot of people. I knew Barack Obama. I know Donald Trump. I know a lot of people."

But, when it comes to the his opinion on the Philadelphia Eagles and the national anthem, Floyd says he's staying mum ... "I don't want my name in no bullshit. I'm out of it."