Boxing

Cody and Brandi Rhodes are leaving All Elite Wrestling -- the superstar couple just announced their departure from the promotion in a shocking move.

AEW CEO Tony Khan just confirmed the news on Tuesday ... saying, "Cody and Brandi Rhodes were integral to the launch of All Elite Wrestling."

Sources tell us there was a fallout between Cody and Tony recently ... as Khan's visibility within the company grew. Of course, Cody -- who served as Executive VP of the company -- was pretty much the OG face of AEW when it debuted in 2019.

"Cody's ability combined with his boldness and his passion for our industry and his love for community outreach helped AEW deliver on our mission to give fans what they needed for far too long -- something new, innovative and lasting," Khan added.

"I have immense respect and appreciation for Cody and Brandi, and I wish them both the best as they move on from AEW."

Cody released a statement as well ... saying, "I have loved my time at AEW. Amazing locker room.  Amazing fans. Amazing people."

"The 'revolution' was indeed televised, and I've been incredibly lucky to be part of that."

Here's where it gets interesting -- Cody thanks a number of people in his goodbye statement ... with Khan being first.

"He's taken the baton and run with it, and it was an honor to work for him and to know him on a personal level. He's a beautiful soul," Cody said of his former boss.

We're told Cody is currently discussing a return to WWE. It's unclear if Brandi will follow his lead if Cody signs.

Cody -- the son of legend Dusty Rhodes -- first joined WWE in 2006 ... and went on to become a 2-time Intercontinental Champion, adding several tag team titles as well.

Nate Diaz, one of the most badass and beloved fighters in MMA history, tells TMZ Sports he wants to fight Dustin Poirier ASAP -- in what'll be his last fight ever -- before retiring from MMA.

We talked to the 36-year-old superstar from Stockton at Shaq's Fun House party in L.A. Friday night ... and asked Nate, who has 1 fight left on his UFC contract, who he wants to be his final opponent.

"I would like to fight Dustin Poirier. Like now. Like I've been trying to. If there's any mix-up it's him, and them, and the game," Diaz said.

"I want the fight now. What's up Dana White? Let's get this retirement fight cracking so I can get out of this fight game. I'm done with it."

It's bittersweet for Nate fans ... and he's got millions of 'em. A fight with Dustin would be big ... especially since Diaz says it'll be the last of his future Hall of Fame career.

A career where Nate's beaten everyone from Conor McGregor to Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone ... all while being one of the most real dudes in sports.

We asked Nate ... how would the fight with DP go down?

"He ain't doing s*** to me. I'll tell ya that much," Nate said.

Bottom line -- Diaz has made it clear he wants to fight Dustin. Now, the ball's in Poirier's court.

As for Nate's future ... even though he won't be fighting, he'll still be around. He's got a successful clothing label, Represent, and his protege, undefeated Nick Maximov is one of the UFC's best prospects.

Boxing star Jermall Charlo is in trouble with the law again ... TMZ Sports has learned he was arrested on Friday in Texas.

A Fort Bend County Jail official tells us ... the 31-year-old was booked at around 1:30 PM CT after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

According to jail records, Charlo was booked on a felony charge of assaulting a family/household member with a previous conviction. His bond was set at $10,000, though records show he's still in custody.

Details of the allegations against Charlo are currently unclear ... we're working on it.

This is the second time Charlo has been arrested in the past year -- as we previously reported, he was taken into custody in San Antonio in August 2021 after he was accused of stealing from a waitress during a dispute at a bar.

That case was dismissed earlier this month due to "insufficient evidence," records show.

Story developing ...

Floyd Mayweather's bodyguard is under investigation for battery after a man claimed he was assaulted by the TMT member, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... but there are inconsistencies with the accuser's story.

Mayweather was at Yard House near Crypto.com arena (formerly Staples Center) in L.A. around 6 PM Thursday. While there, we're told a man claims he was assaulted by a guy on Mayweather's security team ... after the boxer allegedly got upset the alleged victim was filming him.

But, almost the entire interaction is up for debate.

The alleged victim claims he was hit by bodyguard. However, witnesses told police the bodyguard didn't hit the guy ... but rather knocked a cell phone out of his hand.

Witnesses told cops the man "flopped" after the incident with the bodyguard, falling over in dramatic fashion.

The alleged victim told cops the bodyguard then allegedly picked up the phone, and attempted to get the man to unlock him phone and erase the video. But, the man allegedly declined to comply, so the bodyguard gave the phone back, and everyone went separate ways.

As for the superstar boxer, a rep tells us Mayweather stopped by the restaurant, but left because the place was too crowded. Floyd says there was no incident at Yard House.

The man who was allegedly assaulted waited about a half-hour to call police. Cops responded and took a battery report. The man's story was not entirely consistent with witness claims.

Police will now investigate the alleged incident. No one has been arrested.

Logan Paul is taking his rivalry with Floyd Mayweather to the courtroom -- the YouTube superstar tells TMZ Sports he's planning to sue the legend ... claiming he still hasn't gotten paid for their exhibition fight in June.

Logan has been vocal claiming he hasn't gotten a dime from the 50-0 boxer following their popular bout at Hard Rock Stadium last year ... and he says he's so pissed about the situation, he's going to file a lawsuit.

"It's honestly bulls***," Logan said outside Saddle Ranch on Thursday. "Like, having people who aren't a professional promotional company control where the money goes, we made that mistake,"

"It's Floyd Mayweather. Before we fought him, we were kind of willing to do whatever. Now after the fact, we're kind of shooting ourselves in the foot because he's a "f***ing scumbag."

FYI -- Floyd has made a killing over the course of his career ... and reportedly made over $300 million for his Conor McGregor fight alone.

The Logan vs. Floyd fight raked in a ton of cash ... but so far, Paul claims he hasn't gotten what he deserves for his involvement.

Logan has a bit of advice for whoever steps in the ring next -- "don't let him control the money."

Paul also says Floyd has hit him up for a rematch ... but his response was simple -- "suck a d***."

Christmas wrapped up nearly two months ago, but Floyd Mayweather still did his best Santa impression outside of the Lakers game on Tuesday night ... doling out $100 bills to kids!

It was a super generous act for the legendary boxer ... who said, "I'm all about giving back to the kids" as he forked over cash to youngsters who were trying to sell candy bars at Crypto.com Arena.

In total, Floyd handed over $400 or $500 to the kids ... and he didn't blink an eye parting ways with the money -- adding, "The kids out here selling candy, they ain't doing nothing wrong."

Floyd then promised to repeat the gesture "every time" he sees them at the games going forward.

It should be noted ... Mayweather did not take any candy in return for the cash, a sign that he's taking his upcoming exhibition match later this month pretty dang seriously.

Is there anything Jake Paul can't do?!?

Well, perhaps surfing ain't the boxing superstar's forte ... but the Problem Child certainly tried his best to catch a wave during a water park date with his girlfriend -- and TMZ Sports has the vid!!!

We're told Jake hit up the American Dream complex in Jersey with Julia Rose and friends on Friday ... having some fun at the amusement park before going to Carpaccio for some grub.

The fun didn't stop after dinner -- Jake and the gang went to the water park ... where the YouTuber attempted to master a new sport.

Look, he's no Kelly Slater ... but it's pretty impressive to see Jake get a few seconds standing on the board before crashing into the water.

FYI -- Jake was in town to promote the Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor fight ... so it's nice to see he's still able to balance work and play as he begins his next venture in boxing.

The 5-0 boxer is fresh off knocking out Tyron Woodley in their rematch on December 18 ... and has previously said he'd love to try out other sports (from NASCAR to the NFL).

Friday is Oscar De La Hoya's 49th birthday, but the Golden Boy did more giving than receiving on his special day ... by preparing and handing out meals to the critically ill.

TMZ Sports has learned ... ODHL and his GF, Holly Sonders, hit up Project Angel Food in L.A. to give back to the community as part of his bday celebration.

The boxing legend and his lady helped by preparing food and packaging them for those who have a high risk of COVID infection or living with COVID.

Check out the footage -- Oscar's meals even have a personalized label featuring his picture and a special message of encouragement for the recipient.

Of course, COVID-19 hit close to home for Oscar and Holly -- in fact, De La Hoya was hospitalized for 3 days with the virus ... and was forced to back out of his fight against Vitor Belfort.

Because of his experience, Oscar says he knew he wanted to help out in any way he could.

But, don't worry -- there was also some celebrating going on ... with Oscar cutting up an incredible customized cake to share with everyone.

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya is celebrating his birthday early this year ... by droppin' trou and doing an underwear photoshoot with his smokin' hot GF, Holly Sonders.

The Golden Boy's 49th birthday is on Friday ... and instead of leading up to his cake day with some presents and blowing out candles, he decided to put his modeling skills to the test and go nearly nude with his ride or die.

TMZ Sports is told ... Holly wanted to make ODLH's day so special, she enlisted photogs Collin Stark and Allen Henson to take some iconic images to make the day even more unforgettable for the couple.

If you didn't notice, some of the shots give off Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt "W Magazine" vibes ... which was not by accident.

The pics are pretty steamy -- displaying both Holly and ODLH showing off some skin in their skivvies as they enjoy some cake.

But the sexy fun isn't the only way the couple is enjoying Oscar's special day -- we're told he's spending his actual birthday helping those who have been affected by COVID-19.

"Women weaken legs" ... unless you're Chad Johnson, who says he literally had sex THREE TO FIVE TIMES the night of his boxing match at Hard Rock Stadium, and then stepped in the ring with a professional fighter!

Seriously. And he looked pretty damn good during the fight.

The 44-year-old 6x Pro Bowler sat down for Brandon Marshall's "I Am Athlete" show ... and admitted to the guys he did it multiple times right before his June 2021 bout against pro fighter, Brian Maxwell.

"We did three times, maybe four to five times in three-minute intervals," Chad said, as Brandon sat and listened in disbelief.

Chad says he had pent-up nervousness after arriving at the venue ... and that's when he turned to everybody's favorite relation technique.

Knockin' boots.

Of course, many athletes -- especially boxers -- abstain from sex for days, weeks, or even months leading up to their fights ... as many people believe it severely hampers athletic performance. Sex right before a fight is unheard of.

"Matter of fact, I had to be at the stadium at Hard Rock," Chad said. "I think I fought at 8 o'clock. I needed to get that out of my system to relax me."

#85 went on ... "And it put me in a sense of, a state of calmness going into war. That's fighting. I'm out of my element stepping in a ring with someone that fights for a living."

And from the sound of it ... Chad thinks it helped him in the ring.

"Getting that up out of me was the best thing to do for me," Johnson said, prompting an amused Brandon (who's been boxing for years) to make sure he heard Chad right, asking ...  "You had sex the day of the fight?"

Marshall joked Chad tasted canvass in the fourth round (Maxwell dropped him with a vicious right hook) due to exhaustion from the pre-fight activities.

"That's why your ass got tired in four rounds."

The full interview Monday on IAA's YouTube channel ... where Brandon, Chad, and the rest of the guys chop it up about life as a professional athlete -- from women, money, and entourages to eating habits and working out.

Jermall Charlo is off the hook in his robbery case ... the case was just dismissed based on insufficient evidence, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show the 3 robbery charges Charlo was hit with following an alleged altercation at a San Antonio bar last year were dismissed on Monday. The records list the reasoning as "insufficient evidence."

It's a big deal for Charlo ... who was accused of being a complete jerk to a waitress the day before his brother, Jermell Charlo, fought Brian Castaño in San Antonio last July.

Police, in an incident report, said Jermall was with a big group when the waitress came over with the bill. Cops say Jermall handed over his credit card and ID, but said the card was declined despite multiple attempts to run it.

Officers said in the docs Jermall eventually became upset over it all and took two bill collection binders from the waitress, nabbing everything from the inside of them.

Jermall was eventually arrested ... though his attorney, Kent A Schaffer, tells us he believes video and witnesses from the bar ultimately proved Jermall never did anything wrong.

"Police eventually turned over the surveillance tapes that showed everything that our witnesses said was true," Schaffer tells us. "Jermall never robbed anyone at this nightclub and never used force or threat of force against anyone. We have been saying this the whole time he did nothing wrong."

"We presented the evidence to the ADA who came to the same conclusion -- the surveillance video was a huge part of getting the case dismissed. And the 6 witnesses were also a key factor."

Schaffer continued, "Jermall is ecstatic and training for his next fight -- this is something that has been hanging over his head since August -- he can now get back to fighting instead of worrying about going to trial for something he didn't do."

Claressa Shields seems to be burying the hatchet with Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports the Problem Child is doing great things for his fighter Amanda Serrano, and women's boxing as a whole.

"I wish [Jake] the best," Shields says, continuing ... "What he's doing for Amanda is great. I think that him getting involved in helping the fight with Katie Taylor is great for Amanda and Katie and it's great for women's boxing."

"I appreciate him for that and I just wish him the best in whatever he does and just keeps his damn hands up, that's it."

The self-described G.W.O.A.T. has gone back and forth with Paul over the last year ... and Claressa says she was most offended by Jake's decision to make fun of her after she lost her 2nd professional MMA fight (in PFL).

"The only beef I have with Jake Paul is don't ever disrespect me. He tried to kick me when I was down and also going to a new sport."

"I lost a split decision. I didn't get submitted, I didn't get knocked out, I didn't get beat up. It was a split and I'm also brand new in MMA and when he made that comment, calling me a loser and stuff, that's what really made me want to fight him."

If you missed it, JP went off on Shields -- who has only 2 MMA fights under her belt -- after the October 2021 fight.

But, Shields has obviously moved on ... and has even found it in her heart to praise Jake for his work promoting women's boxing.

FYI, Jake's promotion, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), signed 33-year-old Serrano.

With Paul's guidance, Amanda has locked down a super fight with fellow boxing star Katie Taylor in April ... at Madison Square Garden.

Speaking of big fights ... Claressa is gunning to set up her very own with undefeated British star Savannah Marshall.

First, the 26-year-old fighter has to beat 21-0-1 fighter Ema Kozin in the United Kingdom on February 5 (on FITE) ... and she delivered a message to the woman standing between her and Savannah.

UFC flyweight Deiveson Figueiredo will NEVER lose the championship belt for the rest of his career ... and it's all thanks to his brand new tattoo!!

The 34-year-old Brazilian star showed off the new ink job on Wednesday ... just days after taking the belt back from Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision at UFC 270.

Deus da Guerra got the tat on his right forearm ... featuring the belt with "Deiveson Figueiredo World Champion Flyweight" etched in the middle with the UFC logo.

It's a confident move by Figueiredo -- after his win on Saturday, he told fans he was willing to run it back with Moreno to settle the score once and for all -- and he's open to fighting in Mexico.

In fact, we spoke with Moreno about the possibility of fighting in front of his home crowd ... and he seemed 100% in on the idea -- but made it clear he'll fight the guy anywhere.

Some fighters credit boxing, wrestling, perhaps Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ... but Vanessa Demopoulos, she credits the pole.

Yes ... 33-year-old Demopoulos tells TMZ Sports she credits much of her success in the Octagon against Silvana Gomez Juarez at UFC 270 to the strength she's developed dancing on the pole.

"I just walked away from being an exotic entertainer. I'm like so good at pole dancing," Vanessa says.

"I feel like pole dancing and fighting goes hand and hand. I'm 3 stories up in the air, hanging on by a limb, mainly in my underwear. If I sweat too much, I'm falling to my death. It's like fighting, same thing. Except you're not going to die. The ref is gonna stop it before it happens."

Vanessa caused quite a stir last week. She hit a split after the weigh-in ... and she did it inside the Octagon after she won. VD also jumped in Joe Rogan's arms during her (memorable) post-fight interview.

And, then she went into the cage and took care of business ... winning via armbar submission in the 1st round.

Demopoulos clearly feels at home pole dancing, so we asked ... despite the UFC success (and the $50K bonus she won), are you swearing off the pole?

"I was at the club last night and I definitely found a pole to hop onto. It's something I love doing. I'm never not going to dance. But you won't see me in the club doing it for dollars."

So, less dancing for dollars and more punching people in the face ... and Demopoulos is hyped for her future as a fighter.

"I really am a full-time fighter now, and it feels so good. I've worked my whole life for these types of moments. It's like you work your whole life for that one moment that's gonna change the rest of it, and that was that moment, and it was absolutely incredible."

Kevin Ferguson Jr. -- MMA fighter and son of the legendary street fighter turned pro Kimbo Slice -- is stepping into the ring ... but he isn't takin' on a fellow pro fighter, he's boxing former Bachelorette contestant "Iggy" Rodriguez.

Yes, for real!

29-year-old Ferguson -- aka "Baby Slice" -- is transitioning from the Bellator cage to the squared circle ... where he'll duke it out with Rodriguez at a Celebrity Boxing event in March.

Of course, 5'11", 155 lb. Kevin Jr. -- 3-3 as a pro -- has fighting in his pedigree, and it shows. His dad, Kimbo, is the most famous street fighter of all-time. The 6'2", 235-pound fighter transitioned from backyard brawling to professional fighting ... where he had a record of 5-2-1.

As for his opponent? Iggy's claim to fame didn't come from punching guys. Rather, Rodriguez was fighting for love when he made his debut on the 13th season of "The Bachelorette."

In fact, the 35-year-old Californian native and consulting firm CEO became a true household name ... when he was depicted as a "snitch" for badmouthing other competitors on Rachel Lindsay's season.

Rodriguez was ultimately eliminated from the show ... after failing to make the top 12.

But, back to the fight. Ferguson and Rodriguez won't be the only attraction that night.

Lamar Odom's ex-fiancée, Sabrina Parr, will fight Jenn Harley, Ronnie Ortiz's former GF -- in a battle of the exes.

Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua is scared of him ... labeling the 6'6", 240 lb. superstar boxer from the UK a "coward" who's too shook to fight him.

Oh, and the Gypsy King is also coming for a bunch of other top-level heavyweights ... including Oleksandr Usyk and Dillian Whyte.

The 33-year-old heavyweight champ hit up social media to respond to fans asking him when and who he's fighting next ... and well, Tyson talked his s***!

"I'm being asked this question over and over again. I do not know the answer to it. I'm ready to fight this weekend. I've been training three weeks, how long does a man need to train?" Fury pondered.

"Joshua's a coward, Usyk's a p***y and Dillan Whyte doesn't wanna fight. So, if you can prove me wrong, get to f***king fighting you pair of cowards. You're all cowards! You're all bum duffers! Have a fight or do one you pack of wet lettuces."

Fury, who's coming off an incredible performance against heavyweight star Deontay Wilder, continued going in on the boxers.

"I'm just gonna keep videoing until one of these cowards decide to fight. You're all cowards! S*** house bums! I don't care who I fight -- AJ, Usyk, Dillan Whyte or any of them. Fight me! I'm the best man that's ever lived. These are all coward bum duffers. I'll annihilate the liars and destroyers, submitters, tap you bitches out. Come and fight!"

32-year-old Joshua lost to 35-year-old Usyk by decision in September 2021 (it was a masterful performance) ... and they're currently negotiating a rematch. Fury has been ordered to defend his WBC title against 33-year-old Whyte ... but there are reportedly talks about working out a deal to box Usyk.