Boxing

Forget body slams and full nelsons -- WWE's Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis fought Persia Pirotta and Duke Hudson by trying to out-makeout each other ... and coincidentally, wrestling interest is through the roof.

The wild moment went down on WWE NXT on Tuesday ... as Indi and Persia were duking it out in a singles match, and Hudson showed up to cheer on his lady.

Of course, Dexter couldn't miss the big match either ... popping up to cheer on his lady.

Hartwell ended up winning the match over Pirotta ... but the real competition came when both couples decided to brawl each other in a wild bloodbath for the ages.

Just kidding -- the two couples decided to see who could suck face the best.

The scene is bonkers -- the couples try to one-up each other with the PDA ... and Indi even rips Dexter's shirt off to make it pretty PG-13.

Eventually, both couples are laying on the canvas and playing tonsil hockey ... with Dexter even giving a thumb's up to the crowd as it happens.

While the whole interaction was shocking, Indi teased going even further in the ring with Dexter on Twitter after the match ... hinting at wanting to recreate Edge's famous "Live Sex" celebration with Lita from Monday Night Raw in 2006.

Edgar Berlanga is back ... the first-round knockout king from Brooklyn is returning to the ring after tearing his bicep last year, and Fat Joe's walking him to the squared circle next Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The 24-year-old power puncher told TMZ Sports headlining in his hometown of New York, after rehabbing to come back from a torn left biceps injury, feels surreal.

"It still feels fake," Edgar told us. "I still feel like I'm the undercard of another fighter, but I'm a happy man."

And, he won't just have Joe -- a NYC legend -- by his side as he makes his way to the ring ... 'cause Edgar says a bunch of celebs, from musicians to hoopers, have hit him up for the ticket hookup.

"All the celebs is coming out," Edgar said. "They hit me up like 'yo, we tryna be there, I wanna support.'" "Knicks players [Obi Toppin] is hittin' me, so I'm like 'aight.'"

"Sup with the tickets?" Toppin asked Edgar.

"I said 'like bro, that's your home,' and he's like 'nah bro I need to be there.'" "I'm like 'say no more, I gotchu.'"

The New York native tells us rappers Fabolous, Jim Jones, Maino and Dave East are pulling up to MSG to watch him fight, too.

We last saw Edgar -- aka "The Chosen One" -- in a ring back in October 2021 ... when he defeated Marcelo Esteban Coceres in 10-rounds via unanimous decision, after surviving a knockdown earlier in the fight.

Edgar -- who started his pro career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts (unreal) -- says he knew the day would come when the streak would end, but he's not sweating it because he wants the ring time.

Berlanga will put his undefeated 18-0 (16 KO's) record on the line when he steps inside the ring against his opponent veteran boxer Steve Rolls.

"March 19 I'm looking to explode, bro! Getcha popcorn ready like I always say, 'cause it's fire coming, for real."

Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev isn't the main event at UFC 273, but it's the fight everyone's dying to see ... and Durinho says he'd love to flatline the undefeated fighter, he believes the highly anticipated fight will be a slugfest.

"The perfect scenario, I'll go there and take the guy out with a punch. Boom, knockout! That was the perfect scenario but I think it's gonna be a war. I don't think it's gonna be that easy. I think that guy's a dog, he's gonna come hungry, excited trying to put on a show," Gilbert told TMZ Sports.

27-year-old Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in 2020 ... amassing a 4-0 record (10-0 overall) in Dana White's promotion, all while becoming a huge star.

All but one of Khamzat's fights have ended in the first round (the other ended just a minute into the 2nd round) ... and the man has literally been hit just two times.

But, #11 ranked Chimaev hasn't faced a top 10 opponent ... and certainly no one like Burns, Gilbert says.

"I think [Khamzat's] very tough, I think he's very good, but let's be honest, he's never seen on one on my caliber, grappling wise, jiu-jitsu, striking, speed, in a lot of actual experience. I've been there many times in the UFC title fights, many events. I think I have a lot of experience but I see that guy very, very tough -- very, very dangerous. I'll take him very seriously."

FYI, the 35-year-old fighter is the #2 ranked UFC welterweight ... and has beat the likes of Tyron Woodley, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Demian Maia.

Jake Paul is reigniting his beef with Conor McGregor ... going after the UFC superstar over a boxing workout vid the Irish fighter shared on his social media page this week.

"This is embarrassing," Paul said of The Notorious' footage. "Your chin is wide open with no head movement for the PROBLM CHILD right hand of God."

No response yet from Conor ... but the 33-year-old sure seemed pleased with what he put on tape at the time of the workout.

McGregor posted the vid to his Twitter, and captioned it, "Keepin it tasty."

The video has been viewed over 1 million times ... but Jake clearly ain't impressed.

The two have feuded in the past, with Jake calling out Conor repeatedly -- and even trolling the MMA star with a $100k chain after he was beaten by Dustin Poirier last year.

Even when McGregor broke his leg in his July 2021 fight with Poirier, JP called him a "piece of sh**."

Paige VanZant is a professional wrestler now -- the ex-UFC star just signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling ... and is set to begin her training ASAP!!

PVZ literally signed her contract in the ring during an appearance at "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday ... after coming out of the crowd and attacking wrestler Tay Conti from behind.

The run-in caused Conti's boyfriend, "Spanish God" Sammy Guevara, to lose his TNT championship to The Men of the Year's Scorpio Sky.

"Wanted to give the world one more reason to hate on me 💋😉 PVZ TAKING OVER!!!!," VanZant wrote on Twitter after announcing the news.

Of course, Paige is no stranger to the AEW crowd -- she's made several appearances since debuting alongside Jorge Masvidal in September ... and got a huge pop from fans on Wednesday.

The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but AEW prez Tony Khan expressed his excitement over the new addition ... saying, "It’s official! @paigevanzant is ALL ELITE!"

You'll recall, Paige made a name for herself as a combat fighter ... going 5-4 in UFC before signing a massive deal with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2020, where she posted an 0-2 record.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant's future with BKFC is unclear, but it seems Paige is now focused on wrestling ... and it's only a matter of time before we see her compete inside an AEW ring.

The move shouldn't come as a complete surprise -- Paige previously told TMZ Sports back in 2018 she was hoping to take her talents to the squared-circle.

Nine years after Hector "Macho" Camacho was brutally murdered outside a bar in Puerto Rico, five men have been arrested and charged in his slaying.

Camacho -- a former 3 weight class world champion -- was shot in the face while he sat with a friend in a Ford Mustang. The boxer didn't immediately die from his injuries, but was declared brain dead by doctors. After several days on life support, Hector passed away on November 24, 2012.

The murder shocked PR and the boxing world ... and the loss was compounded by the fact the murder went unsolved for so long.

But, on Wednesday, the first of five suspects appeared before a judge, accused of killing Camacho, according to the Associated Press.

Several of the suspects were already serving time behind bars ... including three people who were in a federal penitentiary in Florida. U.S. officials transported the inmates by plane to Puerto Rico so they could face the judge.

Two other men were arrested ... one from a Puerto Rican jail, and another from his home in the early morning hours, not far from where the shooting happened nearly a decade ago.

Authorities say there were more people involved ... but those men won't have their time in court 'cause they were themselves killed in unrelated incidents in 2013 and 2015.

Camacho -- who was 50 years old at the time of his death -- faced some of the greatest fighters during his great career ... including wins over "Sugar" Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran (twice).

The motive for the crime is still unknown.

Camacho's elderly mother was thrilled with the news of the arrests, getting a modicum of justice for her late son, per the AP.

More trouble for the Charlo twins ... TMZ Sports has learned officials are seeking an arrest warrant for Jermell Charlo after he was charged with making a terroristic threat in the fall.

According to court documents, the criminal charge stems from the same alleged Sept. 5, 2021 incident that Jermall Charlo, Jermell's twin brother, was arrested for last month.

Officials say in documents that a 21-year-old man claiming to be the boxing stars' cousin was roughed up by Jermall and threatened by Jermell during an incident at Jermall's Fort Bend County, Texas home.

In the docs, the alleged victim says Jermall punched him three times and grabbed his hair because he didn't get out of a utility task vehicle "quickly enough for [Jermall's] wife to go with her friends."

Officials say the alleged victim told them while the assault was taking place, Jermell threatened him by saying, "I will kill you with my bare hands."

In the docs, officials say the alleged victim complained of head pain and believed he suffered a concussion in the altercation.

Jermall was hit with a felony charge of assaulting a family/household member and he turned himself in to authorities in early February. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.

Jermell, meanwhile, has not yet been arrested over the misdemeanor terroristic threat charge, records show.

The twins' attorney, Kent Schaffer, previously told us the whole incident was "an attempt to shake Jermall down for money." When we reached out to him again for comment on the allegations against Jermell, he elaborated further.

Schaffer tells us Jermall was having a big party at his house ... when he says the alleged victim was "recklessly" riding around on a four-wheeler.

Schaffer says Jermall's wife tried to get the man to stop, and reached into the UTV to take the keys. But, Schaffer says the man took off, causing her to fall to the ground.

Schaffer says Jermall came out to defend his wife, and eventually pulled the man out of the vehicle, causing him to fall. Schaffer says Jermell them came out and told them to stop it all, but never made a threat.

"It's total garbage, 100 percent," Schaffer said of the claims against the twins. "We will win this fight in the first round."

Ryan Garcia -- one of the best young fighters in the world -- has no regrets sharing his personal battle with mental health ... despite the mixed reactions he says he received from fans.

TMZ Sports talked to 23-year-old Garcia -- who's ramping up for his in-ring return in April -- and asked what the response has been like since stepping away from boxing because he was battling depression and having suicidal thoughts.

"Boxing fans are a little bit more harsh than say, if you're a singer," Garcia says. "Even in the NFL or NBA, if you come out, maybe you'll get a better response. But, I guess for boxing, you gotta be as tough as you can be."

"Or you're scared if you don't fight but, you know, it just comes with territory."

The last time we saw Garcia in a boxing ring was January 2021 ... when he defeated Luke Campbell via knockout in the seventh round.

Ryan tells us the long layoff led some boxing fans to question his toughness -- something he says is never in question when he steps inside the squared circle.

"It's been tough just hearing all these things about me, all these opinions on why, or what's the truth on the reasoning on why I'm not fighting," Ryan says. "I gotta hear about myself and character."

"This hate, this noise, I know how special I am when I step into the ring -- that's never been a problem!"

"When I get in the ring, I always show heart and I always show determination."

The silver lining is, Garcia says for all the hate and criticism he's received for his transparency, a lot of athletes, influencers and even people on the street have reached out to him ... commending him on speaking up before it was too late.

Garcia's also got a Snapchat series coming out on mental health ... where he'll interview guests on the topic -- and he tells us it's releasing before or after his upcoming fight with Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9.

Slim Jxmmi is making the transition from music to boxing -- he's preparing for his first match, and already looking to get in the ring with a bunch of famous opponents.

We got the Rae Sremmurd rapper after he finished a training session at Dogpound Gym in WeHo, where a ton of celebs work out, and asked why he's getting into boxing.

Slim says he's turning 30 and wants to make some changes, set a good example for his kids, and as he put it to our photog, "Be done with the stupid s***."

Along with making big life changes, Slim is mending fences.

As we reported, he was arrested in January for the alleged battery of his then-girlfriend -- but she's since recanted, and the case was dropped. He tells us everything is cool between them now, and he intends to take care of her for life.

Logan Paul will return to the boxing ring -- this year -- telling TMZ Sports he started training again, and the goal is to overshadow his brother Jake Paul's brutal knockout of T-Wood.

We talked to the 26-year-old star Thursday afternoon when the topic of fighting came up.

"I just started training again, bro. I'm a little sweaty. I've been training the last four days. Hopefully, I have a fight by the end of the year. I gotta one-up my brother, he did a bad thing to Tyron Woodley."

FYI, Logan last fought in June 2021 ... in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. The fight went the distance, but no winner was chosen because it was an exhibition.

Paul claims Mayweather hasn't paid him what he's owed from their fight ... something Logan also touched on (he has a plan to get his money).

Outside of the fight vs. Floyd, Logan has also fought fellow YouTube star, KSI, twice ... resulting in a majority draw, and a loss (the L was a result of a controversial point deduction).

We also talked to the Paul bro about Saturday's Slap Fighting Championship ... which Logan is hosting with Arnold Schwarzenegger from the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Not familiar with slap fighting? It's pretty much what it sounds like. Two competitors stand across a table from each other, and go slap for slap until someone bows out or gets knocked out.

Gold medalist boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux -- who famously fought Vasyl Lomachenko in 2017 -- suffered serious eye injuries in a freak cooking accident, his manager, Alex Bornote, said.

According to Bornote, Rigondeaux was cooking in his Miami home last week, when the contents of a pressure cooker blew up in his face.

"When the pot exploded and we saw how Rigondoaux was left, we thought the worst," Bornote told the El Nuevo Herald, "because his face and eyes looked very bad as a result of the impact of the explosion."

Bornote says Rigondeaux -- who just fought on Feb. 26 in Dubai -- has lost a significant portion of his vision due to the accident ... though he said he's hopeful tests will show Guillermo can recover soon.

If tests reveal the damage is significant ... Bornote said the 41-year-old fighter could require a lengthy surgery and recovery process to fix the issues.

It's a sad blow for Rigondeaux, as the boxer was hoping to get his career back on track after losing his last two bouts.

Rigondeaux owns a 20-3-1 record as a pro ... and earned gold medals at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. He notably fought Lomachenko on Dec. 9, 2017 ... losing in the sixth round.

"Keep fighting boys! Never surrender!"

That's heavyweight champion Tyson Fury addressing Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion of Ukraine ... voicing support for star boxers like Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old boxing superstar about the unprovoked war ... and the "Gypsy King" even said if the fight came to the US or UK, he'd be right there, gun in hand.

"Two laws, love your woman and fight for your country. So they should be fighting for their country. Why not? If the war comes to the United States or United Kingdom, then I'll be joining. Don't worry about that. We all will! Why ain't we gonna defend our own land? C'mon, behave yourself."

Some people have been surprised the boxers -- who are all famous and wealthy -- have put themselves at great risk of harm or death by fighting Putin's forces.

But, Tyson makes a great point to rebut the notion the boxers are risking too much by fighting alongside the military.

"What's money got to do with it? You got no homeland to go back to, all the money in the world's no good to you. You can't spend it."

We also talked about more optimistic topics ... like Fury's return to the ring!

Of course, Tyson is just a few months removed from his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. The first fight was a draw ... and TF won the last 2 bouts by knockout.

Now, Fury is set to take on fellow UK star, Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Logan Paul's hardcore training for WrestleMania 38 is going off without a hitch ... so says WWE Superstar The Miz, who tells TMZ Sports the YouTube sensation is an "absolute natural" in the squared circle.

As we previously reported, the "Maverick" made a surprise appearance at Raw last week ... officially confirming his spot as Miz's tag team partner against Rey and Dominik Mysterio in April.

We spoke with The Miz about the preparations leading up to the big event ... and he says he was floored by how quickly Logan got comfortable with the complicated moves.

"Training's going really well, actually," he tells us ... saying Paul was even able to nail his signature Skull Crushing Finale in no time.

"Logan -- I showed it to him like, once. Literally picked it up like that. I was like, 'Oh, okay. This is gonna be fun!!'"

Miz says Logan's amateur wrestling background (he was a beast in high school) and boxing training has helped him immensely ... and it's going to show in his performance.

As for Paul's future in WWE, Miz says he truly thinks Logan could go full-time with Vince McMahon's organization.

Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta "Tank" Davis -- the super fight that's been years in the making -- may finally be on the verge of actually happening, 'cause King Ry's promoter, legendary fighter Oscar De La Hoya tells us he wants to make the bout this year!

TMZ Sports talked to De La Hoya -- who was promoting Garcia's return to the ring vs. Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 on DAZN -- when the conversation turned to a possible title fight with Tank later this year.

"The perfect scenario is Ryan Garcia versus Tank Davis, right? The crazy part is that Floyd Mayweather is Tank Davis' promoter and I'm Ryan Garcia's promoter so it will be -- just imagine me and Floyd putting on the gloves after Ryan and Tank. It would be the Super Bowl of boxing," ODLH says.

Garcia hasn't fought since January 2021 (he beat Luke Campbell) ... after Ryan courageously opened up about mental health issues he was facing.

Tank and Ryan are two of the best (young) fighters in the world. 27-year-old Davis is 26-0 (24 KO's) and has some of the most devastating power in the sport.

23-year-old Garcia is also undefeated ... with a record of 21-0 (18 KO's). Ryan is blazing fast and has knockout power.

Both guys -- and their people -- have gone back-and-forth for years ... challenging each other.

Davis is likely to fight Rolando Romero sometime over the next few months. Garcia has the bout with Tagoe (who ODLH says is no scrub) the second week of April ... and in a perfect world, Oscar would set the Ryan and Gervonta fight for later 2022.

"I would love to get that fight done in 2022," the boxing Hall of Famer says.

"I strongly feel -- like Ryan Garcia, he's coming off a 15-month layoff, this is a perfect fight for Ryan Garcia. This kid from Ghana is no pushover. He only lost one fight in his pro debut and he's been undefeated since."

Oscar continued ... "When I think of his opponent, I think of about Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey, these are tough, tough fighters from Ghana so it's not going to be easy. After this fight, everything goes well then I'm gonna go after Tank Davis and the very best for Ryan Garcia."

First things first ... both men need to win their next fight, then it could *finally* be on!

If Jake Paul really wants to step into the cage, there's another org. lining up to sign him ... 'cause Bellator president Scott Coker says they're 100% interested in bringing the Problem Child to MMA.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul has voiced his interest in taking on a new combat challenge after 10 fights in the ring ... and the Bellator prez recently said he'll be patiently waiting for when that day comes.

"If Jake Paul is serious and wants to do it, we’re here," Coker said via TalkSport. "We're already talking about [it]."

Now, Jake's had a pretty successful run in boxing so far ... with huge wins over former UFC stars like Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. Coker says he's kept a close eye on Paul ... and the convos have already started in hopes of bringing the 5-0 fighter on board.

"You know, when I say talking about it, he’s with Showtime boxing and he did the fight with T-Wood," Coker added. "There’s dialogue."

"I think he wants to do 10 boxing fights and then come over to MMA."

This is now the second MMA promotion that has voiced interest in Paul -- as we previously reported ... Wiz Khalifa, who owns part of the Professional Fighters League, told us earlier this month he would love to add the YouTuber to its roster.

As for the UFC, well ... Dana White has made it crystal clear how he feels about Paul ... and the fighter's diss track about the honcho might have hurt his chances at landing a deal in the future.

Vasyl Lomachenko -- arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet -- has joined the fight in his home country, taking up arms in Ukraine to help fend off Russia's invasion.

The 34-year-old former champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist was seen carrying an M16 while dressed in fatigues near his hometown over the weekend.

In a post on his Facebook page, reps for Lomachenko posted a picture of the fighter in his gear with the caption, "The Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky Battalion of Territorial Defense is formed and armed."

Lomachenko reportedly traveled to his home country shortly after Russia invaded last week ... joining former star boxers Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko in the fight.

"We are so proud of our boxers, our real champions in boxing and champions in this war," the president of WBC Ukraine, Mykola Kovalchuk, told ESPN. "We are proud to be Ukrainians."

Lomachenko -- who last fought in December against Richard Commey -- is just a couple months away from his next fight, which will reportedly be against George Kambosos in the beginning of the summer.