Boxing

The late Tupac Shakur's last studio album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it's being pushed into the digital world.

That means creating an NFT -- non-fungible token -- from the original artwork ... a controversial piece depicting Pac as Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns while nailed to the cross. The parental advisory sticker infamously covered his pelvic area.

Released on November 5, 1996, nearly 2 months after his murder, Pac recorded the album under the alias Makaveli ... unleashing some greatest hits material such as "Hail Mary" and "To Live In Die In L.A." -- and fueling rumors he was still alive in the process.

Riskie Forever designed and sold the painting Tupac handpicked to be the album cover back in 2015 ... but crypto/NFT wallet manager Zelus helped him recover the art, and auction house Heritage Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder.

The auction goes down starting today through June 18 in Dallas at 445 Park Avenue and fans will also have a chance to win up to $100,000 through sweepstakes on the MakaveliArt.com website starting today all the way to June 5.

Mike Tyson will host the painting Tuesday on a special episode of his "Hotboxin" podcast, where he will also run through some of his cherished Tupac memories. They enjoyed a long-running friendship during the course of Pac's life, whose last moments were spent attending the Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.

Iron Mike tells TMZ Hip Hop: "This episode was cool to shoot. Having the opportunity to honor Pac and have this painting here with us was awesome. It's by far the most iconic hip hop album artwork of all time."

Riskie, an iconic hip hop artist, was initially propositioned by then Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who later introduced him to 2Pac -- and commissioned Riskie to create the album cover.

Floyd Mayweather remains at the top of Logan Paul's s*** list -- the YouTuber-turned-fighter tells TMZ Sports he STILL hasn't been paid in full for the bout in June ... saying he's out MILLIONS.

It's been 11 months since the social media superstar faced off against Floyd in the ring ... and as each day goes by, Logan is getting more and more upset over the situation.

When we caught up with LP at Hard Rock Cafe in NYC this week, he said he is still fighting to get what he deserves ... and he's done talking -- it's time to see him in court.

"No, he has not paid me in full," Logan tells us. "That is a fact. Short a few mil."

When we asked if he's been trying to talk things over with Floyd's camp, Logan makes it clear it's too late for all that.

"Nah," Paul added. "We're taking this one to court."

"See you in the courtroom. Congrats on going to prison, Floyd."

Remember, the Floyd vs. Logan fight was a big success ... and Logan previously told us in February he was going to take legal action if he didn't get his cut.

If you're waiting for Shawn Porter to unretire, you can stop right now ... 'cause the ex-boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's hung up his boots for good.

Remember, the former 2x welterweight champ retired after his bout with Terence Crawford last November, ending his career with a 31-4-1 (17 KOs) record.

But, since it's been some time since he called it quits, we had to ask the 34-year-old if he's beginning to get the itch to come back.

"Nope! I'm good, man," Porter said with a laugh this week. "I was able to do everything I wanted to do by the time I was 34 in the sport of boxing."

"With that being said, I'm ready to move forward and conquer some other things out there in the world."

SP added, "Boxing is not it anymore for me."

Of course, Porter took his talents from the ring to the broadcasting industry as a boxing analyst ... and he's been super successful there.

Jermell and Jermall Charlo vs Jake and Logan Paul?!

Not happening, according to Jermell, who tells TMZ Sports the Paul bros ain't on the Charlo bros level right now, but, absolutely no shade here ... 'cause the light-middleweight champ says he's actually a big fan of what they're doing in the sport.

"I f**k with the Paul Brothers."

"I like what they're doing. Let them keep boxing and keep going. They're gaining experience in boxing right now. They're doing what they're supposed to do. They're doing what legacy makers are doing and that's why I feel like the Paul Brothers, they're gonna keep on doing what they doing and making big money in boxing and making money on YouTube."

In fact, Jermell says other fighters could -- and should -- learn from Jake and Logan.

"Boxers need to learn from that s**t, bro."

Of course, the Paul bros, and particularly Jake, have taken the boxing world by storm. Jake is 5-0 professionally.

Jake has beaten fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, before taking on 2x Slam Dunk champ and all-around incredible athlete, Nate Robinson. Paul flatlined the 5'8" hooper on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. undercard ... and that's when his popularity exploded.

The Problem Child then beat former MMA champ Ben Askren ... putting the wrestling legend on the canvas.

Then, it was time for his biggest test by far ... MMA legend and future UFC Hall of Famer, Tyron Woodley, whom Jake beat twice, culminating in one of the most brutal knockouts of the year.

As for Logan ... he fought KSI twice. The first fight was a draw, and Paul lost the rematch (LP received an unusually harsh penalty during the fight which affected the result).

So, pretty impressive. But, Jermell and Jermall are two of the top boxers in the world right now. We talked about Jermell's titles ... and he isn't the only one in the fam with belts. Jermall is a former two-weight class world champion.

Speaking of brothers ... we asked Jermell if he'd ever fight his twin, Jermall. The short answer? Nope.

But, what about for a lot of money? Nope.

"I don't care about no money like that. I got enough money man, life is great. Never put my hands on my brother," Jermell told us.

There's more.

We also talked to Jermell -- who is fighting undefeated boxer Brian Castano Saturday night on Showtime -- about Canelo Alvarez's recent loss to Dmitry Bivol, and what it means for the Mexican boxing legend's legacy.

If Floyd Mayweather or Oscar De La Hoya are looking for exhibitions down the road ... former boxing star Fernando Vargas tells TMZ Sports he's down to get back in the ring with both!

Of course, it's been 15 years since the 44-year-old fighter has been in the ring ... but with ex-champs like Mayweather, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. making comebacks for big money -- we had to ask if Vargas has got any interest.

And, he said yes ... emphatically.

"I'm ready," Vargas said. "My phone is open."

The 26-5 boxer said Floyd would be his ideal opponent ... but rekindling an old rivalry with De La Hoya would also intrigue him.

"Floyd knows my number," Vargas said. "Even if it's not Mayweather, it can be Oscar. Exhibition with me and Oscar. Let's go. I'm ready. Let's go, Oscar. We can make it happen!"

But, before Vargas can even set that up, he'll watch his three sons, Fernando Jr., Amado and Emiliano square up in their own bouts on the undercard of Triller's Fight Club on Saturday.

Emiliano -- the youngest of the three -- will be making his boxing debut ... while his brother, Vargas Jr., is 5-0 (5 KOs). Amado, meanwhile, is 3-0 (2 KOs).

"I know they came from me so they got their DNA from their father," Vargas said. "So, it's a blessing to be able to be here and to see them do what they love."

Vargas -- who trains his kids -- expects a win from each of them ... saying, "All of 'em by knockout. I know they got it, so we're definitely excited."

Two wrestlers in an overseas pro wrestling org. beat the hell out of each other so badly during a match -- they both left the ring soaked in blood ... and now, cops say they are investigating it all.

The gruesome tilt went down on April 29 in an event put on by the Colliery Championship Wrestling org. at the New Seaham Conservative Club in the U.K.

Competitors, Ronnie Thatcher and Blizzard, were headlining the card as the main event ... and roughly 80 people, including children, had seats to the show.

But, as the two were going at it in the ring, they suddenly got ultra-violent with each other -- unexpectedly turning the fight into a "death match."

They brought out weapons, glass, and even a weed whacker -- and straight-up mauled each other so badly they were bleeding from nearly every limb on their bodies.

In fact, one video shows Blizzard slamming Ronnie straight through a piece of wood so badly, that it exploded everywhere.

After the match, the CCW faced heavy scrutiny for the gore ... and an event organizer, James Brass, apologized for it all.

"Things can sometimes not go to plan," Brass said. "Obviously there was a little bit more that went down. I spoke to the two guys afterward. We had discussions and obviously, that will not be happening again."

But, local police clearly feel an apology ain't enough ... 'cause in a statement to media outlets, cops said they are investigating it all.

Floyd Mayweather's much-anticipated boxing match in Dubai this weekend has been called off ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us ... the exhibition fight -- which was supposed to pit Mayweather against his former sparring partner Don Moore on Saturday on the Burj Al Arab hotel helipad -- will no longer go down following the death of United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Government officials, according to WAM, the official UAE news agency, have suspended "work in ministries, departments, federal and local institutions, and the private sector" for the next three days due to the Sheikh Khalifa's passing ... and, according to our sources, that means the Floyd fight cannot happen this weekend.

We are told, though, the two boxers could attempt to reschedule the match for sometime next week.

Floyd has yet to comment on the fight's cancelation ... though he did mourn Sheikh Khalifa's death in an Instagram post early Friday morning.

"Sending my condolences to the entire UAE," he said. "RIP Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed."

Mayweather and Moore have both been in Dubai the past few days promoting the fight ... with Moore saying he was legitimately gunning to beat the 50-0 boxing legend.

Jake and Logan Paul got a mouthful of cow balls.

That's it. That's the story.

Okay, fine -- here's some context: Logan and his "Impaulsive" cohosts welcomed the viral "Liver King" influencer on this week's podcast episode ... and naturally, their guest brought along a spread of cow liver, testicle, pancreas, kidney and heart.

For those who haven't heard of the 'LK,' he's a self-proclaimed "CEO of the ancestral lifestyle" ... and has gained a mass following showing off his raw organ meat diet.

But, the tray of treats the "Liver King" brought along wasn't just for show -- he had the whole group test out the product ... which didn't start so great for Logan.

"Bro ..." Logan said as he took a bite out of a cow testicle before gagging and spitting it out.

Logan's dad -- who clearly has a stronger stomach -- called his son out ... saying, "You are a f***ing bitch, give me that nut" ... and yeah, he devoured it.

"Can I get a spit bucket??" Logan pleaded with a disgusted look on his face.

Jake -- who was watching the whole thing unfold -- was clearly disappointed in his bro's performance ... adding, "I eat this s*** every day. Y'all are being so wack. I eat raw liver every day and bone marrow."

The "Problem Child" admitted he hadn't tried the testicles ... but had no issue trying it out for the first time.

"It's like sashimi."

Logan redeemed himself with some bone marrow and liver ... downing both with only slight difficulty.

Who knows -- maybe it's the secret to crushing it in the boxing ring??

Boxing star Terence Crawford's daughter just pulled off the unimaginable -- the 7-year-old won a track race despite losing her shoe out the starting blocks ... and the video of the comeback is wildly impressive!!

A clip of the stunning upset was shared on social media on Sunday ... showing Talaya, a budding track star, getting off to a shaky start during the sprint competition at the Wings of Omaha Invitational at Northwest High School in Nebraska.

Talaya's shoe comes off right at the start of the race ... but instead of giving up like most would, she slips it right back on and gets to work.

Talaya's blunder cost her a significant amount of time (and distance), but she shows no signs of panic as she catches up to the rest of the pack.

In the video, you can hear the spectators recording the wild moment cheering Talaya's name as she picks up steam ... and, as a result, gaining ground fast on her competition.

Not only did Talaya hawk down her opponents, but she passed every single runner ... and won by a HUGE margin.

Of course, Talaya's dad is a world-class boxer, so we know athleticism runs in the genes. But, the biggest takeaway from this stunning, dominant performance was her tenacious spirit.

Bud commented about the accomplishment over the weekend, saying, "I just can’t stop thinking about my daughter's track meet yesterday."

"She just doesn’t have a clue how much she just motivated me. This is the definition of not giving [up], heart and grit. She let it all hang out even when she was hit with adversity."

Mike Tyson can breathe a sigh of relief -- the boxing legend will NOT face criminal charges stemming from his airplane beatdown, TMZ Sports has learned.

The San Mateo County District Attorney said Monday morning because of "the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson" no charges will be filed against the legendary fighter.

It's a big deal for Iron Mike -- because he had been facing the possibility of multiple criminal charges after he punched a man repeatedly in the face at SFO on a JetBlue plane on April 20.

Reps for Tyson had alleged the man threw a water bottle at him and annoyed him repeatedly prior to the attack. An attorney for the man, meanwhile, had argued no bottle was thrown -- and blamed the incident on his client being "overly excited."

Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County D.A., tells us ultimately neither Tyson nor the man wanted to go to court over it all. Wagstaffe added that they believed there were more serious cases his office should be prosecuting regardless.

"We thank San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County Sheriff, and all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent, and professional work," said Tyson's attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli.

Manny Pacquiao's presidential bid is over ... the boxing legend officially conceded the race in the Philippines to his opponent, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he announced on Tuesday in an official statement.

"I know how to accept defeat," Pacquiao said. "But I hope that even though I lost this race, my countrymen, especially the poor, still win in this scenario."

According to Rappler, a Philippine news website, the boxer-turned-politician was losing the election by a sizeable margin ... with the outlet reporting that Pacquiao had over 3.6 million votes, while Marcos Jr. had more than 31 million votes.

In his concession announcement, 43-year-old Pacquiao said he was praying for the success of the upcoming administration ... and hoping the lives of impoverished people improve.

The 62-8-2 fighter initially announced back in September 2021 his bid to be the next President of the Philippines after accepting the PDP-Laban party's nomination.

Pacquiao, who spent time in the Senate, centered his presidential campaign around tackling poverty and corruption -- something he believed was a pervasive issue in the government.

In March, Pacquiao warned the citizens of the Philippines that the possibility of Martial Law could be enacted if Marcos was elected as president, according to Rappler.

Steve Aoki had a night full of ups and one down ... falling hard off the stage during his DJ set at a nightclub, before getting back up to continue.

Steve hit the floor (literally) Sunday night at DAER Nightclub in Hollywood, Florida. During his set, he fell really hard off the stage and landed on the ground ... but, he didn't stay down for long.

Moments later, he hops back up and goes back to work on the turntables. For the most part, he didn't seem too affected by the tumble ... bobbing his head and getting back in the zone.

At one point after the fall, he even puts on his boxing gloves and squares off with boxer Ryan Garcia ... and punches weren't the only things the guys ate on stage. Steve even threw a huge cake in Ryan's face, before they danced it all out, together.

Some other notable guests in the building included ... Dennis Rodman, Shaggy, Vernon Davis, and Sommer Ray.

Celebrity Sports Entertainment put on the event, which was an F1 after-party ... clearly, it was a fun night, full of many surprises.

Roy Jones Jr. tells TMZ Sports he doesn't believe Canelo Alvarez's loss to Dmitry Bivol will affect his star power one bit ... saying the guy is "still the biggest ticket in boxing" outside of the heavyweights.

Canelo suffered just his second-ever loss on Saturday night after moving up in weight to fight Bivol ... dropping the contest via a unanimous decision.

Some believe the L could hurt Canelo going forward ... but, when we spoke to Jones Jr. about the result on Monday, he said he doesn't expect it to impact the 31-year-old at all.

In fact, Jones Jr. said the 57-2-1 fighter's elite legacy is still in-tact ... and no matter who he fights next, his name will still draw plenty of eyeballs.

"[He's] the biggest ticket in boxing outside of the heavyweight division right now," Jones Jr. said.

Jones Jr.'s advice for Canelo now is simple -- fight Gennady Golovkin for a third time, and then go from there.

"Fight Triple G first because that's one that people will pay big money to see," Jones Jr. said. "It's one that'll generate interest and you could do it as a middleweight."

No word yet on what Canelo's plans are next ... but when we spoke to Bivol on Monday, the boxer sure seemed like he wasn't in any race to give a rematch to Canelo.

Bivol told us his goal by fighting Canelo was to gain notoriety ... and then pursue more belts elsewhere.

Stoolies rejoice -- Dave Portnoy is promising the full "Barstool experience" when he takes the mic for the Canelo Alvarez fight this weekend ... and by the sound of it, viewers will undoubtedly be entertained.

Pres and Big Cat are slated to give their expert analysis on an alternate PPV broadcast of Canelo's bout against Dmitry Bivol on DAZN on Saturday ... a move that Portnoy called "one of the great no-brainers in the history of Earth."

Of course, the gang has experience calling their "Rough N Rowdy" fights over the years -- as well as some work for the Jake Paul fight in August -- but this is the first time they get to provide commentary for one of the world's greatest.

Dave says it's a great idea to get the younger audience to tune in to the champ's fight in Vegas ... and despite going big time, they're not going to lose sight of what makes them unique.

"We're going to be ourselves," Dave added. "DAZN hired us to be ourselves, so we're going to be ourselves and do it how we'd do it if was on Barstool."

The guys are going to look the part and don suits for the bout ... but as Big Cat points out, his might be a bit tight.

"The last time I wore the suit was for the Jake Paul fight in August ... put it on for the first time last night, your boy's gained about 20 pounds. So, you also get to see me squeeze into a suit tomorrow."

Kayla Harrison attempts to defend her PFL crown once again Friday night, but, she tells TMZ Sports she was originally scheduled to fight two weeks ago ... against Cris "Cyborg" Justino!

"I thought I was gonna be fighting Cris Cyborg on April 22 in Hawaii. So, yes, I'm interested in the fight," the 2-time PFL champ says, adding ... "I'm more than ready and willing to step up for that opportunity. I think the fans want it, I know I want it, I know PFL wants it. I'm ready! I thought that that was gonna happen this year, I thought it was gonna happen last week."

Then, why's 31-year-old Kayla fighting Marina Mokhnatkina tonight?

It all goes back to Harrison's free agency a few months ago. She and manager, Ali Abdelaziz, tested the waters amongst the major MMA promotions, and actually struck a deal to face Cris.

But, Harrison's contract dictated PFL had an opportunity to meet any offer she received elsewhere, and that's exactly what they did.

"I accepted [against Cyborg] and PFL had the right to match and ultimately they did. I'm happy, I'm very happy with where I'm at. I'm excited about the season, you know, I'm excited for the potential fight with Cyborg but I have four fights in front of me in five and a half months. It's no easy feat. It's a grind."

The fight with Cris is super important to Kayla ... as she's made it crystal clear her desire is to show she's the baddest MF'er in MMA.

How do Kayla and 36-year-old Cris match up? Justino, regarded as one of best female MMA fighters of all-time, has only lost twice in her career. One L was to the G.O.A.T., Amanda Nunes in 2018. The other was literally her first ever pro fight ... in 2005.

Kayla, who got into the sport in 2018 following two Olympic gold medals in Judo, is undefeated at 12-0. She's twice entered, and won, the Professional Fighters League tourney.

The Island Boys will have an opportunity to show off their hands -- and secure the bag -- 'cause Flyysoulja and Kodiyakredd just got an offer to be cast on a boxing competition pitting social media stars against each other in the squared circle.

The new reality show is called "Ultimate Social Boxing" ... and will pit 32 social media stars against one another as they attempt to fight their way to the top, and the winner will receive $1 million!

TMZ Sports talked to LiveOne founder Rob Ellin (brother of 'Entourage' creator Doug Ellin), and one of the people behind the show. Ellin is currently beginning to cast the series.

Two of those spots ... well, Rob would like the Island Boys to enter the competition.

"We want you. It looks great. It looks energetic. It looks like those guys have those promotional skills. Again, to have that energy of becoming a true brand. Steve Austin, right? The Rock. Hulk Hogan. You want dolls made of you? You want a career? You wanna build brands? You want to own tequila companies? Yeah, sure. But, you better get yourself into boxing shape," Ellin said.

Of course, the bros blew up after their song, "I'm An Island Boy" exploded in popularity last year.

And, they've seemingly taken up boxing lately ... showing off their skills (😬) on social media, doing bag and mitt work.

Boxing and entertainment have become more intertwined over the last few years ... and particularly since Jake Paul burst onto the boxing scene.

Paul flipped the sport on its head in many ways ... but that could only happen because, like him or not, Jake's a talented fighter.