Boxing

The Gypsy King vs. The Mountain in 2022?!?

It appears we could very well see that ... 'cause after Tyson Fury threw a verbal jab at "Game of Thrones" star Hafthor Bjornsson on Wednesday -- the actor-turned-boxer accepted a fight!!!

Fury's barb was pretty clever ... on his Instagram page, he wrote, "I wonder if Thor Bjornsson could take a crashing right hand to that big jaw," adding, "Who would have Thor's hammer? Would this mountain be too big to climb?"

It didn't take long for Thor -- a former World's Strongest Man -- to see the quips ... and in a shirtless video, he fired back at Fury -- accepting a fight if the 33-year-old heavyweight champ was offering one.

"I'm 100% up for war," Bjornsson said. "Let's do this."

Now, don't get it twisted ... even though Bjornsson is an actor and a former strongman, he's no stranger to the boxing ring.

Since 2021, Bjornsson has boxed in 4 professional fights -- winning two bouts while the others ended up in a draw.

And, the two are roughly the same size -- both standing at 6'9".

Izzy Drake's career as a professional Drake impersonator is on the ropes ... a wobble he's looking to shake by challenging his idol to a $1M celebrity boxing match.

Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing tells us he signed the Drake imposter and booked a fight for an August 27th event ... whether the real Drake fights the fake Drake or not.

The stakes here are high ... fake Drake has agreed to stop impersonating the real Drizzy if he loses.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story of fake Drake's embarrassing VIP eviction from one of real Drake's favorite Houston nightclubs.

Mikey Garcia -- the man who went undefeated in his first 20 fights with 17 knockouts -- is retiring from boxing, his team announced on Tuesday.

Garcia's brother and trainer, Robert Garcia, shared the news with ESPN ... saying, "My brother Mikey had a great boxing career. Becoming a five-time champion of the world in four divisions is something very few have done."

"I am very proud of my brother for everything he accomplished in boxing. Now it's time for him to enjoy his life together with his family and loved ones."

The 34-year-old SoCal native -- whose amateur career started at 14 years old -- is hanging up the gloves after 42 professional bouts ... posting a 40-2-0 record with 30 of his 40 wins coming via knockout.

Boxing runs in the Garcia family ... Mikey's father, Eduardo, was an amateur boxer in his heyday, and he even trained Fernando Vargas, a world champion boxer.

During his decorated career, Mikey -- who stands about 5'6" inches tall -- won titles in four different weight classes ... including featherweight, super featherweight, light welterweight and lightweight.

Garcia's last professional bout came in October 2021 against Sandor Martin -- who was a massive underdog heading into the fight -- where he lost by majority decision.

The Fury family's relationship with a major Irish crime boss is what's keeping Tommy from entering the United States ... with U.S. officials placing a travel ban on any fighters, managers and promoters with ties to the wanted man.

Daniel Kinahan -- who helped found the MTK Global boxing promotions company that previously repped Tyson Fury -- is accused of running a massive drug and firearms trafficking operation in Europe ... and is currently on the run from authorities.

Law enforcement sources tell us fighters with any association with Kinahan -- even the most tenuous ties with the guy -- are being barred from traveling as part of the federal investigation ... in hopes of getting information on bringing him down.

Here's the thing -- Kinahan is accused of some SERIOUS crimes with the Kinahan Organized Crime Group ... but as far as MTK Global goes, it was legit and well respected in the boxing community.

We're told the feds are even keeping former fighters who are now broadcasters from doing their jobs ... stopping at nothing to get people to cooperate in the investigation.

While Tommy seemingly has ZERO connection to Kinahan, it's Tyson's relationship with Kinahan that kept him from making it to New York for Wednesday's press conference for the Jake Paul fight.

Tyson has clearly avoided questions about his links to Kinahan in the past ... but has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

Tommy Fury's fight with Jake Paul could go up in smoke ... after TNT claims he was denied entry into the United States ahead of their scheduled press conference in New York.

Just when it seemed like the bout was FINALLY going to happen, Tommy shared the crappy news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying his team showed up at Heathrow Airport to hop over the pond ... but they were shut down.

"As soon as I entered the airport, I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know," Tommy said in a video.

Tommy, boxing superstar Tyson Fury's younger brother, went on to say he's done nothing wrong ... and claims he's totally dumbfounded as to why he's not allowed to travel to the U.S.

"I've been training for a fight this whole time and that's all I've been doing," Tommy said. "I have no clue why I'm not allowed to travel and neither does my team or my lawyers."

"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team."

As we reported, Tommy and Jake agreed to fight each other at the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- in NYC on Aug. 6 ... but Tommy says the issues he's currently facing are bigger than the fight.

What's interesting -- Tommy was able to travel to California last month without issue ... something his nemesis pointed out.

Of course, this isn't going to sit well with fans who've been clamoring for the two boxers to fight after years of trash talk and failed negotiations.

The presser between Tommy and Jake was originally scheduled for Wednesday ... but it's been postponed, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

Despite the travel mishap, Jake isn't letting Tommy off the hook easily ... tweeting, "Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I'm going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out."

If it were up to Dana White, a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor would never go down again ... with the UFC honcho telling TMZ Sports, "I have less than zero interest in seeing that again."

Of course, Conor made it seem like a May-Pac run-back could be on the horizon ... after he posted a photo on his Instagram earlier this month of him boxing Mayweather with the caption "I accept."

Dana, though, tells us he hasn't heard anything about the possibility of the two squaring up again in a ring -- and he sounded hopeful it stays that way going forward.

"I didn't even know that," White said. "I haven't seen it."

Mayweather and McGregor made a ton of cash the first time the two boxed back in August 2017 -- it reportedly had more than 4 MILLION pay-per-view buys -- but the two are in vastly different places in their careers now.

Floyd is 45 and has only fought in exhibitions since. Conor, meanwhile, is 33 and is coming off not only a serious leg injury, but losses in 3 of his last 4 UFC fights.

Dana made it clear he'd much rather see McGregor make his return to combat sports in the octagon ... telling us a scrap against Michael Chandler is a fight he still likes.

Unclear when McGregor will be able to return from his broken leg ... the timetable he was given in July 2021 was about one year.

A boxing showdown between two NFL superstars is in the works -- Adrian Peterson is currently in the process of becoming Le'Veon Bell's opponent at Crypto.com Arena next month, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story earlier this month, 30-year-old Bell is slated to take his first boxing match as part of YouTube superstar Austin McBroom's Social Gloves event in Los Angeles ... but his opponent had het to be announced.

Now, we're told the 37-year-old former NFL MVP is in talks to take the ring against Bell on July 30 ... in what would be a massive fight between two accomplished running backs.

Adrian -- a 4-time first-team All-Pro and 7-time Pro Bowler -- last played for the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks in 2021 ... suiting up for 4 total games last season.

Bell -- a 2-time first-team All-Pro and 3-time Pro Bowler -- played for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 ... appearing in 8 games.

The fight card is already stacked with big names -- as we previously reported, ex-NBA player Nick Young is fighting against rapper Blueface ... and McBroom is going up against YouTuber AnEsonGib.

After Ryan Garcia beats Javier Fortuna next month, the young boxing superstar tells TMZ Sports his sole focus will be boxing Gervonta 'Tank' Davis ... and he says he's putting him to sleep!

"That fight will not go the distance. No way possible can it go the distance. I will not let Gervonta Davis off the hook," Garcia said about the potential super fight with Tank.

"I'm gonna beat your ass. I promise that -- I will whoop your ass and I will put you to sleep!

And, Garcia's clearly dead serious ... warning 27-0 (25 KOs) Tank not to let his IG fame fool him, 'cause at the end of the day -- despite his 8+ million followers and funny clips -- he's still a 22-0 boxer.

"Just know that there's a lot more than meets the eye with me. Don't think I'm soft," Garcia said.

"You come find out and actually make that decision to fight me, you'll find out real soon there's nothing soft about me."

Of course, the 23-year-old lightweight has to get through Fortuna (37-3, 26 KOs) first -- that bout is set to go down on July 16th at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles (it's airing on DAZN).

"He's an ex-world champion. He's a veteran," Garcia said about Fortuna.

"But, the fact that I'm coming into, I feel my prime and my best ability skillfully and mentally, I feel like this will be a short night for Javier Fortuna."

Garcia added one last thing, "I just know I'm gonna fight Tank after I beat Fortuna."

MMA fans, we have a target date for Francis Ngannou's Octagon return ... with the UFC's heavyweight champ telling TMZ Sports he expects to be back by early 2023, at the latest!

Of course, Francis last fought in January ... when he beat interim champ, undefeated fighter Ciryl Gane to unify the belts.

In March, about 6 weeks after the unanimous decision win, Ngannou was forced to undergo surgery to repair serious damage to his knee, including ACL reconstruction and MCL repair, which were sustained before and during the fight.

So, when we ran into the 35-year-old star outside Avra in Beverly Hills, we asked Francis how his knee was feeling.

"It's getting better," Ngannou told us, adding, "It's been only 3 months, so yeah, I'm still doing physical therapy."

Now for the question on the mind of all Ngannou fans ... when will you fight??

"If everything goes well I'll be ready by the end of the year because it's gonna be 9 months. So, let's say late December or early next year."

As for Francis' preferred opponent ... he opted not to call anyone out.

"You know, as for now let's fight for the situation and get everything squared up, and then when I will be close to the return, we will see where the landscape is at 'cause a lot of things can happen."

There have been a lot of rumored opponents for Ngannou ... including Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic and even Tyson Fury.

But, first things first ... get healthy!

Calabasas moonwalkers Blueface and DDG are running pretty tight these days, making music and even cutting their teeth in the world of boxing.

We ran into the 2 rappers Wednesday in Los Angeles during what appears to be a music video shoot. They were pretty tight-lipped on the subject ... but told us to check back later.

What they did want to talk about -- or rather, vent about -- was DDG’s lack of a boxing opponent in the upcoming Social Gloves event at the Crypto.com Arena.

While the “Thotiana” rapper is scheduled to fight former Lakers champ Nick Young ... DDG has been left ass out after PnB Rock just bailed on their fight.

We can definitely see why DDG wants in on the action. During a Social Gloves event last year, he put in work on TikToker Nate Wyatt’s face — fresh off from splurging at the strip club the night earlier.

Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will settle their beef ... after seemingly years of back-and-forth trash talk, failed negotiations, canceled flights and an ultimatum from Jake -- fight me now or never -- the two boxers will finally square off in a ring.

Jake announced the news early Thursday morning ... proclaiming Tommy, Tyson Fury's younger brother, stepped up to the plate and accepted his challenge.

"Okay people he grew a set overnight. It's official, I'm taking this little Fury's head off," Paul said on Twitter.

JP also announced he and Tommy will co-main event alongside Amanda Serrano, who fights under Jake's MVP promotion and is fighting Brenda Carabajal at the mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden.

Yesterday, Jake ripped 23-year-old Fury ... accusing him of ducking him and finding every possible excuse to prevent the fight from happening.

"Tommy Fury, you pulled out last year. Then you agree to fight me now but your dad is trying to pull you out again? We've given you everything you asked for," Paul told Fury.

He continued ... "We're 45 days away from the fight. We agreed to his 2 million dollar purse, we agreed to VADA testing, extra flights, extra rooms, extra tickets to the fight."

And, let's not forget back in December, Jake seemed to be over the Tommy saga ... after Fury pulled out of their Dec. 18 bout due to a chest infection and broken rib.

Jake Paul is over Tommy Fury duckin' him ... giving Tyson's little bro an ultimatum -- fight me now or fight me NEVER -- and it appears to have worked!

"Tommy Fury, you pulled out last year. Then you agree to fight me now but your dad is trying to pull you out again? We've given you everything you asked for," Jake wrote, listing out the so-called demands.

"$2M purse ✅
VADA testing ✅
Tampon’s ✅"

Paul's alluding to their 2021 fight that never came to fruition ... after Tommy sustained an injury. Tyron Woodley ultimately took his place, and was knocked out.

Now, Jake says Tommy's running out of time, and must sign on the dotted line ASAP ... so they can fight August 6 at Madison Square Garden.

To hammer home the point, Jake went on Instagram and said, "We're 45 days away from the fight," continuing ... "We agreed to his 2 million dollar purse, we agreed to VADA testing, extra flights, extra rooms, extra tickets to the fight."

Paul added, "It kept getting pushed until now .. what's the excuse? Oh, 'I can't come and I can't do it because my dad can't be there with me during the fight.'"

It's an excuse "The Problem Child" ain't buying, saying "It doesn't make any f***ing sense."

"You're scared! You claim you're a professional boxer but you don't wanna make the fight with me who you talk so much s*** about?!"

Thankfully for fans who want to see the scrap, it seems the pressure tactic worked for Paul ... 'cause the 8-0 (4 KOs) boxer seemingly accepted the terms via Twitter.

"See you august 6th pal," Fury wrote.

Former pro boxer Julius Francis tells TMZ Sports he's down to fight Mike Tyson in a rematch -- 22 years after they first fought -- following the renewed fame he's received after his recent knockout video went viral.

We spoke with the 57-year-old -- who had the internet in a frenzy after he KO'ed a man while working a security guard shift in the UK earlier this month -- and he told us he's now willing to come out of retirement, if the opponent and the price are right.

"If there is a promoter that’s willing to promote a sanctioned fight," Julius said, "and, I never have liked talking about money, but [if] they could come up with a decent offer, then who knows?"

Francis told us he hears all the time that he should fight Jake or Logan Paul because of the potential huge payday ... but he doesn't view either of them in his category.

Instead, Francis shared there's only one person that could get him to lace up the gloves again ... and that's the man he lost to in a famous January 2000 bout -- Iron Mike.

"I’m going to put it out there," Francis said. "I’m going to say, 'Yes. Yes, we can have a rematch.' I don’t know if anybody will watch it, but I'm going to say, 'Yes.'"

Francis was unexpectedly thrust back into the spotlight while working a security gig outside of BOXPARK Wembley on June 12 ... when he knocked a man out with one punch after the guy had been agitating people nearby.

Julius said he felt "vindicated" by social media's response to his haymaker ... and that he was pleased to see people rally behind him, even going as far to say they appreciate what he did because the guy deserved it.

Francis expressed he has no regrets over the situation ... because he was simply defending himself against the guy.

Despite getting into a physical altercation with an overzealous fan on a plane in April ... Mike Tyson is still flying commercial -- telling TMZ Sports he's got no worries about similar situations in the future.

We got the legendary boxer on his way to what appeared to be another commercial flight at LAX on Friday ... and had to ask -- is he at least somewhat concerned about flying with normies going forward just three months after he punched a man on a plane for annoying him.

Tyson, though, said it's absolutely not crossing his mind ... telling us, "No way!"

The 55-year-old former fighter insisted he's more zen now.

"You know about [my weed brand] Tyson 2.0?" Tyson said. "That's what I'm about now, man. I'm all about Tyson 2.0."

It's interesting ... because Tyson previously said his wife was urging him to strictly fly private now.

As for the advice he'd give to celebs who will deal with similar overly excited fans like the one he faced in April -- Iron Mike said there's only one solution ...

Roy Jones Jr. is clapping back at Wladimir Klitschko -- after the former 2x heavyweight champ from Ukraine questioned RJJ's "moral compass" for his close relationship with Russia -- with the Hall of Fame boxer saying he doesn't want to see anyone hurt ... Russian or Ukrainian.

And, Jones Jr. makes it clear ... if Wladimir continues to badmouth him, they can get in a ring and figure out their differences.

"I have people on both sides of the fence. I don't wanna see nobody die. Nobody fight like that because people die of war. I don't wanna see nobody on either side die. I have loved ones on both sides of the fence. You understand me? I got kids on this side, people on that side. I love both sides. I don't want to see nobody die," Roy said.

Of course, the issue couldn't be closer to Wladimir ... whose been on the ground in Ukraine throughout the entire Russian invasion, witnessing almost endless death and destruction.

In fact, Wladimir's brother Vitali Klitschko is the mayor of Kyiv ... the capital (and most populous city) of Ukraine.

During W. Klitschko's Hall of Fame induction last weekend, the now immortalized pugilist had some very strong words for Roy ... who was also inducted the same weekend.

"There's one person for whom I have a real question. One person broke Ukrainian law by going to the occupied peninsula of Crimea through Russian territory," Klitschko said.

"So, Roy, whose side are you on? On the side of the aggressor, or on the side of the defender of his right to live? I respect you as a fighter but I really question your moral compass."

FYI, a few years back, Roy became a citizen of Russia (he remains a U.S. citizen, too).

But, Roy says the last thing he wants to see is people die in a war.

"If it was up to me, we wouldn't even have a war. You understand where I'm coming from? So don't try to put me off in there like I'm some guy, 'Oh, he's happy this.' "I don't know enough about it to be happy about it. How could I tell you, I don't know that Russia wrong. I don't know that Ukraine wrong. I don't know who the hell might be right or wrong. And I don't care 'cause that's not my field."

Jones Jr. continued ... "If I was a president, senator or politician, then I'd be ready to argue with him, but I'm not. So, the only thing I can argue with him about is if he thinks he can whoop me, then we can have that argument."

Whether or not Jones Jr.'s response is enough to appease Wladimir is unclear. And, if it's not, Roy seems ready to take things to the ring.

Mike Tyson is finally telling people why he beat the hell out of an overbearing fan on a recent flight ... with the boxing legend explaining he was just high and irritable at the time!

"Hey listen, I'm usually good at these things," Tyson told Jimmy Kimmel on his show Thursday night.

"I was wrong, that should've never happened. That's me back in my primitive child stages, I shouldn't of done that, but I was just irritated, tired, high, and pissed off. S*** happens!"

"I don't wanna hurt nobody!," MT sang.

So, the dude tried Mike at the wrong time ... and Tyson beat him up for it.

Of course, Mike, who was removed from the plane along with the bloodied and bruised passenger, wasn't charged with a crime for the April 2022 incident.

Melvin Townsend III, the 36-year-old man who was on the receiving end of the beating, hired an attorney several days after the fight ... but it's unclear if he's struck a financial deal with Tyson.

Jokes aside, it certainly seems Mike regrets his actions ... even though anecdotally, most believe the former heavyweight champ was well within his right to serve up the beating.

Kimmel also asked Mike about a possible boxing match with Jake Paul. Mike and Jake are actually buddies ... but Tyson's clearly open to the idea.