Boxing

Nate Diaz is now in custody in New Orleans ... jail records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the ex-UFC star turned himself in early Thursday morning after an arrest warrant was issued for him earlier this week.

According to the records, Diaz was booked at 7:40 AM on a charge of second-degree battery.

No further details surrounding the turn-in were made immediately available.

As we reported, the New Orleans Police Dept. initially issued the arrest warrant for the 38-year-old fighter on Monday ... two days after he was seen on video choking out a man during a large altercation on Bourbon Street.

In the footage, you can see Diaz -- who was in Louisiana to watch the Misfits Boxing 6 event  -- got a guy in a headlock ... and choked him unconscious before he laid the dude down in the street. Cops said the man suffered a head wound in the altercation.

After the arrest warrant was issued, Diaz's rep, Zach Rosenfield, said Diaz was innocent ... and "acted entirely in self-defense."

Diaz is slated to fight Jake Paul in a boxing match later this summer. It's unclear if Wednesday's arrest will alter any plans for the much-anticipated fight.

Floyd Mayweather's next fight isn't just going to be a boxing match, it's also going to be a big music event, too ... 'cause TBE will be squaring up against John Gotti's grandson, John Gotti III -- and music superstar Ozuna will be performing!!

TMZ Sports is told the bash will go down on June 11 in Sunrise, Florida ... and Floyd (50-0, 27 KOs) is expected to make the exhibition bout official at a press conference on Thursday.

We're told Ozuna -- whose songs have billions of views on the internet -- will be taking the stage for a special set during the extravaganza ... making it an entertaining night in both sports AND music.

Gotti III -- a mixed martial arts fighter (5-1-0) -- is 2-0 (1 KO) as a professional boxer ... and the fight is being promoted as a "Last Names Matter" spectacle ... which makes sense, considering his grandpa is one of the most infamous crime bosses ever.

"Floyd was the first to start the exhibition concept, and everyone followed. Now he is adding some spice to the mix," James McNair, Mayweather’s pal, and president of the Money Team, told TMZ Sports.

"A boxing exhibition and musical performances all under one roof."

Floyd Mayweather didn't just have diamonds all around his neck for the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight over the weekend -- he apparently had 'em on his head too ... the boxing legend's jeweler tells TMZ Sports the lid Floyd rocked to the match was so encrusted in gems, it was worth over $1 MILLION, according to the jeweler!

Shuki Diamonds told us out in L.A. this week he spent over a month making the blinged-out cap for Mayweather ... and it took him even longer than that to find the perfect "invisible diamonds" for it.

Shuki says the process to get the jewels on the "The Money Team" hat was arduous ... explaining it took painstaking work to get the cap looking just right.

According to Shuki, he had to make a mold, sandblast it all, and then shine it so it'd be perfect for Floyd's head.

"It's a big process," Shuki said.

The celeb jeweler gave it to Mayweather a few weeks ago while the two were in Dubai ... and since the two are so tight, he let it go free of charge.

And, when Floyd finally broke it out in public for Tank's massive win over Garcia in the boxing match of the year -- Shuki said he appreciated it very much.

Now, Shuki estimates it could sell for over $5 million if it ever hit an auction block.

"There's only one in the world," the jeweler said. "It's become historical -- it's Floyd Mayweather."

Ryan Garcia is keeping his head held high despite suffering his first career loss on Saturday ... stopping by a celeb-favorite restaurant just days after getting stopped by Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

24-year-old "King" Ryan was friendly with the crowd of cameras outside Wally's in Beverly Hills on Tuesday ... answering questions as he made it to his G-Wagon.

You have to give the young star credit for remaining in good spirits following defeat ... as he gave our TMZ Sports camera a positive medical update.

"I'm good, yeah," Garcia said just minutes ago. "Life's good."

The restaurant is known as a celeb hot spot, complete with lots of paparazzi ... so it's clear Ryan had no issue with being seen.

Garcia's undefeated streak ended when Davis planted a body shot that sent him to the canvas in the seventh round ... which had all of T-Moblie Arena freaking out.

The fight was a huge success ... and many believe it will go down as the biggest boxing event of the year.

As for his future plans, Garcia says he's planning to "come back stronger and make changes, come back stronger and rack up some wins ... and hopefully, down the line at the right time, get a rematch."

Oscar De La Hoya says he has a good explanation for not showing up to Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia's post-fight press conference on Saturday ... he received death threats, and was concerned for his safety!

The 50-year-old former boxer broke it down for fans on social media ... after people noticed ODLH was a no-show after Tank KO'd his Golden Boy Promotion boxer in the 7th round.

"My security team told me 'boss we gotta get the f*** out of here' because I received death threats," ODLH said in the video.

"You guys don't know this, I received death threats throughout the whole week and they just said it was simply too dangerous, so we got out of there."

Oscar also explained why his partner, Bernard Hopkins -- former champion boxer and current Golden Boy promoter -- was also MIA following the fight, saying he was accused of trying to touch Davis with a banned substance during weigh-ins the previous day.

"Bernard Hopkins was accused during the weigh-in of having testosterone cream on his hands and touching Gervonta Davis when he only wanted to help him because he was going to fall off the stage," ODLH said.

"So, PBC, Gervonta's promoter, banned him from everything. He couldn't get inside the ring. He couldn't do anything during the promotion."

You can actually see Tank on video yelling at Hopkins, demanding he not touch him during the pre-fight event.

Bottom line is Oscar is attempting to put all the speculation to rest, insisting he didn't go AWOL when Garcia needed him after his first-career loss. In fact, ODLH says he's proud of his boxer and Tank for putting on an exceptional event.

"The best man won," ODLH said. "Tank Davis you're a great fighter."

"Ryan Garcia, I have your back. Bernard has your back. We're with you 100% and you will be back stronger than ever, better than ever. Guaranteed."

After the fight, 23-1 Garcia made it clear he wants to rematch 29-0 Davis down the line ... and many King Ry supporters, including UFC superstar Conor McGregor, definitely want to see that happen.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis is winning in life ... the 29-0 fighter was gifted a $250K "Gumbo" chain minutes after knocking out Ryan Garcia, all to commemorate a new strain of weed named after the boxing superstar.

TMZ Sports has learned Davis recently signed a deal with cannabis company Gumbo Brands, who are releasing a strain called "Ape S***."

In the video, you see Tank smiling ear-to-ear as owners Alexis Majors and Karim "Luca" Butler put the expensive piece of bling -- a pendant and diamond tennis chain from Pristine Jewelers -- around his neck.

We're told former NBA star Stephen Jackson, who met with the champ in the locker room after the fight, helped facilitate the partnership between Davis and Gumbo.

Of course, Davis was already a hot commodity heading into the fight ... and even more so now that he's ended Garcia's undefeated streak, eliminating any doubt he's the king in their division.

As we reported ... Tank opted to keep things relatively low-key following arguably the biggest win of his career, celebrating the victory with some friends at Ghostbar in Vegas.

Nate Diaz is now a wanted man in Louisiana ... cops said Monday afternoon they've issued an arrest warrant for the former UFC star -- after he was seen on camera choking out a man on Bourbon Street.

The incident happened late Saturday night after Diaz had attended the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans.

In footage of the altercation, you can see Diaz got a man in a headlock during what appeared to be a large dispute -- and he didn't let the guy go until he was unconscious.

The man later took to social media to say he suffered a gnarly head wound during the incident.

According to MMA Fighting, authorities said they reviewed the footage, and an arrest warrant for Diaz for second-degree battery was ultimately issued.

Diaz is not currently in custody.

The 38-year-old fighter has yet to publicly comment on the situation ... but sources close to the fighter tell TMZ Sports he did not believe the man he choked out was acting as a peacemaker -- saying there was a larger fight happening in the area and the guy was part of that group. They're adamant Diaz was simply defending himself.

Diaz, who's slated to box Jake Paul later this summer, had been in a separate altercation earlier in the night -- when he threw a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor while ringside at the boxing event.

Shakur Stevenson says Ryan Garcia wasn't on "Tank" Davis' level Saturday night ... but he knows someone who is -- Shakur himself‍!

The 25-year-old undefeated boxer, one of the most talented fighters in the world, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) where he broke down this weekend's megafight ... and previewed a potential scrap with Gervonta.

"I felt Tank looked sharp. He was real sharp. He boxed real good. I think Ryan was preschool. Ryan wasn't on that top level," the 20-0 fighter said.

"I ain't think Ryan was that good. I ain't taking no credit away from Tank. Tank did what he was supposed to do but Ryan wasn't that."

Where'd Garcia go wrong?

Shakur explained it like this ... "He ain't know his distance. He was looking for one left hook the whole entire fight. He threw a left hook three times in a row and got clipped. Anybody knows that when you're fighting Tank, you can't do something three times in a row because his brain is like a computer. He picks up on it."

Of course, Davis beat Garcia by 7th-round knockout ... delivering a crushing liver shot to Ryan's body, ending a fight years in the making.

We also talked to Shakur about the KO, and people criticizing Garcia for not getting up before the 10-count (Stevenson says the critique isn't fair).

After the fight, the chatter started ... the real fight to make, and the guy who poses a true threat to Tank, is Stevenson, who is coming off a TKO win in April.

The good news is Shakur says he really wants the fight ... and soon.

"I would love that fight. I think that's the biggest and best fight in the sport of boxing."

Stevenson believes Tank, like him, is an all-time fighter ... and he used a sports analogy to put the matchup into perspective.

"You got like a Michael Jordan that came around in his era. Then you got a LeBron that came around in his era but they wasn't in the same era so we never got to see them go against each other."

Stevenson summed up the future Stevenson vs. Garcia fight like this.

"With me and Tank, you got two special fighters that been special our whole careers and our whole lives. When it comes down to it, it's going to be the biggest and best fight in boxing."

Michael Phelps was swimming in EDM this weekend -- and even though he wasn't in the water ... the dude found a reason to lose his shirt anyway.

The all-time Olympian -- who's got 23 gold medals to his name -- was on hand Saturday night at the XS Nightclub within the Wynn Las Vegas resort ... and he was in partying mood, which was only facilitated further with Diplo in the DJ booth and a packed crowd.

Mike and Diplo bro'd out behind the turntables ... and it looks like MP got so hyped, he ended up going bare-chested amid al the festivities. Maybe he was celebrating a bet on Gervonta Davis -- who won a big boxing match against Ryan Garcia earlier in the night.

Speaking of fighters ... Mr. Conor McGregor was also in attendance, and Phelps got in a battle pose with the guy. He also smiled for the camera alongside Travis Kelce!

There was even more star power in the crowd ... Sabrina Carpenter, Dixie Damelio and Loren Gray -- not to mention Michael B. Jordan, Chace Crawford, David Dobrik and others.

Of course, there were even more A-listers who were front and center for the fight itself ... these are just a handful of celebs who decided to rage after the fact at this particular club.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis had the city of Las Vegas and the boxing world in the palm of his hand after knocking out Ryan Garcia, but he actually kept things pretty low-key in celebrating his big win.

Davis and some friends hit Ghostbar on the roof of Palms Las Vegas late night Saturday after his fight. Davis -- in a white hoodie and sunglasses -- kept a low profile, sipping on a drink and chatting with some of his friends.

As for who else was in attendance, we're told some of Tank's famous friends like Chief Keef, Lil Reese, Flo Rida and Polo G were all there to celebrate.

As we reported ... Tank knocked Garcia out with a body shot in the 7th round of their fight. Garcia didn't go down immediately, but took a few steps back at first before taking a knee and staying down for the 10-count.

Both Tank and Garcia hyped up the fight for years, and there was a ton of buzz around the whole weekend. Celebs in attendance included Mark Wahlberg, Nelly and Ashanti.

Gervonta Davis called his shot ... he said he was going to knockout the previously undefeated Ryan Garcia in the 7th round of their megafight, and that's exactly what Tank did, dropping King Ryan with a perfectly placed body shot.

The liver shot didn't appear overly hard -- Tank was a bit out of position when he threw the punch -- but seemingly caught Ryan on the liver. After a few second delay, Ryan dropped to a knee, and winced in pain, as referee Thomas Taylor began to count.

Garcia remained on one knee for the entire 10-count ... and just like that, the fight, 5 years in the making, was over.

24-year-old Garcia got off to a nice start ... winning the first round.

However, the fight turned in the second when 28-year-old Tank, ducking under a left, caught Garcia with a beautiful left hook/uppercut that dropped Ryan, sending him to the canvas. He returned to his feet quickly.

From that moment on, save for a few flashes, Tank was in control of the fight.

Earlier in the week, Davis said he was going to stop Garcia in the 7th and that's what he did.

After the fight was over, Tank and Ryan embraced in the ring and squashed any beef they might've had, shaking hands ... after years of going back and forth with trash talk.

In what was the biggest fight of the year, the celebs were out in full force ... with everyone from Mark Wahlberg to Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson watching from their ringside seats.

Chief Keef even walked Gervonta to the ring, performing as Davis made his way to the squared circle.

Last week, Oscar De La Hoya, Ryan's promoter, told us the winner of the fight was set to become the face of boxing.

Nate Diaz had a trouble-filled night Friday ... he first chucked a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor and then choked a young man into unconsciousness in separate confrontations.

The UFC legend kicked off his wild night by attending the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans to watch Chris Avila beat Paul Bamba in the main event.

While Diaz was enjoying the bout in the front row, he got into a heated argument with DeMoor, who was seated behind him. Video shows DeMoor heckling Diaz and calling him a "p****." Diaz then pitched the water bottle at DeMoor, and the two would have come to blows if onlookers hadn't stepped between them.

Hours later, Diaz was filmed getting into a physical altercation with a young man on the sidewalk outside the venue. Nate put the guy in a choke hold until his body went limp and he fell to the ground unconscious. Diaz then casually walked away.

The extent of the man's injuries was unknown, nor was it clear if he was taken to a hospital. It’s also unclear if police got involved.

Video of the assault has since gone viral. UFC boss Dana White and former UFC champ Conor McGregor reacted on social media to the video. White suggested the man attacked by Diaz could be pro boxer Jake Paul's brother, Logan (It wasn't, though). McGregor laughed and praised Diaz for his "rampage."

Andy Ruiz's ex got a temporary restraining order against the star boxer earlier this month ... claiming he raped, abused and terrorized her throughout their relationship, TMZ Sports has learned.

But, Ruiz strongly denies the allegations ... and is adamant he is actually the victim in the case.

Julia Lemus filed for the domestic violence restraining order in San Diego back on April 6 ... alleging Ruiz "sexually, physically, and psychologically abused me, making me feel like feel like I had to walk on eggshells around him" while they were dating.

The 26-year-old -- who was with Ruiz from 2015 through 2022 -- added that Andy physically and emotionally abused their two children as well.

In the documents, she also accused Ruiz of abusing both alcohol and illicit drugs ... causing her to "fear for my life and safety and the lives and safety of my children."

Lemus described several instances of alleged abuse from Ruiz in her restraining order application ... saying the 33-year-old began to get physical with her in 2019 after he beat Anthony Joshua for the heavyweight title.

"He began grabbing me by my upper arms and physically yanking me in order to move me wherever he wanted me to go," Lemus said in the docs. She added he also began to "jokingly" punch her in her arms and legs, leaving her with bruises. She attached photos of the alleged injuries to her application.

Lemus claims in the docs ... earlier this year, Ruiz purchased several guns in Las Vegas and wanted to show them to her -- but when she became uncomfortable with all the firearms around, she said he "proceeded to point an AK-47 at my face." She claimed in the docs that after she told Ruiz to stop, he "told me to 'shut the f*** up,' and then noted that the guns did not have bullets in them and mocked me by telling me I was being dramatic."

Lemus then said beginning around February 2023, Ruiz began to sexually assault her -- forcing himself onto her on at least six occasions.

A temporary restraining order against Ruiz was granted shortly after the application was filed on April 6. It ordered the pugilist to stay at least 100 yards away from Lemus. It also prohibited him from owning any firearms. The court also ordered Lemus to have sole legal and physical custody of the couple's children ... at least until a court hearing scheduled for Monday.

Ruiz, however, filed a response to Lemus' docs in court on Thursday ... saying he "categorically denies that he ever has abused Julia Lemus or his children."

He said in the docs there "is no just reason to separate Ruiz from his" kids -- while adding Lemus is the one who's been violent in the relationship.

The boxer said in February 2020, Lemus stabbed him with a knife -- and attached a photo of the alleged injuries he suffered in the incident. He also said in April 2020, Lemus "entered my hotel room with a loaded gun in her hand, and screamed, 'everybody get the f*** out of here.'" He alleged in the docs Lemus hit one his friends in the head with the gun during the altercation, and then broke furniture in the room.

Ruiz also said in the court docs Lemus slapped, punched, and grabbed him "on multiple occasions."

"Not once did I ever engage in any physical response to Julia's assault," Ruiz said.

Ruiz also accused Lemus of stealing $250,000 worth of jewelry from him last month ... and said in the docs that he had made a report of the theft with police in San Diego.

We've reached out to Ruiz, a 35-2 fighter who's rumored to be Tyson Fury's next opponent, for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Mike Tyson says he now understands why so many people around boxing have compared Tank Davis' fighting style to his own, saying their "stoutness to the ground" and the way they throw power punches are very similar.

56-year-old "Iron" Mike joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he talked about everything from the comparisons between him and "Tank," to whether Davis will have trouble with Ryan Garcia's height Saturday night.

"Tank is very comfortable fighting taller people because when he fights he catapults himself, and pushes himself in the air, so it makes it very difficult to stop his attack cause it's very awkward when you're in the air, normally you have no power. But, the way which he catapults himself, it's almost like a gun being fired. He flies right into you with every ounce of power."

FYI, Gervonta is giving up between 5-6 inches to Ryan, and also has a shorter reach. Length, in boxing, typically provides an advantage.

Mike continued ... "I understood them now when they say he fights like Mike Tyson 'cause he flies through the air which is normally bad positioning, you have no power in the air. But, for him and myself, our stoutness to the ground, as I said before, catapults us like being shot like a bow and arrow and the force is unstoppable."

As for Gervonta's other weapons ... Tyson says he's more than just a power puncher.

"Tank has a lot of arsenal, he's got a lot of ammunition in his arsenal, and he can box. He's a great boxer, he's a great, aggressive fighter, he has a great jab, and he's an all-around good fighter."

"They call him short 5'5", but he can do it all pretty much."

That's not to say Mike doesn't believe Ryan can win the fight ... or have dangerous weapons of his own.

There's much more ... we also talked to Tyson about the potential of him returning to the ring. Mike says a big check is important, but most importantly he'd want to put together a big-time event, and he believes that means an exhibition fight with Evander Holyfield.

The Ryan Garcia and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis super fight is FINALLY here ... and Oscar De La Hoya tells TMZ Sports the winner stands to become the face of boxing!!

The two superstar boxers will meet in the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and ODLH wholeheartedly believes Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) is gonna prove he's the real deal, and not just some Instagram boxer.

"I feel that Ryan Garcia is a special fighter," the former boxing champ said. "I think he's gonna do something special Saturday night and be the face of boxing."

Of course, this may seem like favoritism from De La Hoya (Garcia is under ODLH's Golden Boy Promotions), but the 50-year-old legend says Tank, too, can become the biggest star in the sport with a win.

"If he's doing something special Saturday night, he will be the face of boxing. He will be the man." Oscar said about Davis.

"That's how important this fight is. We're gonna find out who is the very best and who's gonna carry the sport on their shoulders for years."

ODLH credited both fighters for their strength, speed, and boxing IQ, and that's why he believes it's a 50-50 fight.

"This could be the fight to save boxing," De La Hoya said. "It excites me that the sport, because of this fight, is gonna grow."

"I strongly feel we're gonna see some record-breaking numbers come Saturday night on Pay-Per-View."

We also talked to Tank about the fight ... and the 28-0 boxer says while the fight could go to a decision, he's confident he can put Garcia down for his 27th knockout.

Put down your sammie for this one -- a fighter literally beat the puke out of his opponent during a kickboxing match this week ... and it goes without saying, the video is as disgusting as it sounds.

The wild moment went down during a Petchyindee event between Praewpraw and Dokmaipa in Bangkok, Thailand ... and according to MMA Fighting, the two were going at it for two rounds before the former started to take control of the bout.

Praewpraw started rocking Dokmaipa with some left crosses and knees in the third ... and when he connected on a hit to the gut, Dokmaipa lost his lunch right in the ring.

The ref decided to call it as soon as the vom started to fly ... but fortunately for everyone, it was the last fight of the night.

One staffer got the short end of the stick, though ... being forced to grab a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess.

Both fighters seemed to be fine afterwards ... sharing a moment before Praewpraw continued his celebration with his team.