Boxing

Claressa Shields resigned with PFL ... and as the boxing superstar prepares to get back in the MMA cage, she says she's getting some tips from the one and only Conor McGregor.

"Conor McGregor inboxed me," Shields told TMZ Sports.

"Conor actually gave me some of the best advice today actually. He was just like 'Don't take away from your boxing. You need to get comfortable being on your back and comfortable with your wrestling.'"

Shields, who signed a multiyear deal with the MMA promotion this week, went 1-1 in the cage under the PFL banner in 2021. In the ring, she is regarded as one of, if not the best female boxer in the world.

Any struggles Claressa has had in MMA resulted from being taken down ... and that's something she intends to work on with The Notorious, himself.

"That's an honor and that's a privilege for me, so thank you to Conor McGregor for that, and I look forward to working with him some."

Claressa says McGregor's not the only one who reached out ... and as she's "reconstructing [her] whole team," Shields says she's also been in contact with Cris Cyborg.

"[Cyborg's] one of the toughest and roughest female combat fighters in the world and she reached out. I may do some work with her. I don't know."

As for when she plans to get back in the cage, Claressa says ... "I know it'll be next year, I don't know if it's February, March, or a little bit after that. I just really wanna hone my skills."

We also talked to Shields about Jake Paul (who coincidentally) is also signed to PFL. But, if you thought that'd mean Claressa wasn't coming for "The Problem Child," you're mistaken.

Shields says she is down to fight Paul ... and she's sure she'll beat him.

"I would really fight Jake Paul in a fight, honestly, and I would win. He knows that. He knows that."

Bryce Hall is a handsome dude, but he isn't worried one bit if he gets pummeled in his bare knuckle fighting debut on Friday ... telling TMZ Sports he's no stranger to taking hits to the face!!

The TikTok superstar is entering the ring against a real-deal, undefeated fighter in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in Albuquerque on Friday ... and while most people would call him crazy for taking that kinda challenge, Hall is oozing bravery leading up to his matchup against Gee Perez.

In fact, Hall -- who lost to YouTuber Austin McBroom in a boxing match in 2021 -- isn't just taking the fight to prove his toughness ... he wants a victory!!

"I'm going in there to win," Hall tells us. "I don't wanna lose again. I wanna tell my kids one day that I'm at least an even boxer, not an 0-1 boxer or 0-2 boxer."

Hall -- who has millions of followers across all his social media accounts -- admits anyone would have to be "a little crazy" to take a bare-knuckle fight ... but he tells us he thinks it's a fair matchup, even though Perez is 3-0 in the sport.

"It's definitely gonna be an accomplishment, for sure," Hall says. "And I'm not gonna underestimate that, but I am going in there -- I'm training as hard as I can humanly possibly train."

Hall -- who says he's been working with BKFC champ Lorenzo Hunt leading up to the fight -- even shades fellow internet personality-turned-fighter Jake Paul ... saying he may shed a tear if he wins against a guy who isn't a retired UFC star.

If ya didn't think Hall was tough by now, we asked him if he was worried about messing up his pretty face -- considering BKFC fights can get REALLY violent -- and his response is badass.

"It's not anything that I haven't felt before," Hall says. "I've been punched in the face, bare-knuckle, I've had cuts across my face, I have scars on my face. Everything heals. I'm not really worried about that at all."

There's more ... Hall raves about BKFC -- airing Friday on Fubo Sports -- and says he wants to work with the organization in any capacity moving forward.

Floyd Mayweather is stepping up in a huge way for over 100 people displaced by the horrible wildfires in Maui … not only paying for almost 70 families to fly to safety, but also providing them with a place to stay, food to eat, and clothing to wear.

TMZ Sports has learned the 50-0 boxing legend personally paid for 68 families, impacted by the natural disaster, to fly from Maui to Honolulu over the last two days.

Mayweather is also providing the people with hotel rooms for several weeks, as well as food from local restaurants and clothing to wear while they’re away from their homes.

Our sources tell us Mayweather is working with H&M to get clothing for the men, women, and children he’s assisting.

Of course, Maui has been devastated by wildfires that ripped through the Hawaiian island, killing at least 53 people as of Thursday afternoon. on top of the tragic loss of life, over a thousand structures have burned down.

Many people have been forced to flee with just the clothing on their backs and nothing else.

Logan Paul is firing back at the critics of his ultra-popular Prime Energy drink ... saying he and his partners have done nothing wrong when it comes to the beverage -- while insisting its sister product is actually way better for consumers than Gatorade.

The WWE Superstar joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to give the 411 on his drinks straight from the horse's mouth ... and he brought along a bevvy of props to make sure his points were heard.

You'll recall ... Paul's energy drink came under fire earlier this year after United States Senator Chuck Schumer questioned whether it should be allowed due to its high caffeine content, but, the Maverick took aim at the critique Wednesday -- saying the bashing just makes no sense.

Paul said at 200 MG of caffeine per can, his Prime Energy drink actually features the same amount as Celsius and Gatorade's Fast Twitch. He also said it comes in with 100 MG less caffeine than Bang's similar energy drink.

As for the allegations that he and his team have been targeting teens with the beverage ... he said that, too, was just simply not true.

While he did say most of the advertising his company does is through social media -- he said those under the age of 18 make up only a small portion of his social media following. He also reiterated that his Prime Energy drinks say specifically on their labels that they're for those 18-years-and-older.

When it comes to the energy drink's sister product -- Prime Hydration -- Paul spoke glowingly about that beverage too ... touting its low sugar content.

"One 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar in it," he said. "To put that into perspective, one bottle of Prime only has two grams of sugar in it."

If Logan Paul needed any more motivation to kick Dillon Danis' ass in October, he has it now -- the Bellator fighter went full savage mode by posting a fake nude image of The Maverick's fiancée, Nina Agdal, on social media ... just days after their fight was announced.

Danis has been on a tear on X all week -- he started posting pics of Nina with her past boyfriends, Leonardo DiCaprio and Reid Heidenry ... before going a bit too far in trying to get under Logan's skin.

Danis shared a NSFW edited pic of a topless Nina to his page on Wednesday ... and while Agdal has posed nude in the past, he was immediately met with backlash as it was a clear attempt to humiliate his opponent.

"dude this is f***ed up," influencer Alissa Violet replied. "are you ok??"

"way too far. she has literally nothing to do with this. just beat him in the ring god d***."

Danis responded by bringing up Violet's history with both Paul brothers ... doubling down on his decision to bring Agdal into the beef.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Devin Haney will likely NEVER happen, despite being one of the most coveted fights in boxing, according to SS himself ... 'cause DH knows it's a fight he won't win.

26-year-old Stevenson, 20-0 (10 KOs), joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when the convo turned to 24-year-old Haney's future plans after the undefeated fighter recently announced he's moving up a weight class.

"It ain't really a hope, it's 'I dare him,' like I dare him to come back to 135 [lbs.] and try me. Like I pray that that's what he plans on doing and I can show the world I'm the truth," Shakur said.

"Right now, we're looking at [Vasyl] Lomachenko, but after everything unfolds and he fights Regis [Prograis] and I fight Lomachenko and they can build and make that a big fight, I dare him to come down to 135. I dare him!"

Of course, the fighters, who evolved from phenoms to bonafide stars, have been on a collision course for years ... and even exchanged words in the ring back in May after Devin scored a controversial decision win against Lomachenko.

For the time being, Haney is on his way up to the 140 lb. weight class ... despite the Stevenson fight being there for the taking. We asked Shakur why Devin wouldn't want the opportunity to prove he's a superior fighter.

"I don't know. I'm here but I think as far as for him to come back down and fight me is dangerous," Shakur told us.

"It's a dangerous thing to do. I think that's maybe the reason, I'm a big risk. I'm hard to deal with for anybody and I think he knows that. He's been around me for years so it's hard to deny the fact that I'm a big risk."

We followed up ... asking Shakur if he believes Devin doubts he would win the fight.

"Yes! Yes! I think he believes in himself, but I think when it comes down to me, he knows deep down inside, he knows that I'm the truth."

Then, in his heart of hearts, does Stevenson believe the fans will get the fight they want? Shakur isn't very optimistic.

"If I'm being honest, I'd say 20% [chance the fight happens]."

Shakur continued ... "The logic that they're putting out there is [Devin's] gonna go up for this one fight and then come right back down and fight me for the belts but, like, I just don't see him being that bold. I don't think he got that in him, so I'd say 20% chance."

Dillon Danis first ... Le'Veon Bell next?!

If Bell had things his way, that's exactly how Logan Paul's upcoming fight schedule would work out ... 'cause the former NFL star-turned-boxer says he wants all the smoke with The Maverick in the ring soon.

Bell made his intentions known with a fiery tweet on Tuesday afternoon -- just hours after Paul revealed he's going to fight Danis on Oct. 14.

"lol you really can’t duck me forever @LoganPaul," Bell wrote. ".. at some point you're gonna have to see me in that boxing ring."

Bell -- who first stepped into the celebrity fighting world following the 2021 NFL season -- has previously had his sights set on Logan's little brother, Jake ... calling out the 26-year-old multiple times over the past couple years.

But, seems he's now turned his attention squarely toward Paul -- adding in a separate tweet that he'd "be ready" if the Danis fight falls through.

Of course, Bell's going to have to get in a long line to be Paul's next opponent ... a bunch of fighters have already requested a taste of the WWE Superstar, including Tyron Woodley, who told TMZ Sports last week he's ready for the older Paul brother after two fights with Jake.

Ric Flair was not saying "WOOOO!!!!" after smoking weed with Mike Tyson -- the former WWE Superstar says he got so high with the boxing legend ... he thought he croaked!!

The Nature Boy opened up on the time he got super faded with Iron Mike in the Hamptons during his appearance on the "This Past Weekend" podcast with Theo Von ... explaining he wanted to go hit for hit with Tyson, and it ended up being a huge mistake.

In fact, Flair -- who spent 11 days in a medically induced coma in 2017 -- compared his high to his medical emergency ... admitting, "I actually thought I died."

Naitch said once he got back to his room, he wasn't able to move ... so he kept asking those around him to squeeze his hand, and everything was in a delayed process.

"I said to myself ... 'Did I die? Have I just died?'" Flair told Von. "I feel like I did when I was in my coma. But I can think, and I don't think I could think when I was in my coma. That's the way I was talking to myself."

Luckily, Ric finally snapped out of it around 3 AM ... and he had to call someone on the phone to make sure he was still kickin'.

Ric and Mike are partners in the weed biz now ... and they've never shied away from sharing footage of their smoke sessions in the past.

Logan Paul is getting back in the boxing ring -- the Maverick is slated to go up against MMA fighter Dillon Danis in October.

The WWE Superstar and internet superstar announced the big news on Tuesday ... saying, "OCTOBER 14 I return to boxing after fighting Floyd Mayweather over 2 years ago."

"I doubt this little parasite will show up but if he does I’m going to erase him from existence."

Paul's hesitation is warranted -- Conor McGregor's buddy was supposed to fight KSI in January ... but backed out due to being "underprepared," according to Misfits Boxing's Mams Taylor.

Paul -- 0-1 as a professional -- most recently went up against TBE in Miami back in June 2021, an exhibition fight that did not have a winner declared.

This will be Danis' boxing debut ... but he holds a 2-0 record in Bellator.

Conor seems pretty stoked for his friend's combat comeback ... saying, "Dillon Danis Returns!"

Danis' involvement is pretty interesting ... considering KSI is on the same card, fighting Tommy Fury.

KSI told us Danis was banned from Misfits Boxing after pulling out of their fight ... saying he would "slap him in the face for all the disrespect he gave me."

It's gotta be a bummer for Tyron Woodley, who recently told us he wanted to throw his name into consideration to be Logan's opponent.

Jake Paul's fight against Nate Diaz was on the same level as one of the most popular fights in combat sports history -- so says former boxing champ Shawn Porter, who tells TMZ Sports Saturday's event felt "just as big as" Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor!

Porter -- who was on the mic in Dallas for the big matchup -- said the vibes were off the charts throughout the Jake vs. Nate fight ... calling the experience Super Bowl-esque.

"This was just as big as Mayweather and McGregor," Porter emphatically told us on Monday.

FYI -- Floyd vs. Conor is widely reported as the second-highest-selling fight in Pay-Per-View history (behind Floyd vs. Manny Pacquiao) ... so to compare the energy at Jake vs. Nate to that is quite a compliment.

Of course, "Showtime" is no stranger to the biggest events in the sport -- whether he competed in or attended them, he's witnessed some electric crowds over the years.

But Porter said the spectator support of Diaz was second to none ... adding, "I've never heard anything like that before."

"MMA fans, man. They show up, they show out, they have a lot of fun and they are extremely loud. I was loving it."

As for the fight, Shawn gave Jake a C grade on the night, despite getting the victory ... explaining the Problem Child still has to work on finishing off his opponents after landing big punches.

You may know him as Ashtray from "Euphoria," but Javon "Wanna" Walton is out to make a name for himself in a completely different industry ... telling TMZ Sports his goal is to be a boxing champion!!

The 17-year-old actor recently signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions ... and he told us he's shifting his focus from entertainment to fighting.

"This is something I want to do for the rest of my life," Wanna said. "It's something I've been very passionate for a very long time, and it's something that I care about a lot."

"Boxing to me, is just a release," Wanna added. "I love every minute of it and, I mean, the ultimate goal is world champion and defending my titles for a very long time and becoming a Hall of Famer. That's the real goal for me."

But this isn't something that just came up out of the blue -- Wanna explained his parents would watch boxing all the time when he was a kid ... and naturally, he fell in love with the sport.

In fact, Wanna -- who started training when he was four years old -- now has 80 amateur bouts under his belt, including multiple tournament wins and Georgia state titles ... and went into detail on why he decided to team up with Jake's promotion.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I knew that I was gonna be valued, and a place that I knew that they were going to care about me a lot, and a place with a lot of talent," Wanna added. "Everyone over at MVP is very talented and they've all done such amazing things in their career."

Wanna praised Jake for being a "very sharp" and "super laid back" guy ... and told us he hopes to learn from the YouTuber-turned-boxing star.

We asked Wanna straight-up where he saw himself in 10 years ... and he's confident in his future.

Jermell Charlo says it doesn't bother him that Mike Tyson picked Canelo Alvarez to beat him in their upcoming fight ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to do his own thing in the ring regardless.

Charlo and Canelo are slated to square off on Sept. 30 in a superfight in Las Vegas ... and when Iron Mike was asked to give his prediction on the tilt recently, he said he was taking Canelo.

"I think Canelo should beat him," Tyson said to ES News, "overpower him."

When we asked Charlo about it in the leadup to the Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence fight last week ... he made it clear, the opinion from the boxing GOAT doesn't faze him.

Instead, he said he wants his physique -- and his fists -- to do all the talking for him.

"He can say what he want to say," Charlo said of Tyson. "But I gotta get in there and fight -- Canelo gotta get in there and fight."

Charlo added that he's been training hard since he and Canelo agreed to face off ... even saying that while he was out in Vegas for the Crawford-Charlo matchup, he wasn't "on vacation."

Buckle up ... Jorge Masvidal's opened the door to a possible UFC return. He also wants to smash Conor McGregor's face ... preferably in the street, not an Octagon.

The 38-year-old MMA superstar sat down with Michael Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when the topic turned to the BMF title.

"I think I'm going to have to come back and snatch that belt up real quick. Something like that. But not at [155 lbs.], they gotta come up to [170 lbs.]," Masvidal said.

Gamebred continued ... "A UFC fight. Not now, but at some point, I think I gotta come back."

Of course, Jorge was the OG BMF belt holder ... he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 244, and took home the belt, which was presented to him by The Rock.

Last weekend, Masvidal, who retired after his April fight with Gilbert Burns, was on hand in Salt Lake City ... and presented the belt to Justin Gaethje after he defeated Dustin Poirier.

We asked Jorge ... who would you want to fight in your return?

"Whoever's got the BMF belt," Masvidal started answering ... and that's when McGregor came up.

"Really I would like to fight Conor because he's such a bitch. I can't stand that dude. But him on the street for free, 'cause he'll never fight me in the ring."

"He never mentions my f***ing name in a comment," Jorge said, adding ... "[Conor's] calling out Dustin and Justin. Shut the f*** up, and do the due process. You f***ing bitch!"

If you're a fan of Masvidal, you know before Strikeforce, Bellator, or the UFC, he got his start fighting in the streets ... alongside the great Kimbo Slice.

"Conor doesn't want [a fight with me]. He's shut it down like 3 or 4 times and he's told people that I'm too big for him, yet he's at my weight class, 170," Masvidal said, explaining why he doesn't believe the fight would ever happen anywhere besides the street.

"He knows that the way that I'd beat him is the way that he wins fights. Stand up, f***ing punching his teeth in and kicking his ribs in, so I know it's just not good for his brand."

Even though Jorge hasn't been fighting, it doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

Since retiring, Masvidal's launched his very own fight promotion, Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA ... and he's proceeded to book big fights with combat sports superstars.

In fact, former UFC heavyweight champions Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum are fighting on September 8 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL ... a rematch of their UFC 90 scrap (2008), which FW won by KO.

There's much more with Jorge ... including his plans for his promotion, who he'd like to sign next (Derrick Lewis, anyone?), his renewed beef with Ben Askren, and of course, that coveted return to the cage!

Drake is picking sides in the upcoming Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight ... placing a bet on The Problem Child to fall short ... and judging by the massive wager, Champagne Papi's feeling confident.

Drizzy posted the Stake betting slip on social media Friday night ... and he's risking $250,000 to win $1 million. In order for Drake to cash out, Nate has to win his fight with Paul.

Here's how Drake's explaining his bet ... "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake's switching up when it comes to the YouTuber-turned-boxer ... remember, he bet $400k on Jake to knock out Tommy Fury back in February, but Jake didn't make it happen and Drake lost.

But, Jake says Drake has won tons of money on him in the past ... though that doesn't appear to be influencing Drake's bet this time around.

The fight's going down Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas ... and Jake's a heavy favorite, though Drake is going for the underdog here.

Jake and Nate are chomping at the bit to fight ... their Thursday press conference spiraled into a massive brawl.

Tyron Woodley isn't done with the Paul brothers just yet -- the former UFC champion tells TMZ Sports that after two fights with Jake, he now wants Logan!!

"The Chosen One" was giving us his take on Jake's upcoming bout against Nate Diaz on Saturday ... when the conversation turned to his own boxing career.

We asked Woodley whether he would volunteer to be Logan's opponent for his event with KSI and Tommy Fury on Oct. 14 ... and a lightbulb went off in his head.

"I would love to fight Logan Paul," Woodley -- who lost to Jake in August and December 2021 -- told us.

Of course, the two have a bit of history ... and Woodley remembers the older Paul bro running his mouth back when he was feuding with Jake.

"Logan, what's crackin'? You was talkin' mad s*** while I was fighting your brother and I almost kicked your Polaroid off the boxing ring because he was distracting the fight, talking and hitting the canvas and taking pictures."

Woodley also claims Logan was supposed to be on the same card as his scrapped fight with KSI ... saying Paul was going to fight Dillon Danis until he injured himself in WWE.

"So, if y'all wanna do it again and flip the coin, let's get it cracking ... I was about to get to training anyway, let's get it in."

"Euphoria" star Javon Walton is remembering his late costar Angus Cloud as one of the most genuine people he's ever met ... telling us there's not a lot of folks like Angus out there.

Javon and Angus played brothers on the hit HBO series for two seasons ... but their brotherly bond runs deeper than the "Euphoria" script. Javon says Angus had "the purest soul ever" and it's still tough to process just how suddenly Angus died.

Javon, who recently signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, tells us Angus took him under his wing from the beginning, and always wanted to see him thrive and succeed.

TMZ broke the story ... Angus died Monday at his family's home in Oakland, CA, where his mom called 911 to report a potential overdose.