Boxing

Charles Oliveira vs. Khabib?!

That's the fight many MMA fans are clamoring for ... believing the new UFC lightweight champ's style matches up favorably with the retired 29-0 superstar from Dagestan.

But, don't prematurely hand Khabib his 1st loss ... 'cause UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- who's friends with 32-year-old Nurmagomedov -- says he doesn't believe Khabib's any closer to returning to the Octagon after witnessing 31-year-old "Do Bronx's" impressive performance at UFC 262.

"I think Khabib did watch the fight. Was he intrigued? 'Yes, I wanna get back in there.' Probably not," Usman tells us.

"I mean, he's a man that's happy. He's happy with his life. He's happy with the direction that it's going and yeah, I think he's retired."

Of course, Khabib and Dana White met on multiple occasions over the last year ... but the former lightweight champ ultimately decided he was never going to fight again.

So, Charles vs. Khabib isn't happening ... BUT (hypothetically) does Oliveira have the necessary tools to beat the unbeatable fighter?!? Kamaru says no.

"More power to Charles Olivera. I'm impressed by him and I'm a fan for what he's able to do with his career but I just think there's levels to the game and I think Khabib is a different level."

Now, don't get it twisted ... Usman believes CO is a great fighter who went through hell to win the belt.

Bryce Hall and Austin McBroom couldn't wait 'til their fight date to get their hands on each other -- the two social media stars got in an all-out brawl Tuesday ... and it was violent.

Hall, one of the most popular characters on TikTok, and McBroom, a YouTube megastar, were promoting their June 12 celeb boxing match ... when suddenly fireworks ignited.

McBroom and Hall were trading jabs at Fred Segal in West Hollywood ... when Bryce got up and charged at Austin.

The two grabbed and shoved each other -- taking their violence to the floor ... and then damn-near everyone in the building hopped in to separate the guys.

At one point, someone even smashed a bottle over another dude's head!!!

Eventually, the guys all separated and the skirmish dispersed ... but it's clear -- these two HATE each other!!

In fact, after the brawl ... we got McBroom outside of the venue -- and he was PISSED at Hall for how the scrap went down.

"He out here trying to wrestle," McBroom said. "We got a fight June 12 -- he's wrestling me!"

"If he does that bulls*** on June 12, he's getting his ass knocked out. That's what's happening."

As for if the tussle was fake, McBroom told us point-blank, "None of this s*** was staged. This s*** is real. He's getting knocked the f*** out."

As we previously reported, 21-year-old Hall has promised to knock out McBroom during their headlining fight on the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card next month ... with Hall explaining to TMZ Sports he's going to use the K.O. bonus money to buy his mom a new house.

Ryan Leaf says his battle with prescription drugs all began back in 2004 ... when he was booed and jeered so loudly at a big boxing event, it sent him into a deep, downward spiral.

The former San Diego Chargers quarterback opened up about his struggles with addiction on Rex Chapman's "Charges with Rex Chapman" podcast this week ... explaining in detail the horrible night that hooked him on Rx pills.

Leaf says he was at a fight in Las Vegas (he claims it was a Mike Tyson tilt, though it seems he has his boxers mixed up because Tyson didn't fight in Vegas in '04) ... when the PA announcer began rattling off the list of celebs in attendance.

"They announced Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Charles Barkley, Dr. Dre," said Leaf, who was 27 years old at the time and had just retired from the NFL.

"The audience cheered and clapped. And, then the MC there at the MGM Grand announced my name and like the whole auditorium just booed and hissed."

Leaf continued, "My addict brain heard not only are you a terrible football player but you are an awful human being."

Ryan says that negative reception had a huge impact on him ... and when he was offered the prescription pain killer Vicodin to mix in with his booze later in the evening, he jumped at the opportunity.

And, that's when he says his fight began.

"This would be the first time I abused it and ... I didn't feel that judgment, I didn't feel that fear, I didn't feel that less than," Leaf said. "I didn't feel anything."

"I didn't feel better but it turns out I was just searching for that feeling of not feeling any of the feelings that I had been feeling for so long. I just wanted to numb out. And, that night changed."

Leaf says he went on to fight an addiction with the prescription pills for the next EIGHT years ... as he says he was "chasing that initial high from that night."

The champ is home -- and the party is underway!!!

Charles Oliveira returned to Brazil on Monday after an amazing knockout victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and the people are going crazy!!!

Oliveira rode on top of a fire truck as he returned to his favela in Brazil -- where crowds of people were cheering for the 31-year-old UFC lightweight champ ... and literally dancing in the streets!

Oliveira has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 -- and went through some hard times over the years ... leading some to wonder if he would ever reach his potential.

Well, he did just that on Saturday -- overcoming adversity to floor Chandler in the 2nd round of the championship fight.

Oliveira has been glued to the belt ever since -- even sleeping with it on Saturday night ... and can ya blame him?!!

Now, he's back home to continue the celebration -- and it's clear he's made his country proud!!!

Charles' coach Diego Lima posted footage of the welcome party -- and said, "Brazil is celebrating, the Favela is celebrating, @charlesdobronxs number 1 in the world, CONGRATULATIONS bro!"

Lima added, "Thank you for bringing this happiness to our country, thank you for showing that everything is possible for those who believe, you shocked the world once again, and it's just the beginning of a legacy!!!!"

Conor McGregor's a daddy ... again!!!

The 32-year-old UFC superstar announced the birth of his 3rd child Monday morning -- Rian McGregor!

"The McGregor Clan is now a family of 5," Conor posted with a picture of the little guy ... "Healthy baby boy delivered!"

As for Conor's fiancee, Dee Devlin -- "Baby and Mammy Wonder Woman are doing great!"

"God I thank you for everything you give to me and my family in this world."

Conor's firstborn son, Conor Jr., was born in May 2017. His daughter, Croia, was born in January 2019.

McGregor doesn't have too much time to bond with the kid before training camp begins -- he's fighting Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10 ... less than 2 months away.

Conor's having a pretty huge month -- he was just named the #1 top-earning athlete of 2020, according to Forbes, which says CM raked in $180 MILLION last year!

Another non-boxing star wants a crack at the Paul Bros -- The Game is calling 'em both out and GUARANTEEING victory!!

"Yerrr, @JakePaul, @LoganPaul .... meet me & my little brother downtown LA in front of Staples Center and let’s just fight head up fades," the rap superstar tweeted out.

"No gloves, no money needed ... just on some me & my brother will f*** you & your brother up s***!!!!"

FYI, The Game is 41 years old and has no pro boxing experience -- but he's been in a ton of street fights over the years and seems incredibly confident in his hands.

Someone on Twitter warned The Game about the call out -- "you and your brother game are gonna be like Nate Robinson don’t do this bro."

Game replied, "On Martin Luther King Jr. speech, I ain’t losing!!!"

Jake Paul -- who famously and violently knocked out ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and UFC fighter Ben Askren -- responded to Game, using a rap lyric.

"Hate it or love it you would get knocked the f**ked out."

Logan Paul -- who just beat up the entire Gronkowski family -- also weighed in ... telling Game, "you gonna need your entire family."

Logan is currently training to fight Floyd Mayweather -- but Jake is looking for his next opponent.

Mike Tyson likes what he sees from Jamie Foxx -- telling TMZ Sports the actor's impression of the boxing legend is "magnificent!"

Foxx has been transforming into "Iron Mike" for a project he's been working on for years! It was initially pitched as a feature film but now it's being shopped as a TV series.

In fact, Martin Scorsese is one of the executive producers and Antoine Fuqua signed on as director -- so, yeah ... it's a big deal!

53-year-old Foxx gave a sneak of his Tyson bod back in June 2020 during an appearance on "Catching Up with Mark Birnbaum" ... and more recently posted a topless pic on social media looking JACKED!

So ... what does Mike think?

Spoiler alert: he likes it!

"He's gonna do a great job," 54-year-old Tyson told us this week at LAX ... "[Foxx's impression] is great, magnificent!"

Still no word on when or where the project will drop -- but Mike's fired up. He issued a statement back in March saying, "I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time."

Floyd Mayweather says the Logan Paul fight was supposed to go down in Dubai -- but the org. he teamed up with to put on the event dropped the ball ... and now his company is suing for more than $120 MILLION!!

TMZ Sports obtained the lawsuit, filed by Mayweather Promotions, alleging a company called PAC Entertainment Worldwide approached them about hosting the event in Dubai at an undisclosed date in 2021.

Mayweather Promotions claims PAC claimed to have "numerous business contacts in Dubai" and "had the financial wherewithal and capability to host a fight of this magnitude."

Most importantly, Mayweather Promotions says PAC "presented financial projections estimating the fight could generate guaranteed amounts for each participant, plus result in the promoters earning more than $100 million in profits after covering all purses and expenses."

Mayweather Promotions admits it was impressed with the pitch and claims it ultimately signed a deal requiring PAC to pay a minimum guaranteed amount of $110 MILLION on a "prescribed payment schedule."

Mayweather Promotions claims the 1st payment of $30 million was due on March 25, 2021 -- but the money never came.

Mayweather Promotions claims the missed payment triggered a clause allowing MP to terminate the deal while still requiring PAC to fork up the full $110 million.

In the suit, Mayweather Promotions claims they were left scrambling to make new fight plans -- and ultimately worked out a deal to move the fight to Miami on June 6.

Mayweather Promotions is suing for breach of contract -- and demanding at least $122.6 million in damages.

How does one celebrate being 2020's richest athlete??

CAKE AND BALLOONS, BABY!!!

At least, that's the case for Conor McGregor ... who got a sweet surprise after earning the top spot on Forbes' annual list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes this week!!

Conor showed off a custom cake and some gold balloons that he was gifted for raking in a reported $180 MILLION this past year ... and the UFC superstar was clearly stoked about it!

McGregor posed for pics with it all ... holding a pair of balloons that read "#1" and "PROUD OF YOU."

The cake was pretty cool too ... it featured Conor on the cover of Forbes -- with some chocolate and strawberries!!

And, yes, there were bottles of Proper 12 involved.

The only downside of it all for the 32-year-old fighter? He says he couldn't take a bite of the cake because "I am making weight" for his upcoming July fight with Dustin Poirier.

Jake Paul is just a clout chaser going after easy fights to look cool ... so says ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley, who tells TMZ Sports he's more than happy to put the YouTube superstar in his place with a violent beatdown!!!

Of course, The Chosen One is super tight with Paul's most recent victim, Ben Askren ... and even acted as his cornerman at Triller Fight Club last month.

Now that Paul's working on getting his next opponent, Woodley tells us he believes the guy's too scared to fight anyone he could actually lose to ... calling the 24-year-old a "culture vulture" for his wild antics.

"Jake Paul is -- well we kinda recognize he came from Disney, we expect him to be like this little f***ing macho macho man that he's playing, but he keeps calling out everybody but me," Woodley says.

"I'm the one with the real smoke with you."

The former welterweight champ added Jake will do anything to make headlines ... and says his "gotcha hat" moment with Floyd Mayweather stole the shine from his bigger bro, Logan.

"They just culture vultures. Like he'll vulch the juice from his own damn flesh and blood ... My dogs don't move like that."

Woodley says it's clear Paul picks low-hanging fruit to save his image as a boxing badass ... but if he wants to go up against a REAL fighter, Tyron's his guy

"Come and get this smoke for real. I'm in and I can actually find him. People that keep talking about fighting him, they're not even in position to fight him. I can actually fight him. I can fight him tomorrow if I want to."

But, it's not all talk -- Woodley tells us he's dead serious about fighting Paul ... and wants it to happen ASAP.

Logan Paul DISMANTLED the entire Gronkowski family -- in front of their dad -- and the violence was all captured on video!

As we previously reported, Logan invited Rob and his 4 bros to a training session as he gears up for his big June 6 match against Floyd Mayweather.

The bros -- Glenn, Dan, Chris and Gordie -- all agreed to take go 1 round each with Logan ... full speed, fun strength with Rob serving as referee.

First up was Glenn ... a 6'3", 234-pound former NFL player who spent time with the Patriots.

Look, Glenn put up a good fight but it was clear he was just outmatched by Logan who dominated until they stopped the fight.

Round 2 was Chris Gronkowski's turn ... the former NFL fullback got rocked right away and the fight was quickly stopped.

Round 3 featured Dan Gronkowski -- a former NFL tight end who played for the Lions, Broncos, Pats and Browns.

Dan did not do well -- getting rocked hard and dropped. They stopped that pretty quickly, too.

Finally, it was Gordie's turn ... and Logan smothered him with a barrage of power shots until Rob stepped in and pulled them apart.

After the session, Rob praised Logan for being a beast -- and gave respect to his bros for having the balls to take on a guy who's been training like a maniac for the past several years.

Bottom line ... Logan Paul's no joke but Floyd Mayweather is on a whole other level!

Great news from Ryan Garcia ... the undefeated boxing superstar says he's making serious progress in his struggle with mental health issues ... and seems focused on returning to the ring!

The 22-year-old had called off his big July 9 fight against Javier Fortuna a few weeks ago -- after realizing he was suffering from a serious bout with anxiety and depression.

"I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself," Garcia said back in April.

The fighter spent some time in Hawaii with his girlfriend Drea Celina Garcia and their newborn baby girl ... and now seems to be in a much better place.

"With the help of my support team and my family, I’m making steps forward," Garcia posted Wednesday on social media along with a video of himself in the boxing gym.

"Why anxiety and depression hit me like a truck and why I’m still recovering I’ll never know. But I’m trying to cope with the issues I’m having!"

Garcia then referenced the boxing video and said, "This bag is my anxiety and I’m swinging with my full intent to destroy it!!"

Garcia is getting plenty of support from his famous friends including Canelo Alvarez, who recently told TMZ Sports he's pulling for Ryan to get healthy and return to the sport he loves.

Mike Tyson and his family are going to bat for 100 women who spent time in prison ... starting a charitable organization aimed at helping the former inmates reenter society.

Tyson's mother-in-law, Dr. Rita Ali -- along with Tyson and his fam -- created We 2 Matter ... designed to "empower 100 formerly incarcerated women and offer them reentry resources and support."

W2M -- who teamed up with Van Jones' prominent prison reform group, Dream Corps/Cut50 -- will provide a variety of different services to the women.

The program also aims to educate the general public on the challenges mothers face as they attempt to rejoin society.

The Tysons celebrated the We 2 Matter with a fancy Mother's Day brunch over the weekend ... inviting 10 Los Angeles-based mothers who were recently behind bars (and their kids) to Mike's Tyson Ranch in SoCal.

It's a topic that's near and dear to Mike's mother-in-law's heart. Dr. Ali was formerly convicted of a crime (she maintains her innocence) ... and says she knows how difficult it can be for a woman leaving prison.

In addition to the good work that Tyson's non-profit is doing ... the party was also pretty awesome.

Lamar Odom is looking GOOOOOOOD ... new sparring footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows the ex-NBA star is really getting the hang of boxing ahead of his bout with Aaron Carter.

The 41-year-old has been training like a mad man for his June 11 Celebrity Boxing tilt against the pop singer at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City ... and it's clear the former hooper has hands!!

Check out the footage ... Odom -- who by the way is looking svelte and in shape -- is stringing together combos and moving around the canvas like a pro.

The power might not be there just yet -- but, hey, it's still a month away from fight night!!

As for Aaron, he's been taking the scrap seriously too ... getting in training sessions constantly and hitting the mitts as well.

In fact, we've also obtained some clips from one of Carter's recent sparring sessions ... and he ain't looking half bad either!!

We know ... it's not exactly Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury here -- but the event is still shaping up to be some must-see TV.

Plus, we're told Ice-T will be on the broadcast providing color commentary!!

Logan Paul says he and his brother are taking no chances after Floyd Mayweather's "I'll kill you" threat ... telling TMZ Sports they now have security watching them "at all times."

Floyd dropped the menacing warning to Jake Paul after the younger Paul bro famously stole the boxer's hat during a confrontation at the Logan-Mayweather pre-fight news conference in Miami last week.

Most considered it an empty threat -- after all, nobody really thinks Floyd's going to commit murder over a baseball cap -- but Logan tells us he's taking absolutely no chances.

As for why -- the 26-year-old YouTube star explained it this way ...

"Dawg, when you have a guy with the resources and the wealth that Floyd Mayweather has and the connection and the network and he's saying s***, 'I'mma kill that motherf***er' -- kill?! Death?! You're gonna kill my brother over a f***ing hat?! Yo, we take that s*** seriously man!"

Logan says the Paul bros now have bodyguards with or around them "everywhere at all times."

Logan, though, says he and his brother will NOT be going to cops or filing anything in the court system over the threat -- the older Paul brother said that idea is straight-up "bitch s***, bro."

There's more ... Logan also says there's a chance he makes $20 MILLION for fighting Floyd -- and he also explained why a fight card that would feature both him and Jake vs. Mayweather would never happen.

The injury Billy Joe Saunders suffered during Saturday night's loss to Canelo Alvarez was even worse than it looked ... and it's possible he may never fight again.

The 31-year-old didn't get off his stool at the end of the 8th round after it became clear his right eye was badly damaged.

Billy Joe was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation where he was diagnosed with a quadripod fracture, according to The Athletic's Mike Coppinger.

FYI, the injury essentially means Saunders' orbital bone was smashed so badly, his cheekbone area caved in.

BJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn, announced he would undergo surgery on Sunday -- though unclear how it went at this point.

Hearn told Coppinger the recovery will take several months -- and it doesn't seem like it's a certainty Saunders will ever be able to fight again.

The long story short, the integrity of BJ's cheekbone area has been structurally compromised since it was broken in 4 spots ... and for a guy who gets punched in the face for a living, that's a VERY bad thing.

Dr. David Abbasi -- an orthopedic surgeon who sometimes works combat sports events -- broke down the injury and it's scary stuff.

Saunders was 30-0 before the Canelo fight -- and looked pretty good in the moments before the fight ended.

He was sticking and moving and landing real shots ... but in the end, Canelo's power proved too much.

Here's hoping Saunders can make a complete recovery and get back to doing what he loves.