Boxing

Chuck Liddell says there WILL be violence when he referees Lamar Odom and Aaron Carter's epic boxing match next month ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna let the boys duke it out!!!

... that is, until someone gets an owie.

The UFC legend is slated to be in the ring for the huge June 11 bout ... and he told us he's excited as hell to get the best seat in the house for the main event.

"I always liked those kinda things," The Iceman tells us. "We used to do it in the gym for charity. We do charity fights with just guys that didn't like each other.

"Those were always fun, but I just don't know how this is gonna work. I just wanna see how Odom is gonna fight Aaron."

Liddell says he's personally talked to the former pop star about the fight ... and just like we've reported, he says Carter is taking the opportunity VERY seriously.

So, how long is he gonna let these 2 dudes go at it?? Liddell says he's gonna give the people what they want -- within reason.

"I mean, I'll let them fight to some extent. Obviously, it's a celebrity fight. It depends. I'm not gonna let him get too hurt."

"I'll protect either one from either of 'em no matter who's getting hurt. We don't want them to get hurt, but you gotta let them fight."

"People are paying to watch you fight. You're getting paid to fight. You wanna make some money, you gotta fight."

Brandon Moreno, describe your rival, UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

“I told you, the guy's not really smart,” Moreno tells TMZ Sports ... “He's an asshole and it's fine. I don't care. He's ugly, man the guy's so ugly, my goodness!”

There’s clearly bad blood between 27-year-old Moreno and 33-year-old Figueiredo ... who fought to a draw last December -- an absolute war -- for the UFC Flyweight title.

The fighters are set to square off again as the co-main event at UFC 263 on June 12 ... and we asked Moreno what he’d say to Figueiredo before they scrap for a 2nd time.

“He try to put attention on himself and it's fine. He wants to make some money, he wants to be the next Conor McGregor and you know, I don't really care because I just wanna get title.”

Moreno -- who hasn't lost since 2018 -- says after 16 years in the sports ... it’d be “a dream come true” to be the 1st-ever Mexican champ born in Tijuana.

Rob Font is fresh off the biggest win of his career -- an impressive dub over Cody Garbrandt -- and now the UFC star tells TMZ Sports who he has his sights set on next.

"I'm one fight behind. I really am. We have the champion [Aljamain Sterling], he's got to obviously do the rematch with Petr Yan and then you have Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw that needs to happen."

The 33-year-old, #3 ranked bantamweight fighter continued ... "I feel like the winner of that fight, I fight and then we eventually fight for the belt."

Rob -- with a professional record of 19-4 -- was super impressive last Saturday night at UFC Fight Night, beating the former 135 lb. champ via unanimous decision.

As far as Cory and T.J. ... the men are fighting June 24. It'll be Dillashaw's 1st fight back after a 2-year suspension for a doping violation.

We also asked Rob whether he's been in contact with the guys who got him into MMA.

He says he hasn't talked to them, but he's trying to reach them -- and has a message for the guys.

If you're unfamiliar with his origin story ... Font was 24 years old and delivering pizzas, when he brought food to a house and saw some dudes doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

He was interested in the sport, so he joined a BJJ gym.

YouTube star Austin McBroom staged a wild event in Bev Hills Saturday ... and he had a target in mind -- fellow TikToker Bryce Hall.

Austin told his fans on social he'd meet up with them on Rodeo Drive at around 4 PM. There was no question hundreds of fans would flock to the pricey stretch of road ... and that's exactly what they did.

The scene was crazy ... Austin displayed a piñata with Bryce Hall's face on it ... and there's a reason. Austin and Bryce are going to square off in a fight June 12 in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium, and it's clear they're both out for blood.

You may have seen ... the 2 got into it in what turned into a massive brawl earlier this month at Fred Segal's in L.A.

As for Rodeo Drive ... they hoisted the pinata with a rope, but before they could go to town cops showed up ... because the crowd had essentially shut Rodeo Drive down. The crowd dispersed without incident.

Sylvester Stallone says Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier III is gonna be one helluva fight ... but says Conor will be at a MAJOR disadvantage when he steps back into the octagon.

"Poirier has the big-time advantage," Sly told us outside of Giuseppe Franco Hair Salon in Bev Hills.

So, why does Stallone feel that way?

"You got a really hungry, young guy (Poirier) and then you got a guy who's made a lot of money but he's also sorta hungry (McGregor)."

The two UFC stars are set to fight for the third time at UFC 264 on July 10.

Conor famously KO'd Dustin in the 1st round of their 1st fight back in 2014.

Dustin won the rematch with a 2nd round TKO at UFC 257 in January 2021.

Stallone says both guys are killers -- and have demonstrated the ability to end the fight quickly and violently ... which is why he won't make a definitive fight prediction.

"That one I swear you really flip a coin on. It's like who hits first."

Sorry, fight fans ... Chuck Liddell says there will be no upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul -- the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he'd HURT the YouTuber if a scrap ever went down.

Liddell told us out in L.A. that even though the two have beefed publicly over the past couple weeks ... it just makes no sense for Jake to box him, even at Chuck's current age.

"He's not good enough to fight me," the 51-year-old said of the 24-year-old.

"It just doesn't make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He's going to risk getting hurt like that?!"

If you're wondering why it's even being rumored ... it's 'cause the two went after each other on social media following Jake's huge win over Ben Askren.

A fan on Twitter asked Chuck to shut Jake up ... and Liddell responded, "I’m ready anytime for that clown."

Paul fired back a short time later, posting a pic of the two after the Askren fight and saying, "This guy Chuck Liddell begged me for a pic after my fight and now is talking s*** on Twitter."

Chad Johnson is taking his celeb fight SO seriously, he's getting in the ring with the Charlo twins to prep for the tilt ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guys are whoopin' his ass!!

The ex-NFL superstar -- who's set to square off with MMA fighter Brian Maxwell on the undercard of the Mayweather-Paul fight on June 6 -- broke it all down for us this week ... explaining he's sparring Jermell and Jermall Charlo to get ready for his match.

And, he says he's taking a beating from the boxing stars every time ... telling us of a recent sparring sesh, "I was f***ing swimming."

"Third round," Johnson added, "I was in the middle of the ocean with no life vest and I was f***ing drowning."

Not familiar with the Charlos? They're 2 of the best boxers in the world ... and have a combined 65 professional wins with only 1 (very controversial) loss.

But, the 43-year-old -- who said he's also training with some of the Charlos' sparring partners -- explained he's hopeful it'll all help when the lights come on against Maxwell in Miami next month.

"I've been training with the Charlo twins so I'm here now and it's funny I just finished sparring one of [their] sparring partners and it was fun," Johnson said. "It was a great experience."

"It was an experience where I was taken advantage of and it's a great thing. Obviously going in the ring with someone that does it at the highest level and learning the mistakes. I like it like that."

Johnson continued, "There was no other way to prepare for something of this magnitude. I had to come here. It's just -- there's no other way."

Johnson wouldn't guarantee a knockout over Maxwell -- even despite the training efforts -- but he did tell us it's going to be a show nonetheless.

They'll kill each other in the ring, but Gervonta Davis is rooting for Ryan Garcia outside of it.

26-year-old Gervonta and 22-year-old Ryan have been on a collision course for years -- they've both rocketed to the top of the boxing world ... and have talked TONS of crap to each other along the way.

Even Tank's mentor, Floyd Mayweather, knows the fight would be a huge deal -- and even tried to set it up back in 2019.

But, with Garcia currently taking a break to deal with mental health issues, Davis is NOT using the situation as an excuse to attack his rival.

In fact, Davis tells us he supports Garcia and hopes he gets healthy soon.

"Mental illness is global so I just wish him the best," Davis tells TMZ Sports.

Davis -- who's currently 24-0 as a pro -- is gearing up for his June 26 fight against WBA world super-lightweight champion Mario Barrios ... but says he's not ruling out a scrap with Garcia at some point down the line.

Lamar Odom says his boxing match with Aaron Carter will last shorter than a TikTok video ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna knock out the former pop star in the FIRST ROUND!!!

As we previously reported, the NBA champ has been CRUSHING it in the gym leading up to his June 12 bout with the "I Want Candy" crooner ... looking as polished as ever during training session vids.

We spoke with 41-year-old Odom ahead of the big fight in Atlantic City ... and he's basically saying folks won't wanna blink -- 'cause it'll be over in a flash.

"It's not gon' be a fight," Odom tells us. "It ain't gon' be a fight."

We asked if Odom will be able to handle AC in the first round ... and the dude is confident as hell he won't even need the full 1 minute and 30 seconds to get the win.

"Yeah. Probably, I would say the first minute."

Odom's had a lot going for him recently -- he just debuted his film, "Reborn," which details his use of psychedelic medicines to bounce back from addiction and anxiety.

Odom tells us how he's been recovering from his 2015 overdose ... saying, "Well you gotta put God first, your higher power first, before you do anything."

He adds his great friend Kobe Bryant is still inspiring him every day to strive for greatness ... adding "Family, my children. That's the reason why I'm living. It's just me sharing my 'Mamba Mentality' moment."

"That's the quest of being the best version of myself. In search of that."

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is predicting a 4th-round victory over Anderson Silva ... and he wants to follow it up with a rematch against Canelo Alvarez!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 35-year-old Chavez -- 52-5-1 as a pro boxer -- is taking on the MMA legend in Mexico on June 19 ... a fight Anderson believes he can win.

We spoke to Chavez Jr. who told us Silva’s delusional ... and he’s predicting a short and violent end to The Spider's foray into boxing.

“[The Silva matchup] has all the ingredients to be an exciting fight. I predict I can finish him after the 3rd or 4th round. That's when I get in the groove and start feeling myself in the ring.”

Julio then doubled down on the prognostication ... “Look, I predict that after the 4th round I’ll be able to knock him out. And, if he lasts longer than that, that's gonna be his fault because that's gonna be a beating.”

Julio -- son of boxing Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez -- admits he relied too heavily on his natural ability throughout his career.

But, Jr. says he is now laser-focused and looking to get back in the ring with the best fighters in the world.

“Of course I want to have [a Canelo rematch] on my mind. That’s what makes this fight such a big deal for me. It’s gonna give me the opportunity to get these rematches with Canelo or Danny Jacobs.”

Of course, Chavez Jr. previously fought Canelo back in May 2017 ... and lost via unanimous decision in a 12-round scrap.

Julio says he isn't just content with getting back in the ring with Alvarez ... he wants to -- and believes he can -- truly win the fight.

“I think that I do have the style to win the [Canelo] fight because I attack. I try to not give him too much space to move around because he’s a great boxer," Chavez Jr. says.

There are now two people on the planet who think Logan Paul will beat Floyd Mayweather next month -- Logan Paul ... and his friend Harry Jowsey.

In fact, the "Too Hot To Handle" hunk tells TMZ Sports he's SO confident in the YouTube superstar's chances ... he's dropping a MASSIVE bet on it!!

"I'm putting 10 grand on Logan. I'm putting 10 Gs on Logan!!!" the MTV star told us outside Alfred Coffee on Wednesday.

So ... why the hell would he put that kinda dough on an 0-1 Internet guy to beat the 50-0 greatest boxer of all time?? Jowsey's got his reasons.

"When I was talking to Logan about it, something in my heart says, 'this guy's got it,'" Jowsey says.

"Logan's gonna knock him out. This is it. Logan Paul is gonna knock out Floyd Mayweather within 5 rounds."

Jowsey says he knows it may seem crazy, but he's sticking to his gut feeling.

"Logan just keeps proving himself. He's a wizard. I don't know what's going on. If anyone can do it, I feel like it's gonna be him."

Oscar De La Hoya wants to settle his beef with Dana White once and for all ... with violence.

The boxing legend is pissed off at White -- claiming Dana blocked UFC legend Georges St-Pierre from participating in a boxing match with Oscar.

St-Pierre seemingly confirmed the move in a recent interview with CinemaBlend -- saying, "I understand that Dana didn't want me to fight."

He added, "However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. "

"However, to rather fight a boxing match under the rules that Triller put on against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya? For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favorite boxer of all time, behind 'Sugar' Ray Leonard."

Dana hasn't publicly commented on the matter -- but Oscar is fuming ... and Friday, he called out the UFC honcho on Twitter.

"[Dana White], Quit blocking [Georges St-Pierre's] chance to fight," Oscar said.

"How about we get into the ring first little B*#ch then after I kick your ass, I’ll fight a real man."

So far, no response from Dana.

The two have feuded publicly for years -- with things really escalating in 2017 when Oscar slammed White for his involvement in the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match.

Oscar put out a statement calling it a "circus" and said it would hurt the sport of boxing. Dana didn't appreciate that and blasted him as a lying, stupid "cokehead."

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

This is getting VERY interesting ...

Matt Barnes wants to settle his feud with Kwame Brown once and for all ... saying he's had enough of the Internet smack talk and wants to meet in person -- AND HE'S READY TO THROW HANDS!!!

Barnes is clapping back after the 2001 #1 overall pick has gone on a tirade this week ... saying he's caving in and giving Brown the attention he wanted.

"Kwame Brown, brother Brown, you've been ranting for about 5 days now," Barnes said Wednesday. "Your cry for help, your need for attention worked."

"I heard your Instagram following has grown over 30,000 the last handful of days since you had my d*** -- I mean, my name -- in your mouth."

Barnes gives Brown a personal invite to join his podcast to clear the air ... saying, "You got a story to tell obviously. You're hurt. Like I said, you can play it off with humor, but you're hurt and I get it. But, come on the show."

"Talk that s***, tell your story face-to-face."

But, Barnes is prepared to do much more than talking -- saying he's down to scrap with Brown to squash the beef.

"If me and you gotta box before, during or after and shake hands to get this s*** done, you know I'm always with the s***."

Remember, Brown went for Barnes' jugular earlier this week, saying, "The only joke you got is about basketball, I got a joke about your life, you punk bitch" ... referencing Barnes' infamous incident with Derek Fisher in 2015.

He also referred to Barnes as "Becky with the good hair" among other insults.

Now, it appears the two guys can settle things with their hands ... that is, if Brown is down for it.

Bryce Hall hasn't even thrown down in his first official boxing match yet ... but he's already planning #2 -- explaining Wednesday he wants a scrap with KSI badly!!!

The TikTok superstar -- who's all set for a celeb fight with YouTuber Austin McBroom next month -- said on "TMZ Live" he's got a beef brewing with KSI that he wants to settle in the ring next.

"KSI -- the one that beat [Logan Paul] -- was talking crazy about me," the 21-year-old said. "So, I mean, I'm down to do him next."

As for how the feud between the two social media stars started ... it's unclear, but they've exchanged verbal jabs repeatedly on Twitter over the last few weeks.

In fact, KSI trolled Hall after his wild brawl with McBroom in West Hollywood on Tuesday ... showing a picture of Bryce and asking, "You good?"

The fight would be an interesting one -- KSI is considered one the best boxers from the social media world -- but, of course, Hall's gotta get through McBroom first.

Austin McBroom says Bryce Hall fights DIRTY ... the YouTube superstar tells TMZ Sports during his brawl with the TikToker on Tuesday, Hall tried to break his ankle!!!

McBroom explained the situation while hoppin' out of his flashy Lambo at Boa Steakhouse in L.A. hours after the melee ... accusing Hall of trying to get out of their June 12 boxing match by injuring him earlier in the day.

"At the end, he was like trying to twist my ankle," the 28-year-old said of Hall. "Like maybe he was trying, like, to cause me not to fight him anymore."

McBroom continued, "It was kind of weird. He was trying to break my ankle or twist my ankle so I couldn't fight him."

The fracas was insane ... as the two were attempting to promote their fight in front of cameras and a small crowd at Fred Segal in West Hollywood, they went after each other.

Hall sprang at McBroom, and they got in a shoving match that went straight to the ground.

And, at one point, things got so violent -- some dude was even cracked over the head with a bottle!!!

McBroom said he lost his chain the scuffle ... and claims he suffered a gnarly scratch on his neck during the incident as well.

All of it, he added, has now motivated him even more to try to destroy Bryce during their headlining fight on the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card in Miami next month.