Boxing

WWE Superstar-turned-AEW talent scout Mark Henry says we might not have seen the end of Braun Strowman ... telling TMZ Sports he's hoping to bring the former champion to his company!!!

Of course, Strowman was recently let go by Vince McMahon's organization ... after spending the past 8 years as one of wrestling's biggest stars.

Now that Henry is an analyst, coach, scout and mentor with All Elite Wrestling, we had to ask if he's planning to bring his buddy on board.

"Super high on my list," Henry tells us. "It's not an all Mark Henry decision, but there's already interest on both sides."

"Hopefully by the time he's allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there's interest on both sides. I love that dude."

Henry and Strowman -- real name Adam Scherr -- go WAY back to their strongman days ... and Mark played a huge role in getting him into the wrestling game.

Now, there's a good chance at a reunion once Scherr's contract is up.

"I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can't talk business," Henry added. "When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we'll have a talk."

If Scherr does make the switch, he'll have to go by a different name ... 'cause WWE holds the rights to the "Braun Strowman" -- but it's a small sacrifice for fans who wanna see him back out there.

There's even more awesome news ... we had to ask if we could see 50-year-old Henry enter the squared circle with AEW ... and he's hoping to make it happen!

"I got a lot left in the tank," he says. "I said this before, man. Once I turn 50 ... I said I wanna wrestle again so I can say I wrestled in 4 decades."

"Not many wrestlers get to that, not many. Especially at a high level. I wanna be able to get there and hopefully by October I'll be at 100%."

Henry says he has a bit of work to do to get back into fighting shape ... but it's clear he's spent a lot of time pondering the idea.

"I want it to be very skillful and I want it to be well thought out."

Lamar Odom is a champion once again -- the ex-NBA superstar just KNOCKED OUT Aaron Carter in their Celebrity Boxing match!!!

Carter came out SWINGING ... hitting Odom with as many punches as his body could handle ... but it was clear from the jump -- Odom was in control.

The 6'10" Odom and 6'0" Carter duked it out for 2 rounds at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City ... but the Lakers champion was gonna have no issue handing the former pop star in the ring.

As we previously reported, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told us he was gonna let the dudes fight ... and that's exactly what happened -- LO and AC were throwing punches left and right.

But, ultimately, Carter didn't have the same luck he had against Shaq ... 'cause it was Odom's hand that was raised at the end of the night.

Odom finished Carter in the second round ... but it was all love -- both guys hugged it out after Aaron went down midway through the second round.

The whole event was a party -- boxer Paulie Malignaggi, Ice-T and Coco were all on the mic to provide fun commentary ... and the other fights on the card provided were a bunch of fun, too!!

Odom told us before the fight ... he was planning to put Carter to sleep ... and while he didn't make that happen, he still came through with the dub.

Floyd Mayweather says his Las Vegas home was burglarized and a bunch of valuable property was taken ... and now the boxing superstar is pleading for help, offering at least $100,000 for info leading to the arrest of the burglars.

Mayweather -- who recently told us he expected to rake in $50 to $100 million for the Logan Paul fight -- just announced one of his Sin City houses was broken into.

”One’s home is there a sanctuary, place of peace, relaxation and comfort. When someone violates that sanctuary, it is disturbing and hurtful," Mayweather wrote on social media.

"One of my homes was burglarized in Las Vegas. They stole many valuable handbags and other belongings of substantial value. I am offering at least $100,000 reward for information that leads to the return of my belongings."

Floyd continued ... "The level of disrespect and greed it takes for someone to do this is unfathomable. Thank you to anyone who comes forward with any information. God bless.”

It's unclear exactly what was taken or when the alleged burglary went down ... but we're told Floyd only recently returned to Vegas after spending a few days in Miami following his fight.

Mayweather has dropped insane amounts of cash on some of the most coveted handbags -- included incredibly rare Birkin bags -- over the years.

No big layoff for Claressa Shields -- the boxing champ turned MMA sensation says the plan is to get back in the cage in 2 to 3 months!!

The 26-year-old is coming off a stunning victory in her MMA debut on Thursday -- pummeling Brittney Elkin so brutally at PFL 4, the ref stopped the fight.

Shields is still FIRED UP about the win and tells TMZ Sports ... a TON of her famous friends have been blowing up her phone to send love -- from Halle Berry to Ray Lewis, Dwight Howard and more!

But, Claressa isn't spending too much time celebrating -- she'll be back in the gym to start training for her next MMA fight in just a few weeks!!

"I have another MMA fight I believe in August or September … and [after that] we're saving the end of the year for boxing."

Why so much activity?

"I'm young and I'm hungry," Shields says ... noting she's busted her ass in boxing but never got the paychecks she believes she deserves.

Shields strongly believes the path to becoming rich is through MMA -- and says, "I believe that I'll be a millionaire sooner than we think."

The end goal isn't just money ... Shields says the goal is to become champion in both sports -- and she's convinced it'll happen in due time.

Look, Shields knows her performance could have been better -- especially when it comes to her ground game, but she's dedicated to working on her weaknesses in the gym and wants to become a well-rounded fighter.

"We got a long way to go, but I'm happy to start [my career with a win] and take care of business."

"I hope this reaches Logan Paul. You looked good [Sunday] night! You looked really in control and you look like you could do some things in this sport."

That's Shawn Porter -- former 2x welterweight world champion -- cosigning Logan's career as a pugilist ... telling the YouTube star to KEEP BOXING!!

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Porter about Paul following his 8-round exhibition fight vs. Floyd Mayweather last weekend ... and the boxing star had a message for Maverick.

"You have a built-in audience! You can make this money fighting this completion, build yourself up and then when the time is right, you say, 'Yo I'm ready for a world championship title' and I think by then, everybody that has rocked with him to this point will continue to rock with him."

Porter continued ... "He'll pull fans from the boxing arena and boom, you can't be mad at dude after that! You can't be mad at the money-making after that!"

Speaking of money, Logan previously told us he expected to make at least $20 million for the Mayweather fight.

That pissed off some star fighters (see Francis Ngannou) ... so we asked Shawn if he was upset inferior fighters were making BANK.

"You can't be mad at the hustle! I cannot knock the hustle! I'm happy for them dudes, I'm happy for them to get the money the way they've been getting it."

Austin McBroom says his celeb fight with Bryce Hall ain't gonna last too long ... telling TMZ Sports he's guaranteeing a knockout within the first two rounds!!!

"He won't last past the first round," the YouTube star said of his TikTok rival. "He'd be lucky to get to the second round. If he gets to the second round, it'll end right there."

The two social media titans are finally set to throw down in Miami this weekend after months of trash talk ... and McBroom seemed as confident as ever Friday that he'd score the win.

In fact, Austin seemed downright concerned for Hall ... telling us he's worried he might legitimately HURT Bryce on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

"He's nervous," McBroom said of Hall. "He's a nervous one. He's out there getting jitters face-to-face. He was out there shaking a little bit."

"So, I just hope he's ready man. 'Cause in this sport, you can get seriously hurt. And, I would hate to hurt the kid."

As for Bryce, he insisted he ain't feeling any butterflies ahead of the big boxing match ... and told us he's actually received some key advice from Logan and Jake Paul about managing all that.

Oh, and he threw a fat jab McBroom's way.

Pro wrestling star Max Caster ... CAN RAP!!!

The AEW superstar -- who considers himself the greatest wrestler alive -- just dropped some very impressive bars ... all based on recent TMZ Sports stories and it's great!!

From LeBron James to Logan Paul ... even Buff Bagwell -- Caster wrapped up our week, by rapping up our week!

There's more ... Caster -- half of AEW's #2 ranked tag team The Acclaimed -- also talks about his wrestling future to the comparisons to John Cena.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn not only HATED the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul fight ... but says it seriously damaged the sport -- and now he's sounding off!!

"Absolutely f**king horrendous," Hearn told iFL TV, "I'm allowed to give my opinion. It was absolute dog s**t."

Hearn famously runs Matchroom Boxing -- and reps some of the biggest names in the sport including Anthony Joshua, Devin Haney, Gennady Golovkin and more.

And, while some industry bigwigs applauded Logan vs. Floyd for drawing attention to the sport and possibly bringing in new younger fans ... Hearn thinks it was an atrocity.

"It was just sad, it was sad. None of it ever made sense."

Hearn says he doesn't blame Floyd -- applauding the guy for making a fortune for an easy night's work -- but thinks the event left a bad taste in the fan's mouths.

Hearn says part of the blame is on the promoters and other industry professionals who aren't producing great fighters and great events.

"If we don’t make good fights, you’re going to see more and more of this," Hearn explained.

Max Kellerman -- one of the leading experts in boxing -- says he's genuinely intrigued by the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight.

... and if Jake can knock out the former UFC star, he'll be legitimately impressed.

"That's an interesting fight. It's an interesting event," the ESPN star told us out in NYC.

24-year-old Jake and 39-year-old Woodley are set to throw down in August -- in what will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge of Paul's short career.

So far, Paul has knocked out two pro athletes -- Nate Robinson and Ben Askren -- but hasn't faced an opponent known for being a true striker.

... until now.

Woodley fought his way to the top of the UFC's welterweight division in 2016 -- knocking out Robbie Lawler to win the belt.

But, he's lost his last 4 fights -- leading some to believe he's washed.

"I don't care how faded Woodley is … if Jake Paul knocks out Tyron Woodley, he did something," Kellerman explained.

"Woodley can strike. So, we're not gonna confuse it with a title fight in boxing ... but okay, I'll be impressed."

Jake has promised to KO Woodley in 2 rounds. Woodley's response? "HAHAHHAHA."

We'll see who's right ...

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... he hopes Floyd Mayweather finally hangs up the gloves after his exhibition with Logan Paul.

... but as for Logan Paul fighting in the UFC one day, Dana ain't exactly saying no!

INTERESTING!!!

First, Floyd ...

"I would love to see Floyd retire," White tells us ... "He's had an incredible career and to do these type of fights, it's silly."

Now, to Logan ... who has repeatedly said he would kill for a shot to fight in the UFC since he has a legitimate wrestling background and feels he could actually compete in the Octagon.

So, Dana ... would you ever sign Logan Paul to a UFC deal?

"I don't know man ... I don't know."

"Here's the thing, not to say that I haven't taken a guy in that's been 0-0 into the UFC and done those types of fights before ... I don't know."

White is obviously referencing CM Punk, the former WWE superstar who got 2 fights in the UFC despite no prior professional MMA experience. Punk lost both of his fights in a lopsided fashion.

But, White respects Logan's work ethic and athletic ability -- as well as his marketing power ... and says there will always be a market for famous people to get in the ring.

"Imagine if Kim Kardashian wanted to fight Amanda Nunes ... how big do you think that fight would be?!"

"What do you think Kim Kardashian would make if she fought Amanda Nunes ... probably more than anybody's ever made, ever!"

There's more ... we also talked about that STACKED card for UFC 263 this weekend featuring the Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori and the return of Nate Diaz!

Mike Tyson says he was shockingly impressed with Logan Paul's performance against Floyd Mayweather on Sunday ... and thinks he's actually ready to take on a pro fighter in a sanctioned bout!!

In fact, Mike has a fighter in mind -- 37-year-old Swedish pro boxer Badou Jack, a former 2 division champ with victories over guys like Marcus Browne, Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal, and most recently, Dervin Colina.

Jack is a legit contender who is still pursuing titles ... and Mike thinks he'd be a good test for LP ... if he's serious about continuing his boxing career.

"I'm trying to get Logan Paul to fight Badou Jack," the champ said on IG Live with former boxer Zab Judah on Monday.

"I wanna see what he says about that."

Jack "The Ripper" is a beast -- he's 6'2" with a 30-3-3 record (14 wins by knockout) ... and previously held the WBC super-middleweight title.

So he's WAY more experienced than the YouTuber-turned-fighter ... but Tyson says that's the type of fighter Paul needs to be into ... and Judah agrees.

"Yeah, that's a real fight now. He fights Badou Jack, Logan Paul is gonna be in a big fight," Judah says.

"That's a whole different fight. You fight that guy, Badou is gonna give you a fight. Badou coming to fight! That's all Badou do is fight!"

"WTF was all this about?"

That's former boxing superstar Ricky Hatton UNLEASHING on his former opponent Floyd Mayweather ... essentially saying the exhibition with Logan Paul was an INSULT to the sport he loves.

42-year-old Hatton -- The Ring magazine's 2005 Fighter of the Year -- HATED everything about Floyd vs. Logan and went off the two in a scathing IG post early Monday morning.

"My personal opinion that was s**t for boxing," Hatton said.

"What happened to the days where fighters would put there lives on the line to try be the best and at least fight the best."

"Now we have fighters calling out youtubers as that’s where the most money is these days due to the social media world we live in???"

"I can live with an exhibition like mike (Tyson)and Roy (Jones) did between two legends of our sport but the greatest fighter of all time who has only recently retired against somebody who’s only there cus of how many followers he has and not because of who he’s previously beat???"

"Money is important that’s why we went from the amateurs and turned pro. But these days money seems more important than the legacy."

Yeesh.

Hatton was 43-0 when he fought Floyd back in 2007 -- but Mayweather kicked his ass ... ultimately winning in a 10th round TKO.

Logan Paul came out swingin' ... but in the end, Floyd Mayweather is just too good.

There was no "official" winner in Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather -- but we didn't need judges to see the domination after it went the distance, a full 8 rounds.

26-year-old Logan came out strong Sunday night -- and even landed a handful of serious power shots.

But, 44-year-old Floyd ate everything Logan had -- and began to really open up in round 3 in front of a fired-up crowd at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

From then on ... it was pure Mayweather domination.

Logan looked like he started to gas in round 3 ... Mayweather looked fast, strong and confident all the way to the end.

Hell, Mayweather probably could've fought another 10 rounds if he wanted to.

The fight was an exhibition -- so there is no "official" winner ... but everyone knows Floyd gets the "W."

Floyd praised Logan after the fight -- "He was better than I thought he was."

Mayweather says Paul would have his work cut out for him against real heavyweights -- but called Logan a "good guy" and admitted, "I had fun."

Logan was equally respectful -- saying, "Floyd Mayweather, it was an honor ... this is one of the greatest moments of my life."

"This is the coolest thing ever, I'm happy I made it out ... he's tough to hit.

He then teased a rematch -- "Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul 2?"

Props to Logan though ... he did pretty well for a guy with an 0-1 pro boxing record.

Mayweather's ring entrance included TWO rap performances. First up, Migos ... followed by Moneybagg Yo.

His ring entrance outfit looked like it was made of GATOR SKIN.

Logan walked out with a super-rare (and expensive) Pokemon card hanging around his neck.

The crowd was packed with stars -- from Fat Joe to Paul Pierce, Ryan Garcia, Antonio Brown, Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Evander Holyfield, Matt Barnes and more.

Before the fight, Floyd told TMZ Sports he expected to make between $50 and $100 MILLION for the fight ... and had already spent some of the money on brand new cars for his close friends and family members.

Roy Jones Jr. -- one of the greatest fighters ever -- says he believes Jake Paul has a REAL shot to beat Tyron Woodley.

... but only if he fights like Mike Tyson.

Here's the deal ... Jake famously KO'd Nate Robinson on the undercard of Roy's big comeback fight with "Iron" Mike back in 2020 -- so, he knows the kid has real power.

But, Roy's also very familiar with Tyron's accomplished MMA career -- and knows Woodley has legit striking ability.

So, who's gonna win? That all depends ... here's Roy's breakdown.

"Early, Jake is gonna be the issue because Jake can probably punch. I know he can punch -- and he's probably gonna be a little bit bigger [than Tyron]."

"But as the fight goes on, if Woodley gets comfortable, he's probably gonna take [Jake] out."

"Woodley definitely has the ring experience ... he'll definitely take him out if it goes long."

For his part, Jake has predicted a 2nd round KO over Woodley.

Tyron responded to Jake this way ... "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA."

If a big part of boxing is showmanship, the Logan Paul/Floyd Mayweather fight is world-class.

Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather hopped on the scales Saturday ... and the weigh-in was a well-produced, splashy show, featuring music, commentary, a huge crowd and lots of smack talk.

The weigh-in went down in Miami ... the prelude to the pay-per-view match which goes down Sunday night in Miami Gardens.

Logan Paul weighed in at 189.5 pounds ... barely under the maximum of 190. Mayweather came under the 160 lb limit at 155. There's also a 6-inch height difference in favor of Logan.

Logan entered to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N' Roses. He said his presence “proves this sh*t is a simulation.” And then, he went on ... “None of it’s real. The aliens are coming in June. Just be ready. Tomorrow, I break the f***ing simulation and beat the greatest boxer in the history of the planet.”

As for Floyd ... his message is simple as he yawned at Paul's presence ...“Height don’t win fights,” he said. “Weight don’t win fights. Fighting wins fights, and at the end of the day, I can fight.”

The fight has drawn massive interest, both inside and outside the boxing world, thanks in big part to Logan's showmanship. Check out the video he dropped Saturday night ... fueling even more interest in the fight.

It's pretty crazy ... Mayweather's 50-0, and Paul is 0-1, so it seems ridiculous on its face.  But, boxing is full of surprises, so ya never know.

Mayweather says he's gonna pocket $100 mil from the fight.

Floyd Mayweather is taking care of the people who take care of him -- buying a fleet of cars for his closest friends, family and team members ... TMZ Sports has learned.

... and he also got himself a brand new Rolls-Royce!

We spoke with Chop -- owner of Towbin Auto Group in Las Vegas -- who tells us Mayweather bought NINE cars in the past week, dropping nearly $1 MILLION in total!

Chop (yes, the same guy from A&E's "King of Cars" reality show) says Floyd's haul included:

-- 1 2021 Rolls-Royce White Ghost
-- 1 2021 Mercedes S560
-- 1 2021 Maybach sedan
-- 1 2021 Dodge Journey
-- 2 2021 Dodge Chargers
-- 3 2021 Dodge Challengers

A source connected to Floyd confirmed the purchase -- but says Mayweather has since added a SECOND Rolls-Royce Ghost to the final order.

Obviously, Floyd can afford the rides ... not only has he banked around $1 BILLION from high-profile boxing matches over the years -- but Mayweather told us he's expecting to make around $100 MILLION from the Logan Paul fight!!!

Chop tells TMZ Sports ... Floyd has purchased 157 vehicles from Towbin over the years -- including 29 different Rolls-Royce automobiles!!!