Boxing

Jake Paul is keeping his political ties strong, because GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will be VIP'd up when "The Problem Child" steps in the ring this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Vivek's spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin tells us the presidential hopeful is heading to Orlando to support Jake during his Friday night showdown with Andre August ... and says they've actually become good friends.

We're told Jake's hooked up Vivek with ringside seats -- he'll be seated next to Jake's pals and teammates when the first round bell rings. Once it's over, Vivek plans to get a quick face-to-face catch-up with Jake and his fam ... before heading straight back to Iowa for 6 scheduled campaign events on Saturday.

The bond between Ramaswamy and Paul is no secret, thanks to Jake recruiting the candidate for a joint TikTok dance in September, which went viral.

While it might have seemed like a stunt done for fun and games, Vivek later explained during a GOP debate why he thinks TikTok is vital for winning elections ... it's all about influencing the next-gen.

Jake Paul ha invitado a Vivek Ramaswamy a su próximo combate de boxeo en Orlando. Incluso le compró un boleto al lado del ring, TMZ ha indagado.

Tricia McLaughlin, la portavoz de Vivek, nos dice que viajará al sur el viernes porque es buena amiga de Jake y quiere mostrarle su apoyo en el partido.

Nos informan que va a estar sentado junto a los amigos de Jake y demás compañeros de equipo, animándolo antes de tener una rápida puesta al día con Jake y su familia, luego de regresar directamente a Iowa para sus seis actos de campaña programados para el día siguiente.

El vínculo entre Ramaswamy y Paul no es ningún secreto. Se sabe que son buenos amigos, y Jake incluso lo reclutó para un baile conjunto en TikTok en septiembre, el cual se hizo viral.

Vivek explicó durante un debate de GOP que unirse TikTok es vital para ganar las elecciones, porque se trata de influir en la próxima generación.

Too bad the WBC title fight's not today ... 'cause Devin Haney and Regis Prograis seemed ready to beat the hell of out each other after a heated argument at a press conference days before their boxing match.

The expletive-filled incident happened on Thursday during the Haney vs. Prograis final press conference ahead of their Dec. 9 fight which is going down in San Francisco.

Things got heated after Haney's team said Devin would knock Regis out ... something Prograis questioned, highlighting Devin's knockout rate.

"Who you knocked out Devin?!" Prograis yelled. "C'mon Dev, who the f*** did you knock out?! Nobody!"

"You soft as f***!"

FYI, Prograis has 24 KOs in 30 fights ... compared to Haney, who has 15 KOs in 30 fights. But, Haney is undefeated ... while Regis has one loss.

"You slow! You're a one-trick pony," Haney replied. "You do the same thing every fight!"

Prograis continued his rant ... telling the crowd and even Haney's father, Bill, that he's going to "hurt" the super lightweight boxer come Saturday.

Devin seemed unbothered.

"You not gon' hurt s***!" Haney said. "I'm gonna beat the f*** out you, watch!"

Mike Perry has fought in the UFC and BKFC, and can count the likes of Luke Rockhold, Cowboy Cerrone, and Michael "Venom" Page as previous opponents ... but none of those scraps were bigger than Saturday night's bare-knuckle fight with former MMA champ Eddie Alvarez!

"This is a very tremendous opportunity for me, the biggest fight of my career to date," Perry told TMZ Sports this week.

"Eddie Alvarez, he's got quite the resume. I'm happy to be against it, and I'm looking to shut it down whether that be finishing him or just picking him apart for 12 minutes."

FYI, Perry is 3-0 in BKFC (Rockhold, Page, Lane) ... and is the promotion's biggest star. Alvarez has less experience sans gloves ... he's 1-0 with a win over Chad Mendes.

As for where he goes after Eddie, Perry says he's "looking to put on a good performance and skies the limit" afterward.

"We saw Conor McGregor and me face off last time. I was talking a little bit of s*** about Sean Strickland, he's very upset about it. He's angry with me. Every time he talks to me he's like, 'We gotta box. We gotta box.' I wrote him and said, 'Come to the fight in Utah' and he didn't even open that message and read it."

Shadasia "The Sweet Terminator" Green couldn't be happier to have signed on with Jake Paul's MVP Promotions ... telling TMZ Sports her boxing career AND her life as a whole have changed "drastically" since she became a part of his fighting team.

"It's been amazing," said the 13-0 boxer, who officially joined Paul's promo earlier this year. It's "changed my boxing career in so many dimensions."

One of those dimensions, Green said, is the business side ... with the 34-year-old New Jersey native telling us that for the first time in her career, she feels like she's operating and moving like a real-deal, professional boxer.

She said the other upside is definitely the bigger paydays.

"I owe everything to MVP," she said of Jake's org., which he launched in 2021 with Nakisa Bidarian, "and I'm just grateful to be a part of their team and have Nakisa as my manager and Jake as my manager. I'm blessed."

Jake Paul wanted to make his Tyron Woodley fight in 2021 extra "Cleveland" by having Kid Cudi perform at the big event in his hometown ... but he says there was just one issue that kept it from happening -- the rapper's "astronomical" asking price.

The Problem Child revealed his failed plans during his "BS With Jake Paul" podcast this week ... when his conversation with guest Rich Paul led to the fellow Northeast Ohio native.

Jake brought up how he personally thinks Cudder doesn't have much Cleveland pride ... which is pretty uncommon for anyone from the area.

The boxer used one of his own experiences to back his stance ... saying, "I tried to get him to perform at the Tyron Woodley fight just before I came out [to the ring], and he asked for like, an astronomical fee that was like, 'F*** you.'"

Jake explained while he understands people have their price, he thought the moment would have meant much more to the city than any check he could write out to Cudi.

"I get it, but it's like, this was like some s*** to tap in back with the city. Like, first event back from Covid."

Jake's cohost, Jasper, defended Cudi ... saying if the roles were reversed, the YouTube superstar would charge his usual appearance fee, too.

But, Jake says that's simply not true ... claiming he always gives a hometown discount to anyone from the area -- even doing some things pro bono.

1:28 PM -- Melvin Townsend's attorney, Jake Jondle, tells TMZ Sports his client has been dealing with a myriad of injuries since the Mike Tyson attack ... including a concussion, cervical radiculopathy, and impaired vision.

"Not only is the evidence clear that Mr. Tyson committed the intentional torts of assault and battery, but he also acted recklessly and negligently," Jondle said in a statement to us Thursday.

"Additionally, Mr. Tyson admitted on national television to attacking Mr. Townsend and never once claimed a legal justification for his actions, such as self-defense. He admitted he should not have attacked Mr. Townsend. Being irritated by a fan is not a legal defense to any of Mr. Townsend's claims."

Jondle added that his letter this week to Alex Spiro was sent as simply an effort to "engage in good-faith settlement discussions to attempt to resolve this claim prior to filing a lawsuit."

The man who Mike Tyson pummeled during a wild fight on a plane last year is now demanding the boxer pay him nearly half a million dollars to avoid a future lawsuit over the altercation.

But, the boxing legend's attorney, Alex Spiro, is adamant the whole thing is "a shakedown" attempt ... and insists absolutely no payment will be forthcoming.

A lawyer for Melvin Townsend -- the punch victim -- made the demands clear in a pre-litigation letter sent to Spiro earlier this week, according to the New York Post.

In the document, the lawyer -- Jake Jondle -- said Tyson could have used other remedies to diffuse the situation on the April 2022 JetBlue flight ... but instead "he chose physical violence" and "viciously assaulted" Townsend.

Jondle explained as a result of the attack, Townsend sustained a "severe headache" as well as neck pain ... and "is still suffering with the effects of the assault to this day."

Jondle wrote in the document that $450,000 from Tyson would help Townsend cover his legal bills ... as well as any future treatment Townsend would require.

According to Spiro, however, no such check will be written.

"I have received a shakedown letter related to some instigator's harassment of Mike a year ago and the aftermath," Spiro said in a statement. "There will be no shakedown payment."

Reps for Tyson had previously told TMZ Sports the entire incident happened because Townsend threw a water bottle at the former pugilist and annoyed him repeatedly. Tyson himself later said on his "Hotboxin" podcast that Townsend "was f***ing with me" prior to the incident.

For Townsend's part, Jondle said in his letter this week his client was simply "excited to see [Tyson] on the flight, began discussing the marijuana industry and psychedelic mushrooms with him, and Mr. Tyson became annoyed" and attacked.

Tyson's been in the clear criminally, meanwhile, for over a year ... as prosecutors declined to file charges against the ex-fighter in May 2022.

El hombre al que Mike Tyson golpeó durante una salvaje pelea en un avión el año pasado está exigiendo que el boxeador le pague casi medio millón de dólares para evitar una futura demanda por el altercado.

Sin embargo, el abogado de la leyenda del boxeo, Alex Spiro, insiste en que todo es un intento de "chantaje" del demandante e insiste en que no se efectuará ningún pago.

Un abogado de Melvin Townsend, víctima del puñetazo, dejó claras sus demandas en una carta de pre-litigio enviada a Spiro a principios de esta semana, según el New York Post.

En el documento, el abogado Jake Jondle dijo que Tyson podría haber utilizado otros recursos para calmar la situación en el vuelo de JetBlue de abril 2022, pero "eligió la violencia física" y agredió "viciosamente" a Townsend.

Jondle dijo que Townsend sufrió un "fuerte dolor de cabeza", así como dolor en el cuello como consecuencia del ataque y "todavía está sufriendo los efectos de la agresión".

Jondle escribió en el documento que los $450,000 de Tyson ayudarían a Townsend a cubrir sus facturas legales, así como cualquier otro tratamiento que requiera en el futuro.

Sin embargo, según Spiro, no se extenderá tal cheque.

"He recibido una carta de chantaje relacionada con el acoso de un instigador de Mike de hace un año", dijo Spiro en un comunicado. "No habrá pago indebido".

Representantes de Tyson le habían dicho previamente a TMZ Sports que todo el incidente ocurrió porque Townsend le tiró una botella de agua al ex pugilista y lo molestó repetidamente. El propio Tyson dijo más tarde en su podcast "Hotboxin" que Townsend "lo estuvo jodiendo" antes del incidente.

Desde la perspectiva de Townsend, Jondle dijo en su carta de esta semana que su cliente simplemente estaba "emocionado de ver [a Tyson] en el vuelo, comenzó a discutir sobre el negocio de la marihuana y los hongos psicodélicos y el Sr. Tyson se molestó" y atacó.

Floyd Mayweather is putting his strip club expertise to good use ... taking matters into his own hands in search of the best dancers in the business!!

TBE had a helluva Wednesday night ... sitting courtside at the Lakers vs. Jazz game at Crypto.com Arena before getting into some more adult activities at a local gentlemen's club.

Floyd posted videos of his strip club visit ... showing off massive stacks of cash as he made it rain for multiple ladies shaking it for his crew.

But, it wasn't all for his leisure -- Mayweather explained it was a scouting trip of sorts ... saying, "having fun and recruiting."

Of course, Floyd has his own Girl Collection venue in Las Vegas ... so the dancers might've left the night with more than just wads of cash -- they could have a new employer, too!!

Floyd is no stranger to being the generous type at strip clubs -- he famously loves to let the bills fly whenever he rolls through ... and has documented his charitable contributions over the years.

El Santo Grial de la joyería de Elvis Presley va a salir a subasta. Se espera que su icónico collar de garras de león se venderá por al menos medio millón de dólares en la subasta.

Elvis llevaba el famoso collar de garra de león durante años, tanto dentro como fuera del escenario ... incluso durante algunos de sus momentos más memorables.

Cuando Elvis conoció a Muhammad Ali en la cima del boxeador ... el collar de león colgaba del cuello del cantante.Lo mismo ocurre con una famosa foto de Elvis celebrando el quinto cumpleaños de su hija Lisa Marie con su esposa Priscilla.

Elvis subió al escenario al menos 30 veces con el collar de garras de león también, en Las Vegas y de gira y lo llevaba durante su relación con Linda Thompson.

El collar de garra de león es bedazzled con diamantes y rubíes ... y ha estado en exhibición durante años en el Museo de Elvis Presley y ahora va a subasta con Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

The Holy Grail of Elvis Presley jewelry is going up for grabs -- it's his iconic lion claw necklace, and some Elvis-crazed collector might have to drop half a million dollars, or more, to nab it at auction.

Elvis famously wore the lion claw around his neck for years, both on and off stage ... including during some of his most memorable moments.

When Elvis met Muhammad Ali at the peak of the boxer's prime, the lion necklace was dangling from the singer's neck.

Ditto for a famous photo of Elvis celebrating his daughter Lisa Marie's 5th birthday with his wife Priscilla.

Elvis took the stage at least 30 times with the lion claw necklace too, on tour and during his Las Vegas residency ... and he wore it during his post-Priscilla relationship with Linda Thompson.

The piece is bedazzled with diamonds and rubies ... and it's been on display for years at the Elvis Presley Museum, but now it's going up for auction with Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

Jake Paul's leaving a ton of money on the table in his upcoming boxing match ... telling TMZ Sports he's more focused on being a world champion than selling Pay-per-views.

The 26-year-old Problem Child is facing off against 35-year-old pro boxer Andre August in Orlando next month ... which is a stark contrast from his usual big-name opponents like Tommy Fury, Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva.

Paul says that's by design ... as he needs to take on real-deal boxers to both silence his haters and move toward his goal of being the best fighter on the planet -- even if it doesn't line his pockets like his other high-profile bouts.

"This is probably just a break-even fight for me," Jake told Michael Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on FS1. "I probably won't even make money on it. Who knows what the outcome is. It's $200,000 for a private jet to fly around just to get me there and back."

But, that's not fazing Jake -- he makes it clear his only concern is polishing his skills and taking on a bigger challenge against a guy with more wins and knockouts under his belt.

"He's a beast, he's a dog and he's coming to win," Jake said of his opponent. "This is his make-or-break moment as a boxer himself. It's gonna be a really good fight."

Jake made a great point -- the entire world has watched all of his fights from the very beginning ... which is unprecedented for someone in the sport. Usually, dudes take on smaller bouts to gain more experience before getting big.

Jake explained he's not going to leave the massive PPV opportunities for good -- which might be good news for former boxing champion Andre Ward, who previously told us he was interested in taking on one of the Paul brothers in the future.

Michael B. Jordan is set to direct another 'Rocky' franchise installment with the next 'Creed' movie -- this despite the fact that Sylvester Stallone has major beef with a key producer.

The announcement was made by Irwin Winkler at an event in L.A. Saturday -- where he confirmed that not only is 'Creed IV' happening ... but saying Mike would be back in the director's chair, and obviously starring of course.

According to Deadline, Winkler said they'd start circling the project sometime in 2024 -- with him explaining, "We have a really good story [and] a really good plot. We got a little delayed because of the strikes, but about a year from now we’re going into pre-production."

Considering how much of a moneymaker "Creed III" was, this is great news for MBJ ... but probably hits a nerve with Sly -- who's slammed IW and his handling of the 'Rocky' rights.

As we reported ... Stallone has called on Winkler to give him an ownership stake in the IP -- of which he has no control over, apparently, after having sold the rights to the OG script years ago. Sly's POV is ... he's the creator of the character/story, so he should have a cut.

It goes without saying ... Rocky himself was not featured in the latest film -- and Sly said he just didn't like direction Mike and Irwin were taking things ... although he did wish 'em well.

Sly's love of his baby ('Rocky') actually just got a renewed focus thanks to a great Netflix doc on the man himself, "Sly" ... which touches heavily on how the Oscar-winning film came together. If you watch it, you'll see all things 'Rocky' are still very near and dear to SS.

Interestingly enough, Sylvester doesn't address Winkler in the doc (directly or indirectly) but he's made his feelings about the issue very clear. For now, it doesn't appear he's going to be involved with 'Creed IV' ... although MBJ left the door open in interviews earlier this year.

Floyd Mayweather's returning to the boxing ring to take care of some unfinished business ... the legendary fighter is taking on John Gotti III in Las Vegas over Super Bowl weekend in February, a rematch of their '23 fight that ended in chaos!

TMZ Sports is told the event will happen around Super Sunday (February 11 in Sin City) and will be headlined by 46-year-old Mayweather vs. 31-year-old Gotti III.

Floyd, 50-0, is one of the greatest fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves. Gotti III, grandson of the legendary Gambino family crime boss, John Gotti, was originally an MMA fighter (5-1), who eventually got into boxing (2-0).

The rest of the card will be anchored by Floyd's Mayweather Promotions fighters.

Of course, Floyd and John have history. Back in June, they boxed at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida ... but the bout was called in the sixth round after a bunch of holding and other shenanigans in the ring.

Although the fight was technically stopped by ref Kenny Bayless, it was just the beginning of the fighting ... as mayhem erupted inside the squared circle, and outside of it, too.

In fact, Joseline Hernandez and Big Lex were seen scrapping.

Order was eventually restored ... and reps for the fighters spoke and peaced things up.

Now, the men are set to battle again ... during what was already one of the biggest weeks in all of sports.

And, to make sure there isn't a repeat of the first fight, we're told there are clauses in the contracts that could trigger a financial fine if anyone gets out of line.

The fight, a pay-per-view event airing on Zeus network, will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions, along with partner Hidden Empire Films!

Jake Paul's a big deal in boxing, and some people don't like it ... but don't count legendary boxer Andre Ward among that group 'cause the multiple-time former world champion tells us he's a fan of The Problem Child driving new fans to the sport!

"I don't hate on it," Ward told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week ... of Paul's transition from YouTuber to boxing star.

"The crossover stuff like what Jake Paul, Logan [Paul] is doing, [Francis] Ngannou just did, I respect it. That takes a lot of courage, takes a lot of heart."

Ward -- who retired in 2017 with a perfect 32-0 record -- said he applauds Paul for ignoring the naysayers who have labeled him a gimmick or sideshow and want him out of the sport.

"I don't think so. It actually brings a new audience, more eyeballs," Ward said, "and if the fanbase follows them over to boxing, then more power to 'em."

"I'm a fan of it, I appreciate it and I watch it."

In fact, Ward, who is still only 39 years old, told us he'd actually be down to step back in the ring for an exhibition fight ... against Jake or Logan.

"I don't hate against it. I would probably do it for the right situation. I keep myself just good enough to where if I needed 7, 8 weeks, I can take care of my business," Ward said.

Although he hasn't been fighting, Ward's been busy ... in fact, he just released a brand new memoir titled "Killing The Image: A Champion's Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness."

Ward's book isn't just about boxing ... Son of God talks about everything from his difficult childhood to the role that faith and religion have played in his life, and how it's guided to him incredible heights -- including 5 world titles and an Olympic gold medal.

"This book takes you deep into my mind, into my life, into my upbringing [and] how I go to the point that I'm at today."

Jake Paul es muy importante en el boxeo y a algunas personas no les gusta, pero no cuentes con que el legendario boxeador Andre Ward entre ese grupo. El varias veces ex campeón del mundo nos dice que es un fan de "The Problem Child" por que atrae a nuevos aficionados al deporte.

"No lo odio", dijo Ward a Babcock en el programa de televisión "TMZ Sports" (se emite todas las noches en FS1) esta semana, de la transición de Paul de YouTuber a estrella del boxeo.

"Las cosas cruzadas como lo que Jake Paul, Logan [Paul] está haciendo, o lo que [Francis] Ngannou acaba de hacer, lo respeto. Eso requiere mucho coraje, requiere mucho corazón".

Ward —quien se retiró en 2017 con un récord perfecto de 32-0— dijo que aplaude a Paul por ignorar a los detractores que lo han etiquetado como un simple showman o espectáculo secundario y lo quieren fuera del deporte.

"No creo que sea así. En realidad aporta un nuevo público, más ojos", dijo Ward, "y si la afición les sigue hasta el boxeo, pues más poder para ellos".

"Soy un fan, lo aprecio y lo veo".

De hecho, Ward —que solo tiene 39 años— nos dijo que estaría dispuesto a volver al ring para una pelea de exhibición contra Jake o Logan.

"No tengo nada en contra. Probablemente lo haría en la situación adecuada. Me mantengo lo suficientemente bien como para ocuparme de mis asuntos", dijo Ward.

Aunque no ha estado luchando, Ward ha estado ocupado, de hecho, acaba de publicar un nuevo libro de memorias titulado "Killing The Image: A Champion's Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness".

El libro de Ward no trata solo de boxe, Hijo de Dios habla de todo, desde su difícil infancia hasta el papel que la fe y la religión han desempeñado en su vida, y cómo le han guiado a cotas increíbles (5 títulos mundiales y una medalla de oro olímpica).

"Este libro te lleva a lo más profundo de mi mente, de mi vida, de mi educación y de cómo llegué al punto en el que estoy hoy".