Boxing

Dmitry Bivol —uno de los nombres más grandes en el boxeo— está dandole a Jake Paul varios elogios, diciendole a TMZ Sports que la carrera de la estrella de Internet lo tiene muy impresionado.

"Para ser honesto", nos dijo Bivol pocos días después de que Paul anotó una victoria por nocaut sobre Andre August, "Me gusta que el tipo que no es boxeador, que realmente ama el deporte."

"Vemos que está entrenando duro. Le respeto por ello".

Por supuesto, cuando Paul entró por primera vez en el negocio del boxeo, muchos lo vieron como un truco, ya que estaba luchando contra personalidades de los medios sociales y ex atletas profesionales. De hecho, Canelo Álvarez dijo en 2020 que Jake y su hermano, Logan, estaban siendo "falta de respeto" por enfrentarse de manera mediática, opinión de la que más tarde se retractaría.

Sin embargo, Bivol nos dejó claro que le encanta lo que está viendo de Jake, diciendo que el joven de 26 años está dando todos los pasos correctos cuando se trata de ser un verdadero pugilista.

"Él va a luchar", dijo Bivol, quien venció a Canelo en mayo de 2022. "Él no va con el simple pensamiento de 'voy a vencerlos a todos'".

Paul está actualmente 8-1 en su carrera con cinco nocauts, y ha hecho tal impacto en el deporte a través de sus nueve peleas, que el boxeo Team USA acaba de asociarse con él para que pueda ayudar a promover a los combatientes olímpicos mientras se preparan para los Juegos de París en 2024.

En cuanto a la propia carrera de Bivol. Tiene un gran encuentro este fin de semana contra Lyndon Arthur en DAZN's Day of Reckoning, y si él consigue manejar bien esa pelea, no esperes que se ponga entre las cuerdas con Paul en el corto plazo.

Logan Paul and KSI are rivals-turned-business partners, but they got back to beating each other up during a backyard football game with Patrick Mahomes this week ... when the WWE Superstar went all Ray Lewis on his buddy's ass!!

The two Prime entrepreneurs suited up in pads and helmets to run some routes with the Kansas City Chiefs superstar ... and when the two-time Super Bowl champ told J.J. to run a "Corndog left," Logan was there waiting to make the punishing tackle.

Logan's hit was so fierce, it made both their helmets come off ... and he was super hyped about drilling KSI into the ground.

In fact, Mahomes' pass was off target ... but if his route running is any indication of his ability on the football field, it probably wouldn't have made a difference if the pass hit him in the hands!

Of course, the trio were together as part of their new Prime partnership ... with Mahomes joining the company as its newest sponsored athlete.

Jake Paul is using his massive social media presence to give exposure to some rising stars in boxing ... joining forces with Team USA to help promote fighters ahead of the Olympics.

The Problem Child -- who has millions of followers and subscribers on the internet -- will spend time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado as well as the Paris Games in 2024 through the partnership ... documenting their journey on his accounts.

Jake has already been spending time with Olympian boxers like Joshua Edwards and Morelle McCane, who recently attended his first-round K.O. victory over Andre August this past weekend.

The 26-year-old spoke about the decision to work with Team USA ... telling TMZ Sports, "It has always been my goal to shine a spotlight not just on boxing as a sport, but on the people who work so hard to be the best within it."

"The mindset of pursuing greatness is one I both see and personally share with Mo McCane, Joshua Edwards, and the rest of Team USA's boxing talent. The Olympics are the greatest stage in the world, and I'm honored to help bring awareness to USA Boxing and mentor these young, inspiring athletes as they fight for gold. Anyone who works hard enough to receive the honor to represent Team USA at the Olympics deserves a platform, so I'm looking forward to getting down to business in Colorado Springs with Coach [Billy] Walsh and the rest of Team USA."

Of course, USA Boxing has been home to some massive names in the sport ... including Oscar De La Hoya, Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Evander Holyfield.

What's next for Jake Paul?!

That's the question many fans are asking after The Problem Child dispatched Andre August with a vicious uppercut less than 3 minutes into their boxing match on Friday in Orlando.

TMZ Sports asked Tyron Woodley, who was behind the microphone for Paul's scrap with August last week, who the YouTuber-turned-combat sports star should challenge next.

"I think if you're gonna fight anyone in MMA, you fight me MMA. I'm the one that did the numbers with you. I'm the one that did the millions and millions of views in the press conference. I'm the one that was a 5x champion. I'm the one who took the fight on 2 weeks' notice," Woodley told us.

The UFC legend continued ... "I was doing Cobra Kai for 14 hours straight. I trained at 3 AM and I saved that card. That card was not going to happen. People would not have been buying Christmas gifts had I not stepped up to the plate. So to talk about fighting anyone in MMA outside of me is disrespect."

Tyron added ... "If you really, really wanna prove that you can do it in my world, you fight the number one guy in that world."

Of course, 26-year-old Paul signed with PFL earlier this year, and he hasn't been shy about his desire to fight MMA.

Jake and Tyron fought twice previously ... but in a boxing ring.

The first bout in August 2021 went to the judges ... and Paul won by split decision. Later that year, T-Wood stepped up on short notice in place of Tommy Fury, saving the event. The former longtime UFC welterweight champion lost by 6th round knockout.

As for how 8-1 (5 KOs) Jake looked against August -- billed as the first true boxer he faced -- Woodley was impressed with the performance.

"I thought he did a great job."

"I literally said, 'Hey man, Andre better watch ducking his head 'cause he's gonna get hit with an up, I couldn't even say uppercut. I just got the U-P off and then he was sending him to the moon."

Tyron also talked about the experience of being on the losing side of things against Jake.

"I know how it is to be on both sides of it, thinking I won the fight, and then two judges thought it went the other way, and also being in there winning the fight every millisecond of the fight, and then all of the sudden you drop your hands one time, he got enough power to get the job done," Woodley said.

If Red Bull gives you wings, Logan Paul and KSI have rockets strapped to their backs ... Prime Hydration is exploding, and now the company has struck an endorsement deal with one of the biggest athletes in the world, Patrick Mahomes!

28-year-old Mahomes inked a deal with the YouTubers-turned-drink moguls ... as the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback becomes the face of Prime Hydration, joining other athletes like Israel Adesanya, Alex Volkanovski and "Bud" Crawford.

"PRIME is a disruptive brand that has taken over the beverage industry since it first launched. They are gamechangers, and that's exactly what I strive to be on the field. Our partnership is a winning play, merging innovation and excellence, setting a new standard both on and off the field," Mahomes said.

"It's an honor to join the PRIME family alongside some of the greatest athletes, leagues and teams in the world."

The deal is different than your run-of-the-mill sponsorship agreement ... we're told Logan, KSI, Patrick, and Prime have plans to collaborate on a bunch of different charitable efforts.

In fact, Prime has already donated $100k in support of Patrick's 15 and the Mahomies Foundation.

KSI and Paul are clearly thrilled they've landed a guy like Mahomes, who fits right in with the brand.

"At PRIME, we believe in teaming up with greatness, and Patrick Mahomes isn't just one of the best quarterbacks of all time; he's rewriting the record book and bringing a whole new level of excitement to the game," Logan and KSI said.

Deontay Wilder is warning his fans not to blink during his fight with Joseph Parker later this month ... 'cause the star boxer says he's going to KO his opponent in a flash!!

The 43-2 pugilist made it clear to TMZ Sports this week that that's his plan ... explaining he's not foreseeing any ring rust whatsoever when he steps up to Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.

"I'm expecting to be very fresh," said Wilder, who hasn't fought in over a year. "I'm expecting to be intact. I got a great team on my side and we're looking for greatness. Nothing less."

Wilder wasn't sure of the exact round in which the knockout would happen ... though he guaranteed it'd be "early."

"It's a Deontay Wilder fight, guys," the Bronze Bomber said. "When he's fighting, he always keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don't know when it's gonna happen but when it happens, bam, baby! Goodnight!"

Following the tilt, reports are Wilder will be in line to next take on Anthony Joshua ... though Wilder said nothing is set in stone there just yet.

"It's a lot of different ways it can go," Wilder said, "but at this point, I'm just focusing on Joseph Parker. After that, we'll talk."

Jake Paul made short work of Andre August in a professional boxing match Friday night ... knocking him out in the first round!!

Paul went toe-to-toe with August in the ring at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, but the cruiserweight bout was over just minutes after it began.

Check out the video ...  the boxers dance around the ring trading blows for a bit, yet nothing wildly exciting happens.

That all changes at the 2:32 mark of the first round when Paul throws a powerful right uppercut, clocking August right in the kisser.

August hits the canvas like a sack of potatoes and struggles to get back up to his feet as the referee stops the fight.

Paul celebrates by raising his arm and waving goodbye to August with his gloved hand.

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.