Boxing

Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury II could be on deck!

The Predator joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) on Monday ... where we talked to the boxing and MMA superstar about his HUGE upcoming clash with 34-year-old Anthony Joshua on March 8, as well as his plans for the future.

Of course, 37-year-old Ngannou has his hands full with AJ, one of the most physically imposing athletes in the world (as is Ngannou) ... but that's not to say he doesn't know what he wants after he scraps with Joshua.

To the contrary, he does ... and it's not necessarily the victor of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who are fighting for the heavyweight belts in February, weeks before Francis and Anthony.

"I'm not looking for the winner of Tyson Fury. I'm looking for Tyson!" the former UFC heavyweight champ told us.

"Tyson owes me a fight. I don't give a s*** about the winner of Usyk and Tyson. I'm coming after Tyson. Win or lose, I want Tyson!"

FYI, Fury is 34-0 with 24 KOs ... with one of those wins coming against Ngannou. However, many people around boxing believe Tyson actually lost their October fight, which he officially won by split decision.

But, first things first, Ngannou-Joshua.

Despite the success against Tyson, Francis is a fairly substantial underdog (risk $100 to win $500) ... a betting line he says he understands.

"I'm going in against a former champion and getting guys that have been in the game for so long, winning, and all this stuff," Ngannou said.

"I think he's 30-something and I'm zero and one. C'mon man. How do you make me a favorite?"

"He's seen me box already so he knows a little bit what he's coming after unlike Tyson Fury that was out of the blue, didn't know what to expect," Ngannou said.

Even with his inexperience in the boxing ring, Ngannou says he still expects Joshua to study his fight with Fury, and make adjustments. Francis is intent on showing the Tyson fight was no fluke.

"I think this time I need to put it up even more to get the job done."

Ryan Garcia afirma que su matrimonio con Drea Celina se encontraba más allá de la reparación: la estrella del boxeo presentó la solicitud de divorcio debido a “diferencias irreconciliables”… de acuerdo a documentos judiciales obtenidos por TMZ Sports.

Como informamos anteriormente, el viernes por la noche el púgil de 25 años anunció la separación de su esposa de casi 3 años a través de su cuenta de Instagram, minutos después de revelar que habían dado la bienvenida a su segundo hijo juntos.

En los documentos presentados la semana pasada, Garcia menciona que él y Celina, quienes se casaron el 14 de enero de 2021, estaban oficialmente separados el día de Navidad de 2023.

El boxeador con un récord de 24-1 afirma estar dispuesto a apoyar financieramente a sus dos hijos, Bela, de 3 años, y Henry, nacido el mes pasado, de acuerdo con las “necesidades razonables” de los niños.

En cuanto a Drea, los documentos indican que Garcia está dispuesto a pagar la manutención conyugal durante los próximos 17 1/2 meses, la mitad del tiempo que estuvieron casados.

En el anuncio del divorcio, Garcia mencionó que la crianza compartida es la “prioridad principal” de la expareja… y continuará centrándose en la salud y el bienestar de Bela y Henry.

“Creo que nuestra devoción mutua hacia nuestros hijos es sólida como una roca, y confío en que juntos seguiremos brindándoles el amor, el apoyo y estabilidad que merecen”, dijo en el comunicado.

Ryan Garcia says his marriage to Drea Celina was beyond repair -- the boxing star filed for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences" ... this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the 25-year-old pugilist announced his split from his wife of nearly 3 years via his Instagram account Friday night ... just minutes after revealing they welcomed their second child together.

In the docs filed last week, Garcia says he and Celina -- who got married on Jan. 14, 2021 -- were officially separated on Christmas Day 2023.

The 24-1 fighter says he is willing to financially support their two children -- 3-year-old Bela and Henry, who was born last month -- based on the minor children's "reasonable needs."

As for Drea, the docs state Garcia is open to paying spousal support to her for the next 17 1/2 months -- half the time they were married.

In the divorce announcement, Garcia said co-parenting is the former couple's "top priority" ... and he will continue to focus on Bela and Henry's health and well-being.

"I believe our mutual devotion to our children is rock solid, and I trust that together, we will continue to provide them with the love, support and stability they deserve," he said in the statement.

Blueface and Jaidyn Alexis came into 2024 with plenty of momentum and controversy ... but they're embracing the notoriety, because it's fueling their rap careers!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Blue and Jaidyn at the event Meet The Faces at Fountain LA over the weekend and they had a laugh at all the feathers their new "Barbie (Remix)" ruffled -- remember, BF decided to skewer Soulja Boy, NLE Choppa and more on the track.

Speaking of NLE, their proposed boxing match ain't happening ... NLE's mother got involved after Blueface mentioned her, and she called them both childish Crips who are taking their antics too far.

Blueface agrees with Mama Choppa, but tells us he looks at the current Hip Hop game as a circus, and he's taking it upon himself to be its ringleader.

We also gauged Jaidyn's temperature on breaking her engagement after saying "Yes" to his proposal back in December, and much to Blueface's amusement ... she's cool for now!

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was arrested for illegal possession of an assault rifle this weekend in L.A. ... after cops were called to the scene by a concerned fan who believed the boxer may be a danger to himself or others.

TMZ Sports has learned the 37-year-old former champ, son of the legendary Mexican pugilist Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., was taken into custody by LAPD around 1:30 PM ... after Jr. permitted responding officers to enter his home, where they located the illegal rifle.

Law enforcement sources tell us the weapon was an untraceable "ghost gun."

Chavez Jr. was ultimately transported to the Valley Jail in Van Nuys ... where the 6'1", 170 lb. fighter was booked.

It's not the first time people around Julio have feared for his safety. In fact, Chavez Sr. recently opened up about fears his son could lose his life if he continues down the same path.

Speaking of his God-like figure of a dad, although Julio didn't come close to the astronomical success his dad achieved in the squared circle, Jr. finished his boxing career with a 53-6-1 record ... fighting the likes of Daniel Jacobs and Canelo Alvarez.

Ryan Garcia had a little good news/bad news sitch on his hands this week -- first, he's a father to a new baby ... plus, he's apparently leaving his wife who just delivered said baby.

The lightweight boxing phenom made shocking back-to-back announcements Friday evening, almost instantaneously ... namely, breaking happy news that he and his partner, Andrea Celina, had recently welcomed a boy into the world ... whom they named Henry Leo.

Within the hour of posting pics of his new kid -- which is actually his second with AC -- RG threw up a downer of a post ... in which he declared he and Andrea were getting divorced.

Ryan's birth post was jubilant, reading ... "Honored To announce my Beautiful First Born SON PRAISE THE LORD. I am so thankful, I love him so much already. He is so fast already haha. Took him just 8 min to arrive You know where he got that speed from lol. GOD DID! And GOD WILL ... THANK YOU LORD I LOVE YOU."

In a since-deleted IG post that went up almost immediately after the baby announcement, Ryan said he and Andrea were ending their marriage ... which was eye-popping for a couple different reasons. For starters, no one seemed to know they were already hitched.

Of course the bigger reason is ... it was literally the very next thing he posted.. Ryan wrote in part, "As I step into a new chapter in my life, it's with a heavy heart to share that Drea and I have decided to divorce." He goes on to say that they remain committed to co-parenting their two children, etc. Now, it's a bit unclear if he and Andrea are on the same page here.

Andrea herself did not post the divorce statement, and Ryan's now scrubbed it from his page -- even though it was publicly up for well over 12 hours. Andrea has since posted some cryptic messages of her own on her IG Story ... perhaps suggesting she's mad at him.

It's a strange turn of events ... especially considering they've been together since 2019. Now that Ryan's taken down his divorce announcement -- we're not quite sure where things stand.

Ryan García tenía algunas buenas y malas noticias que compartir esta semana. Primero, que es padre de un nuevo bebé, y además, que aparentemente va a dejar a su esposa que acaba de dar a luz a dicho bebé.

El fenómeno del boxeo de peso ligero hizo estos sorprendentes anuncios, casi al mismo tiempo el viernes por la noche, a saber, la feliz noticia de que él y su pareja, Andrea Celina, habían dado la bienvenida recientemente a un niño que llamaron Henry Leo.

A la hora de haber publicado las fotos de su nuevo hijo, que en realidad es su segundo con Andrea, Ryan García compartió un deprimente post en el que declaraba que él y Andrea se estaban divorciando.

El post del nacimiento de Ryan era jubiloso, decía: "Estoy honrado de anunciar a mi hermoso primer hijo, alabado sea el Señor. Estoy tan agradecido, lo amo tanto ya. Él es tan rápido ya jaja. Le tomó solo 8 minutos llegar ¿Sabes de dónde sacó esa velocidad lol. ¡DIOS LO HIZO! Y DIOS LO HARÁ ... GRACIAS SEÑOR TE AMO".

En un post de IG ahora borrado, que subió casi inmediatamente después del anuncio del bebé, Ryan dijo que él y Andrea estaban poniendo fin a su matrimonio, lo que era llamativo por un par de razones. Para empezar, nadie parecía saber que ya estaban casados.

Por supuesto, la razón más importante fue, literalmente, lo siguiente que publicó. Ryan escribió, en parte: "Al entrar en un nuevo capítulo en mi vida, es con el corazón pesado que comparto que Drea y yo hemos decidido divorciarnos". Continuó diciendo que siguen comprometidos con la crianza de sus dos hijos, etc. Ahora, no queda claro si él y Andrea están en la misma página aquí.

Andrea no publicó nada sobre el divorcio y Ryan lo ha borrado de su página, a pesar de que estuvo publicado durante más de 12 horas. Andrea desde entonces ha publicado algunos mensajes crípticos en sus propias historias de IG, lo que sugiere que tal vez está enojada con él.

Es un extraño giro de los acontecimientos, especialmente teniendo en cuenta que han estado juntos desde 2019. Ahora que Ryan ha quitado el anuncio del divorcio, no estamos muy seguros dónde están las cosas.

Boxing star Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller was arrested on Tuesday ... after he was accused of body-slamming a car dealership employee before stealing a truck.

According to the Hollywood Police Department in Florida, the incident took place at Haims Motors -- a used car lot located about half an hour north of Miami.

Cops say an employee at the dealership told them a woman had approached him and complained that she had left a phone in a truck that the establishment had recently repossessed.

Police say when the employee went to grab the keys to help her get the device back ... Miller grabbed him, put him in a chokehold -- and insisted he fork over the keys.

HPD officers say the employee told them Miller then threw him to the ground, nabbed the keys and jacked the truck.

Cops say that while Miller fled the scene, he was unaware that there was a tracking device in the ride -- and a short time later, officers found him, arrested him, and booked him on charges of carjacking without a firearm or weapon and burglary with assault or battery.

Miller appeared in court on Wednesday ... and during the proceedings, prosecutors said they believed Miller had planned the attack.

"It would appear that Mr. Miller," one official said in the courtroom, "he knew what the plan was going to this business to get his car back."

Miller, however, pled not guilty to the charges ... though jail records show that as of Thursday morning, he's still behind bars in Broward County.

Otto Wallin intends to be the 6'5", 230 lb. wrench that screws up Anthony Joshua's (very lucrative) plan to fight Deontay Wilder in March ... flat-out saying the scrap ain't happening!

Walling and Joshua are fighting Saturday in Saudi Arabia ... a stacked card that also includes Wilder vs. Joseph Parker. So, what's Otto's beef?

Well, Anthony and Deontay seem to be assuming they'll not only win this weekend, but also skate through relatively unscathed ... 'cause the heavyweight boxing superstars have agreed to fight each other in March.

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Wallin, who has only 1 career loss, which came against Tyson Fury ... a very competitive fight that was nearly stopped after the Gypsy King suffered a gruesome cut above his eye.

We asked Otto about AJ's decision to sign the Wilder contract.

"I just think it's crazy that they think that fight is gonna happen on March 9th. What is it, 2 and a half months? There is no way that fight's gonna happen, I'll tell you that now. There's no way that fight's gonna happen. Maybe in the future."

Wallin continued ... "I'm gonna beat Joshua. Wilder-Parker, that's not an easy fight. he could get beat, too. Even if both guys could win, they have to come out with no injuries. The time's just too short, it's not gonna happen."

We also talked to Otto about the fight with AJ.

We also talked to Anthony ... who as you might've guessed, sees things a bit differently than Otto. Among the topics we discussed ... were the Wallin fight, the news of the Wilder bout leaking, and the recent success of the UK UFC fighters.

Like AJ, Wilder has his hands full, too, with 6'4" Parker, who is 33-3 (23 KOs) as a pro. Deontay, 43-2-1 (42 KOs), last fought in October 2022 when he dispatched of Robert Helenius inside 1 round.

Wilder and Joshua is a fight that fans have wanted for years ... and Wallin, a normally friendly guy, is in this case looking to spoil the party!

Larry Merchant, one of the most iconic boxing broadcasters of all time, was rushed to a hospital Thursday night and is in the critical care unit of a L.A. area hospital ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told an ambulance came to Larry's building at around 6 PM Thursday and rushed him to a nearby hospital. We're told he's in a critical care unit.

We do not know what triggered the emergency or his prognosis.

Larry has been a longtime HBO boxing commentator, working with Jim Lampley, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr., Harold Lederman and many others. He's been called "The greatest television boxing analyst of all time."

The 92-year-old also has acting chops, appearing in "I Spy," "The Fighter,' and "Rocky Balboa."

Larry retired from HBO in 2012, but he cast a long shadow and is still remembered for his broadcasting skills.

Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua is the biggest fight in boxing, period ... according to The Bronze Bomber, who says the two heavyweight stars are finally ready to deliver the fight fans have wanted for nearly a decade!

TMZ Sports talked to 38-year-old WIlder about the tentatively scheduled March 9 bout set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ... assuming Deontay and AJ can successfully navigate their fights this weekend against Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin, respectively.

"I'm looking forward to all this," Wilder told us. "It's a beautiful time for me."

Deontay then put the magnitude of the fight into perspective.

"Me and the Joshua talk has been something, like you said for a decade," adding ... "and that is the biggest fight in the world."

Despite the talk about AJ, Wilder (43-2, 42 KOs) knows he has to first handle Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) ... who's no average Joe. In fact, Joseph told us earlier this week that he plans on putting Deontay to sleep on Saturday.

"The only thing with words, you have to believe what you say," Wilder said in response to Parker's statement. "Now, Joseph can say what he wants but do he believe what he says?!"

"We know that when Deontay says things, he speaks it, he believes it, he receives it."

Deontay said it was a beautiful time for him ... and he's not lying. He has a ton of big things going on, including talk of a major crossover MMA/boxing event with Francis Ngannou ... something Deontay seems interested in.

"This is something I'm very serious about getting into and I wanna do," Wilder said.

Andre August is still feeling that knockout punch from a week ago, but Jake Paul is already moving on to his next boxing match -- he's entering the ring again in three months ... and "Euphoria" star Wanna Walton will be on the card, too!!

The Problem Child announced the huge event just minutes ago ... saying he will be the co-main event when Amanda Serrano faces off against Nina Meinke at El Coliseo De Puerto Rico on March 2.

Jake's opponent for the Most Valuable Promotions event has not been revealed just yet.

Paul posted on social media about the move ... saying, "Guess who’s back :) … Jake already? Yes, I’m on a mission... But this one is much bigger than me."

"This one is for the greatest Puerto Rican boxer ever, Amanda Serrano. This one is for the people of Puerto Rico, from the Choliseo to the world. This one is for all of boxing to see how powerful women are in this sport and for Wanna Walton to usher in his superstar boxing future in front of 20,000 people."

Of course, Jake -- who's now 8-1 in his pro boxing career -- just beat August in Florida on Dec. 15 ... whooping his ass in the first round with a right uppercut.

17-year-old Wanna -- famous for playing beloved character "Ashtray" on the HBO show -- has been boxing for the majority of his life ... and he recently joined Paul's MVP as he pursues a championship career.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I knew that I was gonna be valued, and a place that I knew that they were going to care about me a lot, and a place with a lot of talent," Wanna told TMZ Sports back in August. "Everyone over at MVP is very talented and they've all done such amazing things in their career."

Jake said he's super pumped for the whole event ... saying, "I can’t wait to fight in San Juan and show the world this beautiful island."

Logan Paul apareció en South Park y recibió las típicas bromas del show. El programa satírico acaba de ir a por la superestrella de la WWE y su empresa de bebidas en su nuevo especial.

"South Park: No apto para niños" se estrenó en Paramount+ el miércoles y uno de sus muchos objetivos resultó ser el YouTuber convertido en empresario.

En un clip del programa, el personaje Clyde Donovan se sienta frente a un computador mientras observa a un influencer llamado Logan LeDouche (que se parece mucho a Paul) promocionando su marca de bebidas, "Cred" (que comparte la misma apariencia que las botellas de Prime Hydration).

"Lo más importante es ser uno mismo", dice LeDouche en la escena. "Cuando siento que no puedo ser yo mismo, es cuando necesito una bebida hidratante que me levante, ¡es cuando necesito a Cred!".

La parodia incluso se burla de la exagerada campaña de marketing de Logan para la compañía, que incluía saltar de un avión mientras se bebía una botella de Prime.

"¡Bebe Cred, o eres un pedazo de mierda!"

La escena también se burla de la controvertida bebida energética de la compañía, que fue escudriñada por el senador Chuck Schumer, quien dijo que podría ser perjudicial para la base de fans principalmente joven de Logan, a pesar de que sus latas indican específicamente que es para mayores de 18 años.

"¡Bebe Cred en tu colegio hoy! No apto para niños", dice el narrador del video.

Logan parece estar de acuerdo con todo esto, porque recientemente compartió el clip en sus cuentas de redes sociales

Logan Paul went down to South Park and got his ass roasted ... 'cause the satirical show just went after the WWE Superstar and his Prime drink company in its newest special.

"South Park: Not Suitable for Children" just dropped on Paramount+ on Wednesday ... and one of its many targets just so happened to be the YouTuber-turned-entrepreneur.

In a clip of the show, character Clyde Donovan sits in front of a computer as he watches an influencer named Logan LeDouche (who looks very similar to Paul) hawk his drink brand, "Cred" (which shares the same appearance to Prime Hydration bottles).

"The most important thing is just to be yourself," LeDouche says in the scene. "When I feel like I can't be myself, that's when I need a hydration drink that'll pick me up -- that's when I need Cred!!"

The spoof even mocks Logan's over-the-top marketing campaign for the company ... which included jumping out of a plane as he drank a bottle of Prime.

"Drink Cred, or you're a piece of s***!!"

The scene also pokes fun at the company's controversial energy drink ... which was scrutinized by Senator Chuck Schumer, who said it could be harmful to Logan's primarily young fanbase -- even though its cans specifically state it's for people ages 18 and up.

"Drink Cred at your school today!! Not intended for children," the narrator in the clip says.

Logan seems to be okay with it all ... 'cause he recently shared the clip on his social media accounts

Who needs Santa Claus when you're Ryan Garcia?!

The 25-year-old boxing star just treated himself to two early Christmas gifts weeks after his knockout win ... a brand-new Cadillac truck and an Audi R8!

The super lightweight flexed his new rides Tuesday on Instagram ... a matte black Caddy that he copped from Audi Fletcher Jones in Costa Mesa, CA, about an hour outside Los Angeles.

"Fully armored Cadillac," Garcia said. "Grenade resistant."

Ryan also took home a dark grey Audi R8 two-seater sports car, something Garcia has badly wanted for a long time.

The 24-1 boxer has every right to spoil himself this holiday season, and it's well deserved ... RG bounced back after his first loss ever which came at the hands of Gervonta 'Tank' Davis in April, one of the biggest fights of this year. Ryan returned and knocked out Oscar Duarte Jurado in the 8th round earlier this month at the Toyota Center in Houston.

"A lot of hard work and commitment has been put in and it’s paying off," Garcia said on IG. "To be clear not just in a materialistic way but it’s just one example of you reaping what you sow."

"Thank you, God for providing strength in everything I do and allowing me the opportunity to work hard Love you with all my heart ❤️"

Dmitry Bivol -- one of the biggest names in boxing -- is giving Jake Paul his flowers ... telling TMZ Sports the internet star's fighting career is impressing the hell out of him.

"To be honest," Bivol told us just days after Paul scored a violent knockout win over Andre August, "I like that the guy who's not boxer, he really loves the sport."

"We see he's training hard. I respect him for this."

Of course, when Paul first got into the boxing biz, many saw it as a gimmick -- as he was fighting social media personalities and former professional athletes. In fact, Canelo Alvarez said back in 2020 that Jake and his brother, Logan, were displaying a "lack of respect" for the fight game with their choices of matchups (an opinion he later changed his tune on).

But, Bivol made it clear to us he's loving what he's seeing from Jake -- saying the 26-year-old is taking all the right steps when it comes to being a real-deal pugilist.

"He's going and doing his fighting," said Bivol, who beat Canelo back in May 2022. "He's not just like, 'I will beat everyone' and think like this."

Paul is currently 8-1 in his career with five knockouts -- and he's made such an impact on the sport through his nine fights so far, Team USA boxing just partnered with him so he can help promote Olympic fighters as they get ready for the Paris Games in 2024.

As for Bivol's own boxing career -- he's got a big tilt coming up this weekend against Lyndon Arthur on DAZN's Day of Reckoning card ... but, if he gets by that matchup, don't expect him to get in between the ropes with Paul anytime soon.