Boxing

Don't count out Larry Merchant ... the legendary boxing announcer tells TMZ Sports he's on the mend after a bout with vertigo that put him in the hospital!

We broke the story ... 92-year-old Merchant was rushed to the emergency room just days before Christmas, and things appeared bleak for the former HBO Boxing commentator.

But, Larry himself tells us he's on the mend!

Merchant says he was diagnosed with vertigo, but after receiving treatment, he was sprung from the hospital after just a few days. He's now recovering at home, and he says he's doing well.

According to WebMD, "Vertigo is a sensation of feeling off balance. If you have these dizzy spells, you might feel like you are spinning or that the world around you is spinning."

Merchant says he "appreciated the outpouring" of support, and even joked it was like witnessing his funeral.

Merchant, who worked alongside fellow greats like Jim Lampley, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr., and Harold Lederman, laid down his microphone in 2012 ... and is widely regarded as one of the greatest commentators in the history of the sport.

Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannou once shared the Octagon (albeit for not very long), but that doesn't mean the MMA legend isn't impressed with The Predator's success in the boxing ring!

Cigano's thrilled for his former opponent ... and as a matter of fact, he wouldn't mind a rematch in the squared circle sometime down the road.

TMZ Sports talked to 39-year-old dos Santos earlier this week ahead of his fight with Alan Belcher (more on that soon) ... when we asked Junior about Francis' move to the boxing ring.

"I'm so happy for [Ngannou]," Junior told us, explaining ... "All the boxing guys are always talking, saying on the striking side we are not able to go there and put on a good performance against them."

Junior believes Francis proved the opposite against Tyson Fury ... MMA fighters can hang with the very best when it comes to striking with just hands.

"Francis Ngannou was fighting probably the biggest heavyweight in the history who never lost a fight," JDS explained, adding, "and he did what he did. I was there. That was so amazing to see that. And, it showed what kind of work we [MMA fighters] do."

Now, Francis has another massive challenge in front of him in the form of Anthony Joshua next month ... and Junior is clearly cautioning folks not to count him out.

FYI, JDS is well aware of what Francis can do. The two stars fought back in June 2019 ... but after a flurry of punches, the fight was stopped just 1:11 seconds into the first round, with Ngannou winning by TKO.

Junior wouldn't mind running things back!

"That would be amazing, too! I think actually that would be something very good, not just for me, but for him, as well."

For dos Santos, any fight with Ngannou would be down the line. First, he's got a big-time matchup with 39-year-old Belcher, who is coming off a decision win over Roy Nelson at Gamebred Fighting Championship 6, Jorge Masvidal's bare-knuckle MMA promotion.

Ryan Garcia clearly isn't skipping any workouts as he deals with his divorce ... 'cause the star boxer just showed off his shredded abs with some steamy pics following his split from his wife.

The 24-1 junior welterweight fighter shared the shirtless photos on Friday ... which feature the 25-year-old soaking up the sun on a balcony while only sporting a blue cap and black joggers.

Garcia used the attention-grabbing snaps to also share some non-relationship news ... saying, "Fight announcement coming real soon… 🥊."

An upcoming bout could explain why Garcia looks bulkier than usual (he's moved up from 135 to 140 lbs.) ... but fight aside, it comes at an interesting time, as Ryan's now single and ready to mingle.

As we previously reported, Garcia notified his fans that he and his wife, Andrea Celina, were ending their nuptials ... shortly after revealing the birth of their son, Henry Leo.

According to court docs, Garcia and Celina -- a fitness expert and social media influencer -- got married in January 2021 and separated last Christmas. Garcia's reason for their split was listed as "irreconcilable differences" in the docs.

Garcia also stated he is willing to pay spousal support for 17 1/2 months, which is equivalent to half the time they were married.

Garcia explained in his statement that the most important thing, however, is co-parenting.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. spent four nights in an L.A. jail after he was arrested for allegedly possessing two "ghost guns," but the former boxing champion was in high spirits when he was finally sprung Thursday night, before heading to rehab.

37-year-old Chavez Jr. was met with a crowd outside the detention center in Los Angeles ... where he was asked how he was doing following his arrest over the weekend.

"Good, good," Julio responded in Spanish.

Of course, TMZ Sports broke the story on Monday ... Chavez Jr., son of the legendary Chavez Sr., was arrested by LAPD for illegal weapons possession around 1:30 PM Sunday after cops responded to a call to Julio's home.

Our law enforcement sources tell us Chavez Jr. had two "ghost guns," untraceable firearms.

A reporter asked JCC Jr. about his time behind bars.

"Well, everyone is given what they deserve. But I'm well, thank God. I'm well and ready to defend myself," Julio responded, adding, "You guys here know I'm a good person. I'm good, everything's good. They treated me good [in jail] and I'm ready to move forward."

Shanna Moakler ain't sparing any of her exes ... blasting Oscar De La Hoya over how their relationship ended.

The former Miss USA claims she was blindsided after watching Oscar on TV attending the Latin Grammy Awards in L.A. with his now ex-wife Millie ... telling Bunnie XO's on her 'Dumb Blonde' Podcast he told her he was going to NYC for a work trip at the time.

She says a lawyer came to her Bel-Air mansion the next day ... ordering her to move out with their baby daughter, Atiana immediately.

Shanna adds Oscar told her he wasn't happy she sued him for child support when they met up IRL a month later ... warning if she sued him for palimony, he wouldn't see her or the baby until she was 16 cause he had more money than God.

Oscar was true to his word ... Shanna says he didn't see his daughter until she was around 16.

They dated for 3 years from 1997 -- even getting engaged in the process.

Meanwhile, Shanna dropped a further slew of relationship bombshells during the podcast.

She claimed that her ex, Travis Barker, was trolling her online when they were together and also slammed his new wife, Kourtney Kardashian's family ... again.

Shanna Moakler está acusando a Oscar De La Hoya por cómo terminó su relación.

La ex Miss EE.UU. afirma que fue sorprendida después de ver a Oscar en la televisión asistiendo a los Grammy Latinos en Los Ángeles con su ahora ex esposa Millie, comentandole a Bunnie XO's en su pódcast "Dumb Blonde", que él le había dicho que iba a Nueva York por un viaje de trabajo en ese entonces.

Ella dice que un abogado llegó a su mansión en Bel-Air al día siguiente, ordenándole que se mude con su hija —Atiana— inmediatamente.

Shanna añade que Oscar le dijo que estaba bastante molesto con la demanda por manutención que le hizo ella cuando se reunieron un mes más tarde ... advirtiéndole que si ella le demandaba por pensión alimenticia, él no la vería ni al bebé hasta que tuviera 16 años porque tenía más dinero que nadie en la tierra.

Oscar fue fiel a su palabra, Shanna dice que no vio a su hija hasta que ella tenía alrededor de 16 años.

Salieron durante tres años a partir de 1997, incluso se comprometieron en el proceso.

Mientras tanto, Shanna dejó caer otra serie de polémicas de su relación durante el podcast.

Afirmó que su ex, Travis Barker, la troleo en línea cuando estaban juntos y también criticó a la familia de su nueva esposa—Kourteney Kardashian— otra vez.

Vivek Ramaswamy espera que Jake Paul pueda darle un golpe decisivo en la campaña electoral, por eso se están uniendo para una etapa crucial en su búsqueda de la nominación del GOP.

La temporada de primarias presidenciales comienza el próximo lunes en Iowa… y Jake y Vivek estarán lado a lado el domingo mientras recorren el estado, instando a los jóvenes de la generación Z a salir y votar.

La portavoz de Vivek, Tricia McLaughlin, le cuenta a TMZ… “Estamos muy emocionados de que Jake se una a la campaña y esperamos que pueda motivar a los jóvenes”.

Continúa diciendo que, aunque Vivek está viendo mucho entusiasmo entre los jóvenes votantes, la popularidad de Jake y su capacidad para atraer a una multitud será un gran activo en la víspera de las asambleas de Iowa.

Nos comentan que el dúo viajará en el avión privado de Vivek a eventos en 4 de las universidades más grandes de Iowa, todo como parte del “Compromiso con la concentración.”

Tricia dice que Vivek habló con Jake sobre unirse a la campaña hace algunas semanas, cuando asistió a la pelea de Jake contra Andre August en Florida. Como informamos, Jake consiguió asientos de primera fila para Vivek.

No hay duda, Ramaswamy necesita un impulso importante. Las encuestas recientes muestran que está muy por debajo del 10 por ciento de los posibles votantes de las asambleas del GOP en Iowa… pero la campaña de Vivek insiste en que están llegando a un grupo de votantes que no se tiene en cuenta en esas encuestas.

Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping Jake Paul can deliver a knockout punch for him on the campaign trail ... which is why they're teaming up for a critical stretch in his bid for the GOP nomination.

The presidential primary season starts next Monday in Iowa ... and we're told Jake and Vivek will be side-by-side on Sunday as they travel around the state urging Gen-Zers to come out and vote.

Vivek's spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, tells TMZ ... "We're very excited Jake's joining on the campaign trail and we're hoping it can really drive out younger people."

She goes on to say that while Vivek is seeing a lot of enthusiasm from young voters, Jake's star power and ability to command a crowd is going to be a major asset on the eve of the Iowa caucus.

We're told the duo will travel in Vivek's private plane to events at 4 of the biggest universities in Iowa ... all as part of the "Commit to Caucus Rally."

Tricia says Vivek talked to Jake about joining the campaign trail a few weeks ago ... when he attended Jake's fight against Andre August in Florida. As we reported, Jake hooked up Vivek with ringside seats.

Make no mistake, Ramaswamy needs a big spark. Recent polls show he's well under 10 percent of likely Iowa GOP caucus voters ... but Vivek's campaign is adamant they're tapping into a group of voters that isn't accounted for in those polls.

¡Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury II puede estar en camino!

El Predator se unió a Babcock en el programa de televisión TMZ Sports (transmitido de lunes a viernes en FS1) el lunes, donde hablamos con la superestrella del boxeo y MMA sobre su ENORME y próximo choque con Anthony Joshua, de 34 años, el 8 de marzo, así como sus planes a futuro.

Por supuesto, Ngannou, de 37 años, tiene las manos ocupadas con AJ, uno de los atletas más físicamente imponentes en el mundo (al igual que Ngannou)… pero eso no significa que no sepa lo que quiere después de enfrentarse a Joshua.

Por el contrario, sí lo sabe… y no necesariamente es el ganador entre Tyson Fury y Oleksandr Usyk, quienes pelearán por los cinturones de peso pesado en febrero, semanas antes de que lo hagan Francis y Anthony.

“No estoy buscando al ganador de Tyson Fury. Estoy buscando a Tyson”, comentó el ex campeón de peso pesado de la UFC.

"Tyson me debe una pelea. Me importa una m*** el ganador de Usyk y Tyson. Voy tras Tyson. Voy por Tyson. Gane o pierda, quiero a Tyson".

Fury tiene un récord de 34-0 con 24 KO, y una de esas victorias fue contra Ngannou. Sin embargo, muchos en el mundo del boxeo creen que Tyson realmente perdió la pelea de octubre, que ganó oficialmente por decisión dividida.

Pero, primero lo primero, Ngannou-Joshua.

A pesar del éxito contra Tyson, Francis es un underdog bastante sustancial (arriesgar $100 para ganar $500), una línea de apuestas que afirma entender.

“Me enfrento a un ex campeón y a tipos que han estado en el juego durante mucho tiempo, ganando y demás”, dijo Ngannou.

“Creo que él tiene 30 y algo, yo soy cero y uno. Vamos, hombre. ¿Cómo me hacen favorito?” Vamos hombre. ¿Cómo me haces el favorito?”

“Él ya me ha visto boxear, así que sabe lo que le espera, a diferencia de Tyson Fury, que fue sorpresa, no sabía qué esperar”, dijo Ngannou.

Incluso con su inexperiencia en el boxeo, Ngannou espera que Joshua estudie su pelea con Fury y haga ajustes. Francis está decidido a demostrar que la pelea con Tyson no fue una casualidad.

“Esta vez necesito esforzarme aún más para hacer el trabajo.

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.