Boxing

Pro Bowl defensive end today ... UFC heavyweight champ down the road?!?

Maxx Crosby sure seems to think that's possible ... telling TMZ Sports he could see himself stepping into Dana White's Octagon at some point in the future.

Crosby, of course, is fully dedicated to his NFL career at the moment ... but he says he trains to be a beast on Sundays with daily boxing exercises -- and it's clear, it all could lead to a professional tilt later on.

An exotic dancer who says she worked at Floyd Mayweather's gentleman's club in Las Vegas is now suing the former boxing superstar ... claiming he slapped her in the face during a dispute at the venue.

But Mayweather -- through his rep, Felton Newell -- told The Athletic this week he "vehemently denies the allegations."

The dancer, Jasmine Woodward, filed the lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada on Monday ... alleging the violent incident with Mayweather happened at his Girl Collection strip joint on April 23, 2023.

Mike Tyson clearly hasn't missed a step after his medical emergency a few months back -- the boxing legend just shared footage from his latest workout ... and his punches look as violent as ever!!

Iron Mike is 42 days from entering the ring against Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium ... and as Nov. 15 approaches, he put to rest any concerns about his health by posting a brief clip of his training -- featuring a number of combos that should send shivers down the Problem Child's spine.

"Final stretch," the 58-year-old pugilist said Thursday. "Less than 50 days left."

Terence Crawford is confirming he was, in fact, offered a two-fight deal with UFC superstar Conor McGregor ... but the boxing champ ultimately turned the offer down -- 'cause there was no chance in hell he was about to step in the Octagon.

McGregor previously claimed the two combat greats were positioned to make "hundreds of millions" in an epic boxing/MMA showdown ... an ordeal that was pitched by the chairman of Saudia Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

In an interview with Bernie Tha Boxer, Bud said the whole thing was legitimately on the table ... but he was the one to decline the lucrative possibility.

Pro boxer Mylik Birdsong -- a 15-1-1 pugilist who was slated to step in the ring as part of a UFC Fight Pass card in just a few weeks -- was killed on Sunday ... during a shooting in Los Angeles.

The LAPD says the incident took place at around 4:50 PM near Watts -- just a few miles south of downtown -- when several men inside of a dark-colored SUV drove up on the fighter and opened fire.

Cops say as Birdsong attempted to flee -- two men got out of the car, chased him down, and shot at him further.

Devin Haney's clearly still not over how his superfight with Ryan Garcia went down earlier this year ... as TMZ Sports has confirmed he's now suing the star boxer over it all.

The 25-year-old pugilist filed the lawsuit against his nemesis in New York on Friday ... alleging Garcia committed battery and fraud in the leadup to -- and during -- their big April 20 tilt at Barclays Center.

You'll recall, Garcia won the fight after knocking down Haney multiple times ... but the outcome was later ruled a no-contest after officials said Garcia had Ostarine in his system.

Anthony Joshua will fight again, despite losing by KO on Saturday ... with AJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn, telling us the plan is to chill for a bit, and then take a fight next year!

"I had a great chat with him yesterday, and he's like, 'Look, I feel great. Even after getting beat, I feel great,'" Hearn told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (full interview airs tonight on FS1).

Of course, 34-year-old Joshua was shocked by Daniel Dubois over the weekend, losing by 5th round knockout, despite being a heavy favorite in front of a packed house at Wembley.

Don King says his health's much better than Mike Tyson's suggesting ... claiming he's feeling fine and dandy after his 10-day stint in the hospital -- despite MT basically saying he's on death's door.

The legendary boxing promoter released a statement via his reps Saturday ... telling fans he's recovering and feeling fine -- and, he's got a lot of love for Mike Tyson.

It's a short, to-the-point statement ... but, clearly DK wants everyone to know his health issues aren't as bad as previously reported.

Ryan Garcia's been trollin' Devin Haney heavy for his alleged link to Diddy ... but the boxing star tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, it's no laughing matter.

Garcia -- who is currently suspended from boxing -- spoke with us in Los Angeles just a few days after Diddy was arrested in New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

The allegations center around alleged "Freak Off" parties ... and with photos showing Haney with Diddy in the past, Garcia has trolled Devin on social media.

Legendary boxing promoter Don King was hospitalized with health issues recently ... spending more than a week receiving treatment a local facility, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Mike Tyson -- who worked with King for nearly two decades -- first revealed the development during an interview with Cam'ron and Mase on the "It Is What It Is" podcast this week ... when he was asked about his current relationship with his former promoter.

"You know, Don is not doing well right now," the 58-year-old boxer said on Friday. "He's probably close to 100 years old, he's not doing well."

Terence Crawford ain't m.A.A.d after the UFC broadcast mistook him for Kendrick Lamar on Saturday ... telling TMZ Sports he laughed it all off -- 'cause he's convinced it was done on purpose!!

Bud went viral for his appearance at Noche UFC at the Sphere in Vegas ... when a lower third graphic misidentified him as the "Not Like Us" rapper.

Screengrabs of the goof made rounds on social media ... and it was pretty ironic, as K. Dot name-dropped the boxing superstar on his "euphoria" diss track directed at Drake earlier this year.

Edgar Berlanga plans on beating Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, and the boxing star already has his next move plotted out, telling TMZ Sports the winner should get Terence Crawford!

The 22-0 fighter will try to take Alvarez's super middleweight world titles (WBC, WBA, WBO) in one fell swoop when the pugilists meet in a 12-round bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend.

If Berlanga does win, it'll be a major upset. Sportsbooks have Edgar as the underdog, as you'd expect when facing someone with the pedigree of Alvarez, one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Alvarez has 61 victories, with 39 coming by way of knockout.

Rolando Romero seems to be planning on having one of the best performances of his career later Saturday against Manuel Jaimes ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the boxer's copped all kinds of cool custom gear for the battle.

We're told Romero (a.k.a. Rolly) was hooked up with some Bruce Lee and Kobe Bryant swag from his go-to guy Aztek Kustoms ... just ahead of his 10-round tilt with Jaimes (16-1) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Aztek hooked Rolly up with unreleased Nike Machomai 3s boxing shoes ... and made them look just like the Kobe 5 Protro Bruce Lees that Bryant originally released in 2010.

Ryan Garcia isn't letting his boxing suspension stop him from getting in the ring ... the star boxer tells TMZ Sports he's fighting in December!

The 24-1 boxer broke the news to us earlier this week ... months after the New York State Athletic Commission suspended him after testing positive for a banned substance in April, saying he'll soon be fighting again.

"You're gonna see me fight in December," Garcia told us. "It's gonna be a big fight. Stay tuned!"

Jorge Masvidal is ready to get back in a UFC Octagon ... telling TMZ Sports he's eyeing fights with none other than Leon Edwards and Michael Chandler -- and one of the two has already responded!!

Masvidal spoke about his impending return to Dana White's org this week after being away from it all since April 2023 -- and he told us he's itching to get back.

For now, no firm return date has been set ... but he said he's hoping to be on a card sometime either at the end of this year or the start of 2025.

"Hawk Tuah" girl's gonna be spittin' on that ... mic, thanks to Jake Paul ... the Problem Child's Betr company inked a deal with Haliey Welch, and she's launching a brand new podcast!

Talk Tuah will be a weekly show starring the 21-year-old viral sensation ... where Welch will "bring her signature blend of southern values and comedic flair to the show and will also continue to diversify her platform and voice as a regular contributor to the company’s always-on, character-driven social content."