Fights & Feuds

Frank Ocean's Coachella performance didn't put a bad taste in Rolly Romero's mouth ... 'cause the boxer will be showing love for the singer during his fight against Ismael Barroso on Saturday!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the lightweight fighter is a huge Ocean fan, so he hit up his go-to guy, Aztek Kustoms, to create boxing shoes featuring the Simpsons-inspired cover art of his favorite song -- "Pyramids."

The finished product is dope ... you can see the Nike Machomai 2 shoes are covered in orange paint with "Channel" stitched with rhinestones on the back -- paying homage to Ocean's Channel Orange album.

There's also a portrait of the 14-1 boxer in "Simpson" form with a female on the bed -- just like the song's cover -- showing him rockin' the same fur coat he wore during his press conference with Gervonta Davis last May.

"These took me roughly 20 hours," Aztek said. "Both of the portraits are hand-painted. And, of course, they wouldn't be Rolly's without the rhinestones."

FYI, Aztek has created custom shoes featuring musicians for Rolly before -- last May, he made "Purple Rain" shoes with Prince on them for the Davis fight.

"These are both mine and his favorite pair so far," Aztek said. "Just because we had a lot more time to actually talk about the design and put more detail into them."

Aztek said the shoes were delivered a few days ago, but he's stoked to watch Rolly show off his design during the 12-round match at The Cosmopolitan for the vacant WBA super lightweight title.

"Stylistically, I don't believe [D-Rod] is my toughest opponent."

That's 25-year-old, undefeated UFC star Ian Garry ... on the eve of his first fight with a ranked fighter, 15th ranked welterweight, Daniel Rodriguez.

And, while he may be the first guy with a little number next to his name, Garry straight-up says Daniel isn't the best he's faced.

"I don't believe he poses as much threat as a lot of people have. He's a very one-dimensional, standard fighter. He's a Southpaw boxer in MMA. Doesn't throw a lot of kicks. Doesn't go for takedowns. Doesn't go for submissions," Ian told us.

"So, I find that as an easy opponent. Whereas there are some guys who are a bit more wrestling based, have heavy hands, and like to kind of bang to get into a takedown, and I would find them a bit more difficult."

Garry is currently unranked ... but believes he will take Rodriguez's spot with a win, and that'd mean the world to him.

"I'm f****** excited to get ranked No.15 in the world. When you knock No.15 out, take No.15. I like that it's No.15. There's something symbolic about being in the top 15," Ian said of being regarded as one of the best 170 lb. fighters in the world.

And, when he steps in the Octagon on Saturday afternoon, Garry's going to be doing it on network television.

Floyd Mayweather is returning to the boxing ring in 30 days, and when he does, there will be a few hundred special guests in attendance ... and we're not talking about the celebs that typically fill the stands when TBE fights!

They'll be there, too (more on that later) ... but even better, we're told Floyd wanted to do something nice, so he linked up with two of his business partners/friends, and they're bringing kids from the inner city to the fight.

"I have teamed up with Robert Smith and Deon Taylor with a charitable initiative attached to my upcoming fight. We are going to be hosting several hundred underprivileged kids from the inner city to come to my fight and we will have a day of fun with them and a private dinner with them during the fight week," Mayweather tells us.

FYI, Smith, a billionaire, has donated many millions of dollars to different causes, including civil rights, over the years.

Everyone else will have to pay for tickets, which went on sale yesterday and have been selling fast, according to our sources.

The June 11 scrap between Floyd and John Gotti III, the grandson of legendary mobster John Gotti, is different than a typical Mayweather fight ... it's also a top-notch concert, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Lunay and others.

We recently spoke to Lunay ... and asked him about being part of the big event.

We're told Ozuna, a longtime supporter of Money, AND Bad Bunny will also be in the building.

"I’m happy to come and support my brother Floyd Mayweather. We have been friends for many years. He is the G.O.A.T.," Ozuna tells TMZ Sports.

As for other celebs who will be in the house, we're told a bunch of star athletes will also be in the building.

Kendrick Perkins and JJ Redick don't always see eye to eye when debating sports, but the NBA champ tells TMZ Sports he loves the idea of the former three-point sniper becoming an NBA head coach -- saying, "He knows his s***."

We caught up with Perkins at LAX, where we asked how he felt about the Raptors reportedly interviewing Redick for the open spot after they fired Nick Nurse following a disappointing season, and he gave his ESPN colleague a ringing endorsement.

"I actually love it, to be honest with you," Perkins told us. "One thing about it, he [Redick] knows his s***. Also, on top of that, man, any time you can see a former player that played the game get an opportunity to go sit in that seat, you would love to see it."

Perk said if Toronto hires Redick ahead of other viable candidates with more coaching experience, he would feel bad. Nevertheless, Perk told us he'd be happy if Redick became an NBA head coach, believing he brings value to any team's locker room.

"Obviously, he's jumping ahead of a few guys that I would love to see get an opportunity that's been waiting in line," Perk said. "Sam Cassell. Phil Handy. You hate to see it because those guys served as assistants for about 10, 15, 20 years."

"But you always want to see a guy like JJ do it. He knows his s***," he continued.

Perkins and Redick have gained popularity for their spirited back-and-forth on "First Take" about who should win the NBA MVP Award this season, but Kendrick reassured fans it's all love between him and JJ and gave the impression there's mutual respect on both sides.

Jake Paul doesn't step in the boxing ring for another three months, but he's already got his sights set on his next opponent after Nate Diaz ... and it's none other than Conor McGregor!!

The Problem Child -- who's fighting Diaz on Aug. 5 in Dallas -- laid out his plans to Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 ... saying he fully intends to knock Diaz out (something Conor never did), and then lock in a fight with Notorious.

Of course, Nate and Conor have one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history ... and with their series tied up at one win a piece, Diaz wants to take care of business against Jake and then revisit his old nemesis one last time.

But, Jake says he's going to spoil Nate's plans of a trilogy fight by jumping him in line for a shot at Conor ... and he thinks McGregor will have "no choice but to make the biggest fight in combat sports."

Paul -- 6-1 as a pro boxer -- understands Conor would need permission from UFC honcho Dana White to make the fight happen ... but he seems optimistic that the money would do enough talking to get him to agree.

Remember, Jake has gone after a fight with McGregor a few times in the past ... trolling the UFC superstar nearly every chance he's gotten over the years. McGregor has fired back from time to time too -- but they haven't been able to mix it up in a ring.

If a fight does eventually go down, Jake says he's hopeful it'd be a boxing match ... but he told us he ain't opposed to MMA either.

"We can do a two-part series," the 24-year-old said. "One boxing, one MMA in PFL. Make it happen, no problem."

What do you say, Conor???

WAP meets WWE??

The crossover of the ages could happen if WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get their wish ... 'cause the Women's Tag Team Champions just revealed their dream wrestling match is against Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion!!

Morgan and Raquel were in Puerto Rico for Backlash when they laid down the gauntlet to Cardi and Meg while speaking to WrestlingNews, officially putting the award-winning MCs on notice.

Liv was asked which two celebrities she and Raquel would love to go toe to toe with in the squared circle ... and she answered without hesitation, "We’re talking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. We want them."

Rodriguez added, "They’ve had a little interaction with some of our other Superstars. They’re always interacting on Twitter, so I think they would be more than willing to come and have a little fun with Liv and I."

On the surface, it seems like an unfair fight if we're talking inside the ring. After all, Morgan and Rodriguez are on top of their game after defeating Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and "The Man" Becky Lynch for the Women's Tag Team Championship.

But, Morgan told the outlet she and Rodriguez aren't trying to disrespect the two "WAP" artists by challenging them to a match ... and said how much they adore Cardi and Meg.

“I’m sure they are both highly athletic, so this is our official call out, but we love you guys," Morgan said. "It’s not in a mean way. We love you.”

Belal Muhammad doesn't plan on waiting for Leon Edwards and Colby Covington to fight ... the UFC star, coming off a decisive win over Gilbert Burns, tells us he wants to jump "Chaos" and scrap with "Rocky," and he knows precisely when and where.

UFC 294, October 21, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. UAE.

"I’m still hoping and praying that since Leon wants to fight in Abu Dhabi and he wants to fight in October that they’ll just let me fight him because that makes the most sense in the world," Belal told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"There’s not a bigger fight they can make in Abu Dhabi than me fighting for the belt in Abu Dhabi."

Dana White previously said Colby would get the next title shot. Assuming the UFC prez sticks with his original plan, we asked Belal if he's been told he has next.

"Yeah, for sure," Muhammad said, continuing ... "I saw Dana in the back. He said, ‘Yup, you got it, man. You earned it. You got your spot now.’ When you hear it from the boss’ mouth that’s all I need to hear. That’s like freakin' -- the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You’re like, ‘Uh, got it, finally.’"

Of course, 34-year-old Muhammad beat Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 288 ... and is now the 3rd ranked welterweight, behind the champ, Edwards, former champ Kamaru Usman (#1), and the aforementioned Covington (#2).

FYI, Belal's resume is about as strong as it gets. He's won 9 fights in a row and hasn't lost since January 2019 (Geoff Neal). Over the course of the win streak, Muhammad has beaten the likes of Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, and Vicente Luque, amongst others.

Muhammad already fought Edwards in 2021 ... but the fight was stopped near the start of the 2nd round after an inadvertent eye poke forced Belal out of the fight. The bout was ruled a "no contest."

Belal believes he's done more than enough to run things back with Leon ... who is coming off a victory over Usman, the welterweight G.O.A.T.

"I’ve done everything I can do. I have five ranked wins. What else is there to do? There’s nothing else."

Check out the clip ... there's much more with the UFC star, from his breakdown of the fight with Burns to his plans to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov later this month.

Nate Diaz clearly ain't sweatin' his criminal case down in Louisiana ... the former UFC star actually had a laugh about it all with Jake Paul on Tuesday.

Paul was the one who brought up the choke-out incident to Diaz during a news conference to hype up their August boxing match ... wondering if the MMA fighter thought he was scrapping with his brother, Logan Paul, when he choked out a guy on Bourbon St. during an April 22 melee.

Diaz smiled and then pretended to truly believe it was Logan who he put to sleep on the popular New Orleans roadway.

"You're going to act like that wasn't Logan?" Nate said with a grin. "Come on, man!"

"You thought it was Logan?" Jake asked again ... before Diaz responded with a giggle, "It is Logan, what are you talking about?"

Of course, the case shouldn't be much of a laughing matter for Diaz ... officials have charged him with second-degree battery after they allege he caused the man to suffer a head wound during the incident. Diaz is now facing time behind bars if ultimately convicted.

Diaz, though, did get serious about it all for at least a few seconds during the presser ... appearing to say he took it easy on the guy by choking him instead of throwing hands.

"You don't want to just hit people out there," Nate said. "That's f****** dangerous. You know what I'm saying? Give him a little nap."

Diaz didn't elaborate on it all further ... but he's been adamant since the incident went down that he did nothing wrong -- and was simply acting in self-defense.

Prince Harry was in a real hurry to get out of town after the Coronation ... because he didn't hobnob once with senior members of the Royal Family.

According to multiple reports, Harry went to Buckingham Palace after King Charles and Queen Camilla were anointed Saturday at Westminster Abbey.

But, the Duke of Sussex stayed at The Palace for less than 30 minutes to take a breather from the public frenzy his presence had whipped up, The Daily Mail reports.

While he was there, Harry never interacted with high-level Royals, because he was anxious to get back to the States to be with his wife and child, sources told The Telegraph. At the same time, The Royals were busy with the Coronation procession, providing them cover NOT to meet with Harry.

Harry was also MIA from the Royal Family's official Coronation portrait and Sunday's Coronation Concert headlined by Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

What's more, Harry was treated like a second-class Royal at the Coronation. He was seated in the third row during the two-hour ceremony, while his brother, Prince William, and wife, Kate Middleton, were front and center.

Harry seemed rather uncomfortable throughout the event as photographs emerged of him shooting awkward smiles.

Upon leaving The Palace, Harry jumped into a car and hightailed it to Heathrow Airport, where he caught a flight back to the US to celebrate his son Prince Archie's fourth birthday.

Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri have officially buried the hatchet, after going over a year without speaking.

The playful reunion took place over the weekend in Vegas at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival and on Monday, Bow Weezy told the world he began following his So So Def Records mentor once again!!!

Bow gave JD a playful shove as their respective entourages teased them about the PDA, giving the longtime fans who hated seeing them apart a sigh of relief at the same time.

Neither artist pinpointed a clear reason for their deflection other than the need for Bow to "be his own man" ... but things were sour for a while. Most notably, Bow claimed Snoop deserved the most credit for his career ... a swipe that fans didn't believe and even the D-O-GG himself didn't cop to it!!!

Francia Raisa says she's been on the receiving end of some serious bullying since speaking out on her broken relationship with Selena Gomez after donating her kidney to the singer.

We got the "How I Met Your Father" star out in Studio City Saturday who shared some of the vile comments she's gotten in the wake of her interview where she dodged questions about Selena ... yet sort of threw shade at the same time.

Francia says things have gotten so bad, she's now suffering mentally. She tells us one of the most hurtful comments she's gotten was, "I hope someone goes up your p***y and rips out your other kidney you f***ing whore." So yeah, things have gotten pretty intense.

The two former childhood actors go way back, getting super close through the years ... Francia donated her kidney to Selena in 2017 after hers failed due to her battle with lupus.

Things went south when SG later told an interviewer the only person she was close to in Hollywood was Taylor Swift. Of course, this didn't sit right with FR who unfollowed Selena and the two haven't gotten on the same page since.

Francia says getting bullied by Selena's fan base doesn't make any sense ... especially since Selena's been a huge advocate against this kind of behavior.

Usher took the stage Saturday night at the "Lovers & Friends" music festival, after a physical confrontation with Chris Brown Friday night that left him bleeding.

Here's the thing ... Chris performed right before Usher, and never made reference to the fight.

As we reported, the confrontation went down at a roller rink party, after Usher and Chris got into a heated confrontation that turned physical. TMZ obtained video of the lead up to the fight.

Thing is ... Usher and Chris were super close, and the party was to celebrate Chris's 34th birthday with lots of celebs on hand.

As we reported, the fight was over Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, which as 86'd at the last minute. As for what led up to the fight ... Teyana Taylor, who was at the party, was being confronted by Chris because he blames her for his canceled MJ tribute.

Chris demanded that Usher show her the door, and things escalated quickly.

Grammy-winner Robert Glasper is thankful for Chris Brown's temper tantrum about this year's Grammy ceremony ... mainly because the controversy helped line his pockets!!!

We caught up with Rob at LAX, where he told us he's still raking in the residuals from his "Black Radio III" album.

If you remember, the project took home the "Best R&B Album" Grammy in February -- and Chris cast a bigger spotlight on Robert's win with a sore loser reaction ... asking his 130 million+ followers "Who The F*CK is Robert Glasper?"

Rob eventually got an apology from Chris, but even better than that -- he sold the negative question on t-shirts, which he says earned him enough to buy a really nice car.

Our only question now is ... are we talking a Bentley or a very brand-new Buick?!!

He also says Chris' viral outburst scored him around 20,000 new followers and several musicians flooded his DMs hoping to collaborate.

Hurricane Chris recently claimed the late Pimp C threatened him and his crew with deadly force -- but the UGK rapper's widow is saying the only thing he planned on killing was a track!!!

On Friday, Chinara Butler got wind of the Lousiana rapper recalling Pimp C getting the boot from his star-studded 2007 "Ay Bay Bay (Remix)" ... and getting an earful about it afterward.

Chinara says she remembers the moment vividly, as she was the one who intercepted the email, and burned the instrumental on a CD for Pimp to drop his vocals.

According to Chinara's memory bank, Pimp C took about 2 days to submit a fire azz verse ... but was told it was sent too late to make the cut.

In true Pimp C fashion, Chinara says he grew enraged and floated the idea of doing a remix titled "A-K-K" ... as in the assault rifle, and "kill all his competition!!!" The finalized track featured E-40, The Game, Boosie Badazz, Jadakiss, Birdman and Angie Locc. Pimp clearly missed out on a banger!!!

HC remembers things a bit differently, claiming Pimp C angrily called his phone with detailed knowledge of his location.

Former OVO Sound artist iLoveMakonnen says he knew his days on Drake's label were numbered when the Canadian rapper allegedly started making snide comments.

Makonnen made the shocking accusations on NPR's recently shuttered "Louder Than A Riot" while discussing his rise and fall in music ... claiming Drake once quipped he was an "Eric Benet-ass-looking-n****" right before they performed together at the 2015 Wireless Festival.

Makonnen says he and Drake shared a dwindling bond prior to that moment. The Canadian megastar helped catapult Makonnen to nationwide success in 2014 via the "Tuesday (Remix)" ... which earned Makonnen his first platinum plaque, and his signing with OVO for a single deal.

But, Makonnen says Drake started treating him differently when he began showing signs of weight loss ... hence the Eric Benet crack, and he claims the label stopped promoting his EPs.

And, to make things worse, fans were literally digging up his old tweets dissing Drake!!! Whoops.

Makonnen says his relationship with Drake imploded for good at Rihanna's VMA after-party in 2016 when he attempted to reconnect, but he claims Drake met him with a facial expression that meant him bodily harm ... and he knew it was time to bounce from the label.

Makonnen came out as gay in January 2017, and believes that decision caused the dissolution of many of his working relationships, and much of his inner circle in Atlanta, too.

R&B emeritus Ye Ali doesn't give a damn how much Nick Cannon has to shell out for his kids -- he wants his money, pronto, for an uncleared Chris Brown song he claims Nick swindled from him!!!

Nick was pleasantly enjoying his Thursday on Twitter, joking about impregnating the entire world, when Ye intercepted his message with fiery rebuttals ... making fans aware of his issues with the "Wild 'N Out" creator.

Back in 2021, Nick released his movie "She Ball" ... which featured a snippet of the unreleased CB track "Drive." Ye says he had a hand in creating the song originally cut for a Breezy studio album, and he claims RCA never gave Nick permission to soundtrack it.

According to Ye, Nick's lawyers have been stalling him out, so he felt it was time to take matters public. Nick has yet to respond ... probably because he's busy filling in for Jamie Foxx on his Beat Shazaam TV series.

We reached out to Ye to see if he plans on following through with a lawsuit. No word back -- he's plenty busy stepping on Nick's Twitter neck!!!