TMZ Sports - Page 50

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will make history Saturday night when they headline the first-ever female main event at Madison Square Garden ... but the fight's a lot more than the answer to a future trivia question -- Taylor tells us this fight could be remembered like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I.

... which also went down at the "world's most famous arena."

TMZ Sports talked to the 35-year-old undefeated champ (20-0, 6 KO's) ahead of her April 30th DAZN scrap with 33-year-old Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KO's) -- a fight that's hyped up women's boxing -- so we asked Katie if there would be a carry-over effect which would elevate the sport for years to come.

"I think so. I think the fight on Saturday night is going to absolutely be awe-inspiring for people. I feel like where our matchups are stylistically we match up very very well. I feel and it's going to make for a phenomenal fight and I think this fight is going to be talked about for years and years to come."

Taylor continued ... "I've even talked about every time you say 'Madison Square Garden' you think of the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. These kinds of fighters -- fights that we still talk about to this day. So I feel like the fight between myself and Amanda will be talked about for years and years to come as well. And absolutely think there will be follow-through, carry on with regards to the payday as well."

Sure, Ali-Frazier is one of the greatest rivalries -- not just in boxing, but sports in general -- so comparing any fight to the March 1971 matchup will be viewed as blasphemous.

But, that's not what Katie's saying. Her point is the fight -- pitting arguably the two greatest female boxers against one another -- is going to be incredible, and could change women's boxing in an array of ways ... including fan interest and pay.

Bottom line for Taylor ... "Biggest fight of my career and a moment in history and this is really stuff of dreams."

Trevor Bauer is now suing the San Diego woman who accused him of sexual assault ... with the MLB star claiming she made up allegations against him in order to ruin his baseball career and extract money from him.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in California on Monday. The docs show Bauer is suing both Lindsey Hill and one of her attorneys, Fred Thiagarajah, over what he claims are fabricated sexual assault allegations.

Bauer, as he's done repeatedly since Hill initially accused him in 2021, completely denied having non-consensual sex with the woman.

Bauer also, once again, denied ever choking Hill without her consent. He also denied ever punching or scratching her.

Bauer did acknowledge that the two had sex on two occasions -- one in April 2021 and one in May 2021 -- but he claimed over and over again in the suit that the actions during those encounters were consensual.

In his suit, Bauer claims despite consenting to "rough sex," Hill falsely filed a police report against him and accused him of sexual assault in order to sink his baseball career and to try to reach a financial settlement with him. Bauer also claims in the suit that Thiagarajah helped her perpetuate the false allegations.

He also says the two photographs of Hill's alleged injuries were altered and filtered to make them look worse than they were.

In the lawsuit, Bauer said he was filing the action in order to "expose and seek redress for the false and malicious statements and related conduct of Ms. Hill and Mr. Thiagarajah."

He's suing for damages.

As we reported, several months after Hill made her allegations against Bauer ... prosecutors declined to charge the L.A. Dodgers pitcher, saying in a statement, "the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt."

Matthew Stafford's wife just shared some sad news ... their beloved dog, Marley, passed away on Monday -- and the family is completely devastated.

The L.A. Rams quarterback and his wife got Marley right when Stafford was drafted into the NFL ... and Kelly says she "immediately filled Matthew’s side of the bed."

"I woke up this morning without a face in front of me that I’ve been used to waking up to for the past 13 years," Kelly said.

Kelly noted Marley was their "first baby" before the married couple had four daughters together -- in fact, Marley helped announce one of those pregnancies by holding a sign "Mom's pregnant" back in 2016.

"I know it shouldn’t be a surprise, but I still can’t believe she is gone," Kelly said, "I’m devastated and this house just doesn’t feel as full as it once did."

Stafford also shared a 3-minute tribute video of Marley with the song "The Sun Is Rising" by Britt Nicole playing in the background.

"This song is what I feel like what Marley has said every time I was hurting and crying on her," Stafford said.

"I feel like she’s looking over me saying the same. Miss you sweet girl."

Antonio Brown just dropped his newest album, but he's already thinking about the next one -- the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout just revealed he only wants athletes featured on his follow-up project.

Brown -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady in 2021 -- joined "TMZ Live" to discuss the success of his album "Paradigm" ... as well as what he's envisioning moving forward.

"The next album got to be with all athletes," Brown told Harvey and Charles. "We want to give every athlete a chance to be creative -- NBA, baseball, football players."

"We just want to give premier athletes the opportunity to express themselves, be themselves. I know a lot of players that do it on their own that may not put it out," Brown added.

AB's current album has features from some huge names in hip hop ... and the project has been doing well, with help from his friend, Kanye West.

Brown told TMZ Sports despite Ye not being featured on the album, Kanye had a significant hand in its production, with West overseeing everything and paying for a lot of studio time.

Of course, artists such as Fivio Foreign, DaBaby, Young Thug, and Keyshia Cole are all featured on the project ... but AB is eyeing names like Melvin Ingram, Shaquille O'Neal, Miles Bridges and Darren Waller next time.

Finally, AB admitted Shaq's success as an athlete and rapper helped motivate his side hustle ... and opened up about potentially working with him in the past.

"Absolutely, Shaq was the only athlete that made a successful album that actually went platinum," Brown said. "And he still was a great player."

"He changed the fact of athletes being one-dimensional."

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw got right up in a Yankee fan's face and told him to "hit me, motherf***er" in the middle of a game over the weekend ... an altercation that resulted in spectators chucking trash in his direction.

The incident went down during the Yankees' walk-off win over the Guardians on Saturday ... after home fans allegedly mocked Steven Kwan for diving head-first into the outfield wall.

Straw was visibly upset with one of the fans in the front row ... climbing up on the fence and jawing at him.

A new video shows what exactly Straw said during the exchange ... in which he yelled, "hit me, motherf***er" repeatedly.

Of course, fans went after Straw again on Sunday ... calling him a "crybaby" and "Peter Parker" in reference to his wall climb.

Straw went off on Yanks fans in the locker rooms after the game ... referring to them as "the worst fan base on the planet."

No word on whether Straw will face any punishment for the altercation -- but bad interactions with fans are usually a big no-no.

South Carolina Gamecocks superfan Darius Rucker gave "Wagon Wheel" an R-rated upgrade during a concert this week ... getting the whole crowd to chant "f*** Tennessee" in the middle of it -- and it's incredible.

The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman was part of the South Carolina women's basketball championship party on Sunday night ... and naturally, he had to put his passion for the 'Cocks on full display.

In fact, when it came time to do his hit song, Rucker switched up the lyrics that go "But he's a-headin' west from the Cumberland Gap To Johnson City, Tennessee" ... and instead, had the whole arena scream "f*** Tennessee at the top of their lungs to show hate for the Volunteers.

The moment is awesome ... and is quite the proper way to celebrate South Carolina's epic win over UConn earlier this month.

Nelly was also present for the free concert ... so the night was truly one to remember.

Of course, we've seen stuff like this happen in the past ... with Justin Bieber trolling fans in Montreal over his allegiance to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Devastating news ... Sarah Shulze, a track star for the University of Wisconsin, has died, officials confirmed to TMZ Sports.

She was only 21.

The director for the Dane County Medical Examiner's office in Wisconsin tells us Sarah's death was ruled a suicide.

The Wisconsin Badgers released a statement ... saying, "The Wisconsin Athletics community is heartbroken by the unexpected passing of Sarah Shulze, a junior with the Badger women's track and field and cross country teams."

"Sarah was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, teammate, and Badger student-athlete. We extend our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to Sarah's family, friends, and Badger teammates during this extraordinarily difficult time."

"Our primary focus is the support of the Shulze family and our student-athletes," they added.

According to NBC, Sarah's family released a statement in the aftermath of her death ... saying, "Sarah took her own life. Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of everyday life overwhelmed her in a single, desperate moment. Like you, we are shocked and grief stricken while holding on tightly to all that Sarah was."

They continued ... "Above all other things, Sarah was a power for good in the world. Her deep compassion was evident in her devotion to her sisters Abbey and Ella, the love her parents felt from her every single day, and the extra care she took in moments shared with her grandparents and cousins."

R.I.P.

Bodybuilder Shane Post was shot in the torso after getting into a dispute with a neighbor over a parking space outside his Dallas, TX townhome last Tuesday ... and the man who allegedly pulled the trigger is now behind bars.

Thankfully, Shane, whose colon, liver, and kidney were damaged, is recuperating in the hospital ... and even had the strength to talk to a local news outlet, Pittsburgh Action News, from his ICU room.

"The bullet is still in me," the bodybuilder said.

Shane, who is in stable condition, is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days at the very least.

The alleged shooter is a man named Nikki Brown. Police say he was still at the scene when they arrived following the shooting ... and was taken into custody. Brown was brought to Ellis County Jail, where he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon. He's since been released on bond.

As for why the shooting allegedly happened ... Shane's wife, Irina Post, says the man became angry when Shane's friend apparently pulled into his assigned parking spot while dropping off her husband.

Irina told the news outlet Mr. Brown -- who she says they've had a couple previous encounters with the neighbor -- came out in his robe with a loaded gun in his pocket.

Perhaps the worst part for the Post family ... Irina was standing outside with her and Shane's 3-month-old baby daughter when her hubby was shot.

Shane has been competing as a bodybuilder for years. He won the 2017 Mr. Pittsburgh competition.

Things got real between the L.A. Dodgers and San Diego Padres fans this weekend ... a bunch of brawls popped off at Petco Park, and the action was caught on video!

The series went down from Friday to Sunday ... and several fights broke out around the stadium. Men, women ... everyone partook in the fisticuffs.

In one of the more violent videos, you see two men wearing Padres attire goin' at it with two other guys rockin' L.A. gear -- as the men just tee off on each other.

Things took a scary turn at one point ... one of the guys seemingly slammed the back of his head on a metal bench.

Another showdown happened involving a big group of people ... and it was captured from two different angles.

Thankfully, stadium security eventually arrived and order was restored before the fight got any worse.

FYI, the Dodgers beat the Padres two out of three games ... and (thankfully) don't see each other again until 4th of July weekend.

Niners fans are going to HATE this -- Deebo Samuel shut down the idea of staying in San Francisco while partying in the club this weekend ... making it very clear he wants to be traded.

The funny moment happened as Deebo was enjoying his night out ... with bottle girls bringing out a sign that read, "Deebo is staying #49ers."

The camera quickly pans to Deebo, who wanted to let everyone know that ain't the case ... making the "it's over" hand gesture with a big smile on his face.

Unclear whether Deebo was serious or just joking around ... but the image certainly triggered 49ers fans as the dynamic receiver's future with the team remains up in the air.

Last week, Samuel told the media he had asked the 49ers to trade him. However, Samuel reportedly didn't give a reason for requesting the trade.

Deebo is fresh off a breakout year -- the former second-round draft pick played in 16 of 17 games this past season, where he had 77 receptions, 1,405 receiving yards, and 6 receiving TDs.

Samuel was also a dual-threat ... seeing action in the Niners backfield, where he rushed for 365 yards on 59 attempts and found the endzone 8 times as a running back.

Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky had a self-proclaimed "American Bad Ass" at their wedding this weekend ... with none other than Kid Rock taking the stage to perform for the newlyweds.

DJ and the hockey legend's daughter tied the knot at a lavish event at Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee on Saturday ... and Paulina shared a short video of the reception, which featured the controversial singer.

"You are the joy of my life @djohnsonpga," Gretzky said on Instagram. "Thank you @kidrock."

Now, KR has a history of being unapologetically himself on the mic -- dropping homophobic slurs and going after Oprah Winfrey in the past.

His performance over the weekend seemed to be free of controversy ... as Rock sang a cover of Chris Stapleton's "Joy of My Life."

The musical act might not be as random as you think -- Rock is tight with DJ and Wayne ... and they've hit the links together over the years.

Pelicans fans were all over Suns' forward Jae Crowder last night ... starting an impromptu (and pretty damn loud) "F*** Jae Crowder" chant during the game.

The chant came in the second quarter of Game 4 between the Suns and Pelicans ... Crowder was called for a foul on Brandon Ingram, sending BI to the charity stripe for two free throws.

And, it was clear as day on the game broadcast ... "F*** Jae Crowder!" But, why the animosity?

Pels fans probably still have the visual of Crowder going after New Orleans' big man Jaxson Hayes on Friday after refs hit Hayes with a flagrant 2 foul and ejected him.

Hayes barreled into Crowder as if he were a linebacker blowing up a running back ... though, a WWE Superstar would've approved of how Crowder sold the hit.

Jae got off the floor and made a beeline in Hayes' direction before he was stopped by teammate Mikal Bridges.

Hayes was ultimately ejected after refs deemed the play was "unnecessary and excessive."

This is awesome.

Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguer Tyler Zombro was met with cheers throughout the stadium on Sunday ... when he took the mound for the first time since his terrifying head injury last June.

Remember, 27-year-old Zombro was hit by a line drive during a minor league game for the Triple-A Durham Bulls ... requiring 16 plates and 32 screws to be installed into his head.

After nearly a year of recovery, Zombro made his big comeback on Sunday ... throwing a scoreless inning against Norfolk.

A welcoming message was displayed on the scoreboard as Zombro took the mound ... and players and coaches from both teams stepped out of the dugout to give the pitcher a standing ovation.

Zombro spoke about his comeback after the game ... saying, "I think it all came kind of full circle there and definitely was a symbol of me 'completing the journey' to be back to performing in Triple-A," according to MLB.

"It stirred up emotions in terms of everything that my support system has done for me -- Rays front office, Durham staff, wife, family, friends, teammates, etc."

Forget Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp autographs ... here's one of the coolest pieces of Super Bowl LVI memorabilia you can own -- a ball signed by the Big Game's halftime show performers!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... a pigskin that Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak all signed following their epic show at the event in L.A. has just hit the block at Heritage Auctions.

And, according to experts, it could be a bargain for a potential buyer ... as it's expected to fetch just around $1,500!!

The ball is pretty sweet ... five of the artists that performed just before the Rams won the Lombardi Trophy back in February all put their signatures on it in bold, black ink.

The leather also features the Super Bowl LVI logo and other Wilson markings ... and comes with letters of authenticity.

Bidding is set to close on the auction in mid-May ... leaving plenty of time to scrounge up the cash for the piece of history.

Chicago Bears WR Byron Pringle was arrested Saturday in Florida after state troopers say they busted him doing donuts in his sports car on a suspended license, with a child in the car, TMZ Sports has learned.

And, cops say Pringle was uncooperative ... becoming "verbally confrontational" with them during the stop.

28-year-old Pringle -- an NFL vet out of Kansas State -- was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol in his Orange 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat around 6 PM in Pasco County, FL after an FHP officer says he witnessed the car burning rubber, doing donuts on a public road, according to an incident report we obtained.

FYI, the Hellcat has over 700 HP ... and has a top speed of around 200 MPH. The car starts at over $65K.

Troopers say Byron was the driver of the vehicle. The car had two passengers ... an adult male in the front passenger seat, and a male child in the back seat. We're told the kid was Pringle's.

When police ran Pringle's license, they say it came back suspended.

Byron was taken into custody at 6:15 PM ... when he was taken to the county jail. He was arrested for Reckless Driving and driving on a suspended license.

The Hellcat was towed to a local yard.

Pringle was undrafted out of college ... before signing with the KC Chiefs as a free agent. He won a Super Bowl (LIV) during the 2019 season. Over his 4 years in Kansas City, he caught 67 balls for 4 touchdowns.

Mike Tyson clearly doesn't have an issue with fans who respect his space ... take a look at a pic Mike snapped with a dude just minutes after pummeling another guy on an airplane.

Tyson is all smiles in the photo, obtained by TMZ, shot outside the gate of his JetBlue flight. We're told the pic was snapped just after Mike walked off the plane, which was of course where he unloaded his fists of fury on an "overly excited" fan's face.

Despite Mike's actions just moments before, the fan in our pic tells us he was super friendly and chill. The fan says he gave Mike the book, "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell -- because Tyson's such a businessman.

Funny enough, Mike was still holding the book when he touched down in Miami Thursday night.

The new photo could work to Mike's advantage, to show he's cool with fans who are cool with him. Tyson's team claimed the man on the plane, Melvin Townsend III, became overly aggressive and was harassing Mike and even tossed a water bottle at the champ, even before the plane left the gate.

As for Townsend, he's lawyered up, hiring Matt Morgan of Morgan & Morgan. Matt tells us things between the men were cool at first, but, "At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner. This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson."

We're told Townsend has not yet decided whether or not he will take legal action against Mike, but it sure sounds like that's where it's heading.