TMZ Sports - Page 50

Joey Chestnut's inner dog wasn't going to be deterred by a would-be human torpedo, who tried derailing his wiener gobbling mid-competition ... but failed, 'cause the guy won anyway.

The reigning Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champ successfully defended his title Monday in Coney Island, where year after year he comes back to devour dozens of dogs in a matter of 10 minutes. This year, he did it again ... downing 63 franks, far ahead of the competition.

But something nuts happened about midway through ... a dude in a Darth Vader mask made his way onstage and made contact with JC -- and the King didn't take too kindly to that!

Check it out ... rather than let security haul the poser away (which they eventually did), Joey took care of this punk himself -- putting the whipper-snapper in a headlock and yanking him around a bit, before getting back to stuffing his face. He didn't even think twice about it.

We got video of the aftermath ... namely, this poor sap being dragged away to be dealt with -- but it's insane that Joey still won the race even with this major interruption.

Ya gotta wonder if it actually affected the number of sausages he was ultimately able to inhale. While 63 is nothing to sneeze at -- and way more than anyone else got to -- it doesn't compare to his record 76 hot dogs from last year.

Maybe the dark side did actually get to Joey after all. Oh well ... congrats, man!

It's clear Canelo Alvarez doesn't like Gennady Golovkin ... 'cause the boxing star tells TMZ Sports GGG is a straight-up "a**hole" who talks too much -- and he's planning to KO the guy because of it.

"He's a f***ing a**hole," Canelo said of his upcoming September opponent. "He's not honest. He pretends to be a good person and be different but he's not."

Canelo says his opinion of Golovkin basically boils down to this -- he believes the 42-1-1 boxer is just flat-out two-faced.

"He talks a lot of s*** about me," Alvarez said. "He'll say, 'I respect him, his career.' And, other part, 'He's an embarrassing boxer, he's embarrassing for Mexican boxing.'"

"I hate that motherf***er because of that."

Earlier this week, GGG told us he knew Canelo felt that way about him ... but he believed it was because the 57-2-2 fighter can't handle his honesty.

The beef will all be settled on Sept. 17 in Las Vegas when the two square off for the third time in their careers ... and, according to Canelo, he'll get the last laugh.

"My goal is to end this fight before the 12 rounds," Canelo said.

After that, Canelo said he'd like a rematch with Dmitry Bivol -- the only boxer he's ever lost to outside of Floyd Mayweather.

"I'm 100% focused on this fight [with Golovkin] because it's a dangerous fight," Canelo said, "but 100% looking for a second fight with Bivol."

Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu was involved in a massive accident during the first lap of the British Grand Prix on Sunday -- flipping his car and skidding before tumbling over the tire barrier -- but miraculously, he escaped without serious injury.

The crash happened moments into the race  ... when Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly tried to squeeze between Zhou and Mercedes' George Russell ... making contact with Russel, who then bumped into Zhou.

Russell spun out as a result of the incident ... and as soon as a red flag was declared, he jumped out of his car and ran over to Zhou to see if he could help.

23-year-old Zhou -- F1's first Chinese driver -- was removed from his car and stretchered off the scene ... and received an immediate medical evaluation.

Zhou tweeted a positive update on his status shortly after ... thanking the car's halo protective barrier for saving his life.

Williams' Alex Albon was also in a multiple-car accident after Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel hit him from the back. Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine's Esteban Ocon were also involved, but were able to continue on in the race.

Albon was transferred to the medical center, but is okay. Ocon eventually had to retire his car due to a fuel pump issue.

The rest of the race was nothing short of exciting -- Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. finished P1 for the first time in his career ... with Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes rounding out the rest of the podium.

Tom Cruise was present for the race ... chatting up Hamilton after the checkered flag.

Joey Chestnut is the G.O.A.T. of eating food really fast, and he's ready to put another G.O.A.T. to the test ... telling TMZ Sports he would love to get in a head-to-head showdown with Tom Brady!!

We spoke with the 38-year-old tube steak titan ahead of his Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July ... and he said he takes inspiration from TB12's longevity and ability to compete in his 40s.

But, when Joey name-dropped Brady, we had to ask if the guy is willing to do a TB12 method-approved food showdown ... and since this is the food-eating king we're talking about, he naturally accepted the challenge.

Of course, avocado ice cream is one of TB12's favorite desserts -- and Chestnut has actually had some before ... although it sounds like he'd like to stay away from that food item at all costs.

"It's not the best," Chestnut said this week. "It's better than other weird ice creams like garlic ice cream."

Chestnut seems confident in whatever's put in front of him against Brady ... saying, "I don't know what he can out-eat me in."

"It would be awesome to eat against him in any food."

For now, Joey is focused on the glizzys at Coney Island ... and plans on beating his previous record of 76, if it's not too hot.

"If things go really bad, I'd be happy with 70 but if things are going really, really good, that 77 number looks very doable."

If Chestnut takes home first place, it will be his 15th championship and seventh consecutive win.

"Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King has been quietly dating a new man ... shortly after ending her two-month marriage to President Joe Biden's nephew.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ that Meghan has been dating co-founder and CEO of Trusted Provider Network, Trevor Colhoun since April. Trevor is also an heir to the John Deere tractor fortune.

Our sources tell us the pair met through mutual friends and have kept things hush-hush for the last several months. The two have not publicly confirmed they're dating.

The reality star called it quits with POTUS' nephew, Cuffe Biden Owens in December 2021 ... only 2 months after they said their "I Dos" in an intimate ceremony at Owens' family home in Pennsylvania. The President and First Lady Jill Biden attended the ceremony.

One of the greatest to ever grace the backfield is weighing in on two NFL running backs duking it out in the boxing ring ... and it's great news for Adrian Peterson.

Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson spoke with TMZ Sports about the massive Social Gloves bout between AP and Le'Veon Bell coming up later this month at Crypto.com Arena ... and the Rams legend says there's a clear favorite in his eyes.

"I know how strong AP is," ED said at LAX this week ... saying the ex-Vikings star is simply too big for Bell.

And, if he were to put money on the fight ... Dickerson says it's All Day.

We broke the story -- Peterson and Bell will face off as part of the Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib fight that's going down in Los Angeles on July 30.

The card will also feature ex-Laker Nick Young and rapper Blueface ... with more fights being announced throughout the next few weeks.

Enes Kanter Freedom just went in on the NBA and Adam Silver -- calling them hypocrites ... and telling TMZ Sports he believes they're trying to force him to retire due to his willingness to speak his mind.

We talked with the 30-year-old center -- who's played 11 seasons in the NBA -- while he was in D.C. this week, and he told us he's unsure if he'll be granted another opportunity to play in the Association again because of his outspokenness against the league and authoritarians across the globe.

"They're pushing me to retire at the age of 30, unfortunately," Enes said. "I'm going to push through it. I'm still working out. I'm still practicing."

"But, the one thing I can say is, the NBA and Adam Silver is definitely one of the most hypocritical organizations and one of the most hypocritical commissioners out there in the world."

Enes accused the NBA -- who does business with China -- of having "billions of dollars tied up with that dictatorship" ... and, as a result, he feels they prioritize their bottom line (money) over human rights.

"They stand up for things until it affects their money or business," Enes said, "and someone had to expose them, and someone finally exposed them and from firsthand."

Enes did, however, give a nod to his NBA brothers and WNBA sisters for speaking up about Brittney Griner -- who remains in jail in Russia on drug charges -- but he wishes the United States government would be more aggressive in their approach to bring her home.

"They definitely need to do more because you're dealing with, like I said again, one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world," Enes said.

Valerie Loureda tells TMZ Sports a fight with Ronda Rousey in WWE is her dream match ... and now that she's officially signed to the wrestling giant, she's determined to make it happen!!

We spoke with Loureda -- who officially became a member of WWE on Wednesday -- and asked her if there was one particular opponent she was eyeing before debuting on the main roster ... and she said yes, telling us, "Definitely, Ronda."

"She tweeted the other day 'Who's next?' and before I even found out I was getting a contract with WWE, I tweeted back, 'me,'" Loureda said of Rousey. "And that's the goal I have one day."

Valerie and Ronda both have MMA backgrounds ... and, in fact, Loureda says seeing Ronda fight back in the early 2010s inspired her to want to do the same.

"I never watched MMA before in my life," Loureda said, "and just so happens, Ronda was fighting, and I saw a beautiful woman fighting in a cage ... and I got goosebumps."

"I said, 'Nana, if she's doing that, I can do it too,' and that's really what gave me all that fire and passion inside of me to begin my martial arts journey."

Valerie -- who grew up an expert in taekwondo -- knows the transition from the cage to the squared circle will be a tough one, but she said if she ever gets in the ring with Ronda ... there will be fireworks.

Keanu Reeves' onscreen need for speed became a reality this weekend -- he's in England taking in the Grand Prix race ... and seems to have an allegiance for one team in particular.

The actor was out and about Saturday at the Silverstone Circuit, where F1's British Grand Prix is underway ... surfacing at none other than the Aston Martin garage, where KR was watching the team's lead driver, Sebastian Vettel, take the wheel and zip around the track.

Keanu, who tends to be pretty private, was hard to miss ... and didn't seem to be shying away from the attention. At one point, he was photographed with raceway earmuffs while hanging out with AM crew members and staff -- who welcomed the guy with open arms.

In fact, he was kinda posing with whoever wanted a picture -- rocking his signature long hair and scruffy beard. Plus, his usual all-black getups ... which he didn't seem to mind having exposed to the rain.

Some shots of him on the actual grid -- while it was drizzling -- are making the rounds ... and, sure enough, there's Keanu with a vest on getting a closer look at the action. His blurry face has nothing to do with a glitch in the simulation ... just water on the camera. 😅

Martin Brundle from Sky News even landed an interview with Keanu, who apparently was digging the day's events. Sounds like John Wick's a real-life gearhead who nerds out on this kind of stuff ... who knew?!?

Lamar Odom says he still feels the presence of his late friend and former teammate, Kobe Bryant ... telling TMZ Sports, "He comes to me in dreams."

Odom, wearing the incredible Kobe and Gigi tribute pendant he got as a gift earlier this year on the anniversary of the duo's tragic death, told us out at LAX this week that it actually happens "often."

"[He's] just talking to me all the time," Odom said of the dreams. "'Hang in there. Keep fighting.' A lot of s***."

LO -- who played with Kobe from 2004-2011 and stayed good friends with him in retirement -- tells us the dreams he has with the Mamba usually involve them shooting around, sometimes even in actual games.

"His spirit, it's so strong," said Odom, who also has a tattoo of Kobe on his neck. "To me, he's like not too far away. Especially when you're dreaming of someone, and they talk to you in that dream, you're definitely going to remember it."

Lamar tells us Kobe continues to inspire him to this day ... and added that the NBA legend is a big reason why he loves flying into the City of Angels.

If you've got Davante Adams on your fantasy team, it might be time to sell high ... 'cause Brett Favre tells TMZ Sports he's expecting a drop-off from the wideout now that he's left Aaron Rodgers.

Favre made it clear it's no shade on Adams or Derek Carr -- the receiver's new QB in Las Vegas -- he just truly believes Rodgers made the 29-year-old that much better.

"It's just hard to shift gears," Favre said, "especially from a player as prolific as Aaron Rodgers."

Adams was a stat monster in Green Bay, particularly this past season ... when he caught 123 balls for 1,553 yards and 11 TDs.

Favre, though, is expecting that to change in 2022-23 after he was traded to the Raiders ... telling us, "I'd be shocked if he had the same year."

"I think Derek Carr is a very good quarterback," Brett said. "But, he's not in Aaron's league yet. May never be. And, that's no disrespect."

As for how Rodgers will fare without Adams ... Favre clearly believes it won't impact the future Hall of Famer too much.

It's been nearly 9 years since Max Holloway and Conor McGregor fought, but the rematch could finally be on the horizon ... 'cause Blessed tells TMZ Sports he's down to go at Notorious again -- in Hawaii!!

"It'd be a great, big fight for everyone," Holloway told us ahead of his matchup against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276 ... adding his home turf would be the perfect location for the bout.

"I mean, we got a stadium. Why not do it?!"

Of course, Holloway makes it clear he's not looking past his current opponent ... but says a Conor rematch makes sense to have in Hawaii -- or Conor's native Ireland.

Remember, the first matchup at UFC Fight Night 26 in 2013 ... with McGregor taking the win via decision.

As for Saturday's fight, Max is stoked to get out there for the fans.

"This the first time in two years I get to fight in front of a crowd again. I got five title wins and I have to get my sixth title win against Alex in front of my family, in front of my friends on the 9th island. It would be huge."

Former Yankees star Joba Chamberlain says his ex-team is going to have to cut a fat check to Aaron Judge to keep him around next season and longer ... telling TMZ Sports he believes they've "got to" give him $40 MILLION per year.

A contract of that magnitude would make the outfielder the second-highest paid player in baseball -- just $3 mil shy of Max Scherzer's annual $43 million payday -- but Joba says the Yanks just have to do it.

"Pay him, now. Immediately," Joba says. "Whatever he wants. Give him a key to the city."

Because Judge is 30 years old, Chamberlain tells us he's not sure how long he'd make the deal go for, but he clearly believes the guy needs a contract north of the historic $37 million-per-year pact that Mike Trout just recently signed with the Angels.

"You got to pay him," Chamberlain said. "I mean, he’s just an absolute figure in NY. It’s somebody that you want to hold on to."

Judge has been one of the best players in the MLB since coming up to the big leagues in 2016 -- and he's now the runaway favorite for AL MVP this season as he's on pace to hit around 60 home runs.

Despite all that, though, he's been locked in what appears to be fairly contentious negotiations with the Yankees, who have still yet to give him a new long-term deal even though he's just months away from free agency.

Clearly, if it were up to Joba, that wouldn't remain the case for much longer.

Johnny Juzang didn't hear his name called on NBA Draft night -- however, the former UCLA product tells TMZ Sports he's looking forward to making the most of his opportunity with the Utah Jazz ... saying, he's "got something to prove."

We spoke with the 21-year-old -- who spent the last 3 seasons as a member of the Bruins -- out at LAX this week, and he told us despite the disappointment he felt on Draft Day, he's thrilled the Jazz signed him to a 2-way contract, and he's now promising to bust his ass on the court for the team.

"I always feel like I got something to prove, but I'm so excited about being with Utah," Juzang said. "Jazz are a great organization. I'm really excited. Great opportunity."

Under Juzang's current contract, he's eligible to play in 50 of the team's 82 games next season, which means he'll likely spend some time with the team's G League affiliate -- The Salt Lake City Stars.

"At the end of the day, that’s all you need," Juzang said. "[To] get your foot in the door, but I always feel like I got something to prove."

"It's all about what you do when you hit the court. The number, whatever, don't mean anything. I'm just lucky to be in a great situation with a great organization."

Johnny also congratulated Shareef O'Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr. -- who both signed deals with the Lakers as undrafted free agents as well -- and he expressed a mutual level of respect for them.

Deion Sanders is giving big thanks to Ja Rule -- after the rapper just announced he'll be donating money to the Jackson State football team!!

The New York rapper shared the news on Friday via Instagram ... saying some of the money he makes off his upcoming NFT collection will go to several HBCUs, including JSU.

"Be a part of something Beautiful… July 14th get on the Blacklist NOW," Ja Rule said.

Ja says there are 1,000 1-of-1 NFTs up for grabs ... and part of the proceeds will help support HBCUs like Hampton, Morgan, Spelman, Moorehouse, and Jackson State.

Sanders -- who has been the head football coach of the Tigers since 2020 -- was stoked about the news ... and praised the award-winning rapper for the amazing gesture.

"I wanna thank my brother Ja Rule for hitting me up and including our program in his heart along with several other HBCUs," the former NFL star said.

"My brother I’ve always admired and applauded you from afar but this is a TRUE blessing for our TEAM."

"God bless u my brother!!!"

John Wall is home -- the NBA superstar just landed in Los Angeles after signing with the Clippers ... telling TMZ Sports he's stoked to get to work!!

Wall, 31, is fresh off of agreeing to a two-year, $13.2 million deal with the Clippers ... where he'll play alongside superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

We spoke with Wall as he landed at LAX ... and he says he's ready to get down to business.

"I'm just ready to play basketball ... that's it," Wall said.

The former #1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft previously spent nine seasons with the Wizards ... before playing just 40 total games for the Houston Rockets.

It's been an uphill battle for Wall -- heel surgery and a torn Achilles tendon previously sidelined the explosive point guard for a season and a half from 2019-20 ... and he didn't play at all last season, as the Houston Rockets put their focus on a rebuild.

Before the bad luck, Wall was one of the game's most dynamic athletes at his position ... and was so good during the 2016-17 NBA campaign, he was voted to the All-NBA team.

The 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year and five-time All-Star averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game in 2020 ... and after a year away, he's clearly champing at the bit to prove he's back to 100%.