TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jake Paul has finally met his match -- the YouTuber-turned-boxing star just lost to Tommy Fury in an 8-round split decision in Saudi Arabia.

After years of trash talk, the men finally met in the boxing ring and beat the hell out of each other over the course of 24 minutes ... while stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Deontay Wilder and Mike Tyson watched from the arena.

26-year-old Jake and 23-year-old Tommy had their moments ... both landing big shots throughout the fight. In the 8th round, Paul landed a jab that sent Fury to the canvas. TF quickly returned to his feet, and was very competitive for the remainder of the round.

Tommy appeared to be the bigger man in the small, 18-foot ring and used his reach advantage and jab to keep Jake at bay.

Fury was the more active fighter ... throwing 302 punches, with 88 landing. Paul threw 157 punches and landed 49.

It was a split decision on the judge's scorecards ... one judge had Jake ahead by a point. The other two judges had Tommy winning, and that was the difference.

Tommy was emotional after the match, saying the feud with Paul has dominated the last two years of his life. Fury also said he now has made a name for himself ... stepping out of his heavyweight champion brother Tyson's shadow.

"Tonight I made my own legacy. I am Tommy Fury.”

During his postfight interview, Paul, who accepted the loss but also made it clear he dealt with injury and sickness during camp, made it clear he intends to exercise the rematch clause in his contract. Tommy also seemed down, telling Jake to bring it on.

Once Jake got back to his locker room, he sent a message to his followers on social media, vowing to come back.

The loss now brings Paul's pro record to 6-1 ... and Fury's to 9-0.

Jake Paul beats Tommy Fury by TKO in the 8th round?! That's what a so-called leaked "script," burning up social media, claims will happen Sunday afternoon ... the only caveat is TMZ Sports is told it's completely fake!

The one-page document is titled "Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Script - Revision #4 - Final" ... and breaks down what will (supposedly) happen in each round of the highly anticipated fight.

For example, round 1 reads ... "the fighters start off cautiously, circling each other and throwing jabs. Jake Paul lands a solid left hook, but Tommy Fury responds with a quick right hand."

Fury will begin to have trouble with his eye in the 4th round, per the script. By the 5th, the document says Tommy's eye will be so badly damaged it's nearly closed.

Then, in the 8th ... "Paul lands a huge right hand that sends Fury crashing to the canvas. Fury tries to get up, but he stumbles and falls back down. The referee starts the count, but Fury stays on the ground, clutching his eye."

"The ringside doctor rushes in to check on Fury, but he waves him away. Tommy shall then act out an eye injury that forces the referee to call off the fight, declaring Jake Paul the winner by TKO."

The problem ... multiple people associated with the fight/fighters are adamant the "script" is completely fabricated, fake, nonsense.

There do appear to be multiple inconsistencies. The document was produced by "Troop Boxing", which doesn't seem to actually exist. Further, the word "Boxing" in Troop's logo is a stock image available on the internet.

Also, Paul vs. Fury is a professional, sanctioned boxing match ... and fixing fights is illegal. Prison time kinds of illegal.

It also begs the question ... how would you fake an eye injury serious enough to cause a fight stoppage?

Nonetheless, the leaked script has many fans in a frenzy.

It feeds into the conspiracy theories that Jake's fights are fixed ... popular amongst boxing fans who refuse to give the 6-0 fighter any credit, despite beating the likes of future UFC Hall of Famers Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.

Jake and Tommy are scheduled to fight in a matter of hours ... and it's probably safe to say the fight won't be stopped by the referee in the 8th over an eye injury (though, if it does, Drake won't be mad).

Drake's picking sides in the Jake Paul - Tommy Fury feud, placing a bet on The Problem Child to knockout TNT ... and judging by the massive size of the wager, Drizzy's feelin' confident the 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer will turn out Fury's lights.

Drake posted the Stake betting slip on social media Saturday night ... and he's risking $400,000. In order for the superstar rapper to cash out, Jake can't just win the fight, he must KO Tommy (in any round). If that scenario actually unfolds, Drake would receive $1.4 million ... which included his initial bet ($400k).

The payout's so large because statistically, it's a longshot ... the odds say there's a less than 30% chance the fight ends by Paul KO.

FYI, Jake's 6-0 ... and 4 of those fights have ended by KO. Tommy's also undefeated ... and obviously has never been stopped.

Drake's no stranger to making huge wagers. In fact, he bet $965k total on the Super Bowl ... and while he didn't hit on all his bets, he did pretty well. He's also bets heaps of money on UFC fights.

While the rappers riding with Jake, Tyson Fury is (obviously) siding with his brother. The heavyweight champion revealed earlier this week he put down over $100K on Tommy to win by stoppage.

"I've got 100 racks on it for an inside-the-distance stoppage, so if [Tommy] loses, then I'll lose 100 bags as well," Fury told iFL TV.

Jake and Tommy also made a bet during fight week (though, we'll see if it comes to fruition). If Jake wins the fight, he gets Tommy's money. If Fury wins, Jake double his money.

Bets aside, Paul and Fury flat-out hate each other ... and Sunday's fight is the culmination of years of trash talk. The men were supposed to scrap on two previous occasions, but Tommy pulled out -- once for injury, and the other over a travel issue.

Bam Margera says he's disappointed his estranged wife and her attorney are bashing him in the media ... but he insists he's been supporting his son, and hopes to one day share his side of the story.

It appears Bam and Nikki Boyd's legal separation is already getting nasty ... with Bam going online to respond to her recent allegations of what led to her filing for the split.

Bam posted a photo of Nikki, Phoenix and himself in happier times, and captioned it ... "I am very disappointed about what Nikki and her lawyer have said about me publicly as a father. I love my son more than anything in this world. I have in fact been supporting my son. No one knows my side of the story which makes me sad. But hopefully one day they will. "

TMZ broke the story ... Nikki pulled the trigger on filing for legal separation last week, with her attorney David Glass telling us the decision was a direct result of Bam spending time with their son while she believed him to be under the influence.

Bam's been responding online -- albeit to total strangers -- claiming the separation is all Nikki's fault. In one comment he says, "I bought her a car in Petaluma and gave her 10 grand in ones, she still couldn't just say thanks Bam. She drove me to drink two weeks ago. I am better now."

As we reported, some people close to Bam, like Steve-O, are extremely concerned about his substance abuse -- but he's telling folks he's sober, and plans to stay on the wagon. He also says he's waiting for attorneys to give him the green light to tell his side of the story.

A couple days after Nikki filed for legal separation, Bam went to Las Vegas, making an appearance last weekend at Day of the Dead Horror Con.

His time in Sin City wasn't just a convention stop, though ... he also hit up Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, where he was holding court in a VIP section.

The 'Jackass' star posed for a ton of pics with strippers, and appeared to be having one helluva time.

Diamond Dallas Page says Dusty Rhodes would have been overjoyed to watch his son, Cody, in the main event at WrestleMania 39 ... telling TMZ Sports "he would be walking on clouds."

Page -- who mentored his late best friend's son since he was a kid -- told us Cody's heavyweight championship match against Roman Reigns on Sunday, April 2 is the culmination of a journey, and a moment the Rhodes family can savor forever.

DDP explained the fact that Cody left WWE in May 2016 when he felt the company didn't believe in him, and then came back to have a monumental moment like the main event at WM 39 is proof of what can happen when people believe in themselves.

Cody -- a former WWE intercontinental champion -- joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he spent six years competing before rejoining the WWE last April at WrestleMania 38.

Now, he has the opportunity to end Roman's 900+ day streak as Universal Champion.

DDP says he was honored to be one of Dusty's closest friends ... and he knows that after all the years of hard work and dedication the Rhodes family put into the craft, it will be "really emotional" to watch Cody enter the squared-circle.

We also spoke to Cody recently, and the 2023 Royal Rumble winner admits defeating Roman Reigns at WM would be a "tall task" -- but reassured everyone he's up to the challenge.

"If you're in the spot you want to make sure you get the job done," said Rhodes, the half-brother of Dustin, professionally known as Goldust during his WWE career.

It ain't Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams or Stefon Diggs -- no, according to Adam Thielen ... the best receiver in the NFL is Justin Jefferson!!

The Minnesota Vikings star showered his teammate with praise to TMZ Sports outside of the Super Bowl earlier this month ... saying Jefferson is, indeed, the top wideout in the game today.

"For sure," Thielen said.

The 32-year-old is a bit biased -- he's played alongside Jefferson the last three seasons and has gotten open numerous times due to coverage rolling the young star's way -- but there won't be too many people arguing against him.

Jefferson tallied 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight TDs in the 2022 season ... more than any other receiver in the league. He also earned All-Pro honors ... and his third straight selection to the NFL's Pro Bowl.

George Kittle is nowhere near done playing football, but when the time comes to hang up the spikes, he tells TMZ Sports he definitely wouldn't mind transitioning to the WWE!!!

The 49ers star didn't mince many words when the topic was brought up out in Arizona earlier this month ... saying he believes he's got the personality to smoothly jump from the NFL to the wrestling world if and when the time comes.

"Sounds fun!" he told us.

Of course, Kittle is a huge WWE fan ... he's been spotted at events like "Monday Night Raw" through the years, despite the taxing demands of being a professional football player.

The All-Pro tight end even put his wrestling skills on display recently at the NFL's Pro Bowl ... exchanging some moves with his teammate, Kyle Juszczyk.

Kittle's transition to the squared-circle would be pretty awesome ... but it would not be the first time we've seen an NFL tight end try his hand in the WWE.

Rob Gronkowski appeared at WrestleMania 33 ... where he helped his friend and former WWE star Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

Gronk had one of the best spots despite not actually competing ... bulldozing through Jinder Mahal and paving the way for Mojo to eliminate Jinder, winning the match.

Dwyane Wade's daughter's been granted the official name and gender change she's wanted ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to new legal docs we obtained, an L.A. County judge just signed off on the new legal identity for Dwyane's transgender 15-year-old.

Dwyane's kid is now legally Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade ... and the judge also ruled in favor of her official gender change from male to female.

Of course, Dwyane and his current wife, Gabrielle Union, have been calling her Zaya for years -- she came out as trans back in 2020. Her petition for the name and gender has been making its way through the courts since last August.

The legal change came with some family drama ... as we first told you, the retired NBA star and his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade were at odds over the move. Dwyane said the change was in their child's best interest and ripped Shiovaughn's opposition as "nonsensical."

Darrelle Revis has some advice for Aaron Rodgers if he ends up leaving the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets ... telling the future Hall of Fame QB "come in humble."

TMZ Sports spoke with Revis amid the rumors that Rodgers could be on the move ... and the former NFL cornerback seems receptive to #12 joining his old squad.

The Jets have emerged as a possible destination for Rodgers if he does, in fact, decide to continue his career elsewhere ... but the NFL world is waiting on the QB to figure out what he wants to do.

Revis -- who starred for the Jets from 2007-2012 -- admitted NYC is a tough market, but he says Rodgers would be able to "weather the storm," adding he can be successful right away.

37-year-old Revis said he thinks Rodgers -- who won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2011 -- would be a tremendous addition to the weapons the Jets already have.

"I believe he has weapons at every position," said Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler. "As Jets fans. As Jet lovers. We can see some high-scoring games. We can see some big victories."

"Having a superstar quarterback in Rodgers, he can definitely put points on the board very quickly which would help the defense rest much better and they can be more explosive."

We also spoke to DR about Aaron's "darkness retreat," which he reportedly emerged from on Thursday, and Darrelle joked that Rodgers went to "Revis Island" for some alone time.

Jon Jones' family is filled with Super Bowl champs, but the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports he had zero chance of having a career on the football field -- 'cause he said he "absolutely sucked" at the sport.

Of course, Jones' older brother, Arthur, played 8 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Ravens, Colts, and Commanders ... and his younger bro, Chandler, currently plays defensive end for the Raiders.

With that being said, football is clearly in the Jones DNA ... so when we asked Jon if he could have followed in their footsteps, Bones made no bones about it -- he was ass.

"I absolutely sucked on the football field," Jones told us. "I was no good at all. I didn't play until my senior year [of high school]. I was always on the team, but I never got to play.

Jones -- who holds a 26-1 record in the UFC -- says he just didn't get the Xs and Os, coverages, or play calling behind the game ... and playing Madden didn't help either.

"I sucked at football. I made a hell of a benchwarmer, though," Jones said.

But, don't feel bad for the guy -- Jones ended up becoming one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever ... and he's back in the Octagon on March 4 to face 11-1 Ciryl Gane -- his first fight in over 3 years.

"A lot of people wanted to take a warm-up fight," Jones said. "I'm going right at one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

Former Univ. of Georgia stars Knowshown Moreno and Tavarres King are firing back at PETA ... telling TMZ Sports the animal rights org. should kick rocks for demanding their live bulldog mascot be removed from its role.

PETA initially took aim at the school after the National Championship Game earlier this year -- requesting the university retire Uga for good ... calling the dog's position as team mascot cruel to the animal.

But, when we talked with Moreno and King about the situation earlier this month, they both said Uga is living better than some students do!

"I feel like those pets live the best lives!" said Moreno, who played at UGA from 2006 to 2008. "Uga live the life!"

"I don't think folks know how good of a life Uga lives," added King, a receiver for the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2012. "Uga lives a good one."

FYI -- Georgia has used a live mascot since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot is Uga X.

Both Moreno and King said they've personally seen the dogs be treated like royalty, telling us the pups get fed regularly -- and even have first-class seats on team planes.

King also said the mascot's dog house has air conditioning!

Detroit Pistons big man James Wiseman says there's "definitely" room for Mac McClung in the NBA after his performance in the Slam Dunk Contest last week ... telling TMZ Sports the high flyer is a "great player."

24-year-old McClung has bounced around the NBA and G League after going undrafted in 2021, but got another opportunity when he signed a two-way contract with the Sixers right before wowing the entire basketball community with his dunking skills in Utah.

We spoke with Wiseman out at LAX about how Mac can build off his momentum from the dunk contest and remain in the league ... and he thinks the former Georgetown and Texas Tech star can solidify his spot on an NBA roster.

Of course, McClung previously played for the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers on 10-day contracts ... but now many, Wiseman included, believe it's time for Mac to shine in the NBA.

Erin Blanchfield isn't looking to prove herself worthy of a title fight ... she straight up believes she's a superior fighter to Valentina Shevchenko, telling TMZ Sports she plans to dethrone the current champ.

"[Valentina] can be taken down, she can be controlled on the ground and I think my jiu-jitsu is even better. I know I could fight with her anywhere. I'm confident in my striking and my wrestling and my jitsu," 23-year-old Blanchfield, fresh off an impressive 2nd round submission win over Jessica Andrade, told us this week.

The #3 ranked UFC flyweight then continued ... "I think just putting my whole game together, I think I'm more well-rounded in that sense where I can put it all together better and that I'll find that win whenever I can."

We asked Erin if she believes she's done enough to secure a fight for the belt.

"Oh, definitely. I think I've proved myself after this last weekend and I definitely want that title shot next."

Blanchfield vs. Shevchenko is the fight so many fans want to see, but Valentina has business to take care of beforehand. The 34-year-old champion is fighting 29-year-old Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 on March 4 ... where she's a heavy favorite (-600).

FYI, Shevchenko only has 3 losses in her entire career ... and 2 were to Amanda Nunes (some fans feel VS won 1 of the fights). Valentina hasn't lost since 2017 (and hasn't lost to anyone not named Nunes since 2010!). Blanchfield only has one loss on her ledger (in 2019) ... and has an 11-1 record in MMA (5-0 in UFC).

Erin tells us she's rooting for Shevchenko because a loss would almost certainly guarantee a rematch of the 285 scrap between the women, and EB isn't trying to wait. Not to mention, she'd like to be the woman to dethrone the future Hall of Famer.

"I definitely want Valentina to win. I wanna be the one to take that belt from her. She's been a super dominant champ, she's very skilled and having that prestige of taking a belt from someone like Valentina is definitely what I want."

As for how she thinks a fight with the current champ would go ... Blanchfield sees herself winning by any means necessary.

Gervonta Davis has found himself in hot water once again -- the boxing star is now being accused of punching an NYC parking lot attendant in the chest during a heated altercation in March 2022 ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Arturo Jimenez claims he just started his shift at the Edison Park Fast garage around 11 AM on March 8 ... when Tank approached him and asked for the keys to his Cadillac Escalade.

Jimenez says he was working with another customer at the time and had no idea Tank had already asked a different attendant to go fetch his whip ... and Davis grew upset, saying "stop f***ing playing with me."

The worker says Tank then punched him in the chest ... causing "multiple bodily injuries."

The lawsuit states Jimenez's coworker saw the whole incident ... and brought him into the garage office to keep Tank from hurting him even more.

While inside the office, Jimenez claims Tank was visibly pissed, shouting and cursing at them ... demanding his keys, but refusing to pay his parking fee.

After a while, the lawsuit says Tank eventually caved in and paid his fee before driving away from the scene.

Jimenez says he reported the incident to NYPD a day later.

He is suing for unspecified damages ... claiming he was unable to work and has racked up medical bills due to the injuries.

It's yet another troubling accusation made against Davis, who has had a growing list of run-ins with the law recently.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

The Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs. Ryan Garcia super fight -- which boxing fans have been begging for -- is finally happening on April 22 ... and it's set to go in Las Vegas!

Tank (28-0, 26 KOs) confirmed the news on Friday by tweeting, "April 22, 2023 Las Vegas It’s on!  #DavisGarcia GOOOOO."

The venue for the highly-anticipated fight is not yet public, but that's irrelevant ... bottom line, Tank and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) agreed to fight at a catch weight of 136 pounds for a 12-round non-title fight.

It will be a Showtime Pay-Per-View event, in partnership with Al Haymon's PBC, Golden Boy Promotions, and DAZN ... who all worked together to make it happen, according to TalkSport's Michael Benson.

The fight's been years in the making ... and the heat's been ratcheted up, especially lately. Both fighters have gone back and forth, talking crap to one another.

Many fans assumed the fight would never happen (and some still don't believe it will), but Oscar De La Hoya told us in April he was very optimistic about the fight not only happening, but RG easily winning, saying ... "Ryan Garcia wants to knock him out so bad. He's calling it in two rounds."

"Both guys are in their prime. Both guys are undefeated. It's gonna be a great fight," ODLH told us at the time.

But, not everyone expects Ryan to win. In fact, pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez recently told us he expects Tank to win ... citing his experience.

Brittney Griner is picking up right where she left off with the Phoenix Mercury ... smiling from ear-to-ear as she donned the team's uniform once again for a photoshoot.

The Mercury posted a behind-the-scenes look at Griner posing for the cam on Friday ... just days after the WNBA star signed a one-year deal to solidify her return to Phoenix.

In the video shared on the Mercury's official Twitter account, BG was her normal charismatic self ... showing off her dribbling skills and grinning as the cameras fired away.

Griner -- who hasn't played a WNBA game since 2021 -- gave Mercury fans a taste of what they can expect once she hits the court by showing off some behind-the-back passes.

As we previously reported, 32-year-old Griner got back into the swing of things when she showed up to a shoot-around session earlier this week ... and she looked thrilled throughout the workout.

The Mercury have embraced Griner amid her return to the U.S. and the team ... after all, when last seen, BG was one of the most dominant forces in the WNBA.

Griner -- a 6-time All-Star and 2-time Olympic Gold medalist -- led the Mercury to a WNBA championship in 2014 ... and she averaged a career-high 21.9 points per game in 2017.