TMZ Sports - Page 32

Sure, Terence Crawford's the undisputed welterweight champ, but out of his 40 professional fights, the only legit threat was Errol Spence ... so says Canelo Alvarez who tells TMZ Sports he respects the dude a great deal, but their resumes aren't comparable!

Obviously, Crawford (40-0) has been the talk of boxing since his TKO win over Spence on July 29, with many calling him the face of boxing, and the world's best pound-for-pound boxer.

Since then, Alvarez has been hounded with questions about whether he'd fight Crawford. We asked Canelo if he was tired of talking about Bud.

"No, look, like I always said, I respect Terence Crawford," Alvarez told Babcock. "He's a very talented fighter but he just won one big fight."

"If you see his record, he just beat one good fighter in Errol Spence. Other than that, I don't think he's beaten other great fighters like Spence."

Alvarez, on the other hand, has fought a bunch of beasts over his legendary career 59-2 career, including Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and Gennady Golovkin. Up next is the undisputed super middleweight champ, Jermell Charlo, who he's fighting on September 30 in Las Vegas.

"Jermell Charlo is a great fighter, he's a talented fighter and he's undisputed in his weight class," Alvarez said. "It's going to be a good fight so I'm happy to be in this kind of fight, in the big fights."

"The fight is almost here so I'm excited. I'm excited because I feel great."

Jason "Mayhem" Miller has found himself in trouble with the law yet again ... this time, TMZ Sports has learned the former MMA star was arrested for allegedly choking a fan at a hotspot in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... the incident happened on Aug. 29 at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood -- only a few months after Miller had been released from prison.

According to law enforcement, a fan had approached Miller to say hello, but a verbal confrontation somehow ensued. Things then allegedly turned violent -- with Miller being accused of putting the person in a chokehold.

We're told the altercation got so bad, security had to intervene and help the man break free from Miller.

Sheriffs were called to the scene, but Miller had already left by the time they arrived. An assault report was taken.

However, law enforcement says Miller showed up at the Sunset Marquis the next day ... and when someone called the cops after recognizing him at the venue, officers showed up and arrested him.

Miller was released from custody a short time after being booked. The case is still under investigation -- we're told detectives are still pouring over footage of the incident -- and charges are still pending.

Isaiah Hodgins' two kids will be in his heart, on his mind AND plastered to his feet this season ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Giants receiver just copped some custom spikes to honor his two babies.

Cleat artist Joe Castro is the man behind the sweet pieces ... and he tells us the receiver actually reached out to him recently with the idea.

Castro took a bit to get the kids' faces painted on the Nike cleats just right ... but in the end, they came out great.

Featured on one of the shoes is Hodgins' son, who was born in 2020. On the other is Hodgins' newborn daughter.

Unclear when Hodgins will rock the blue-and-white spikes ... but it might just be next week, when NY opens its season against the Dallas Cowboys.

The New York wideout isn't the only NFL player who will rep his kids on his cleats this season ... Jackson also made customs for Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter -- who got his son and the mother of his child on his Nike cleats recently as well.

Book your tickets to Las Vegas in February, Jets fans ... 'cause your team is going to the Super Bowl there this season!!!

... at least, that's according to New York legend Joe Klecko, who tells TMZ Sports he truly believes, with Aaron Rodgers now under center, his old team will make it to the Big Game this year.

"I do think they will," the newly minted Hall of Famer said out in NYC this week. "Absolutely!"

"With our four-time MVP, how could you not go to the Super Bowl!?"

Of course, while Klecko is biased (he played for the Jets for 11 seasons) -- he didn't always feel Rodgers would be the game-changer for his former squad.

Back in February, he said on The Mike Francesa Podcast that he actually preferred it if the Jets would have gone after Derek Carr instead of Rodgers.

Seems, though, after watching the quarterback completely submerge himself into his new team and city ... Klecko is all in.

Justin Gatlin is officially retired from competing, but that doesn't mean the USA track legend's done running ... in fact, the Olympic gold medalist is currently perfecting his 40-yard dash, and believes he can run a blistering 4.19 seconds!

"The project is Project 40. I ran a 4.2 yesterday, first day of practice," Gatlin told Michael Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

FYI, the fastest 40 ever electronically timed at the NFL Combine was 4.22 by John Ross in 2017. Chris Johnson holds the second-best time at 4.24.

Justin believes he can beat that time by a substantial margin.

"I'm thinking a 4.19. I definitely can dip under the 4.2s, for sure!" Gatlin said confidently.

Ultimately, Gatlin wants to train athletes to be quicker on the field or court.

"I've been training since I've left the world of track and field and I have an idea that I wanna be able to do speed agility training or professional athletes, being football, baseball, basketball, that's why we're here."

Justin says they're often a debate about who's faster ... and while he does want to rep for the track athletes, he also wants to help out other pros in different sports.

"There's a lot of talk about track and field athletes and football players, who's faster and I said you know what, this is what we work on. We work on speed constantly and I wanna show the world that we understand speed, we're the king of speed but I also wanna teach speed to other athletes that want [to learn.]"

Justin sure sounds like someone who still has the competitive juices flowing ... so we asked him if there was a chance he could make a comeback competitively, despite being 41 years old.

"Let's say if I get myself back into shape and say 'Hey, you know what? I wanna get back in track and field,' especially Olympic year coming up, it's not far-fetched."

"I've been away from the track, what, I retired in 2021? I'm not that far off. I think that if I wanna come back, I can make that Olympic team for sure."

There's more with Gatlin ... including whether he'd be down to race Tyreek Hill -- "Cheetah" -- who most fans believe to be the fastest player in the NFL.

So, would Justin race Cheetah? Damn straight.

"I think [Tyreek's] a remarkable athlete. He has a big background in track and field. He grew up running track and field. He still uses track and field workouts to make sure his speed on the football field is superior."

Gatlin continued ...  "And when it comes to me racing Tyreek, holla at me in about eight weeks. I'll be ready for you, man. If you want that, I can give you that smoke.

We also talked to Justin about Noah Lyles ... both his epic performance at World's and his shading of NBA "world champions!"

Giga Chikadze's dad can apparently see the future.

The father of the 8th-ranked UFC featherweight fighter predicted his son would be champion the day he was born on August 25, 1988.

"Giga Chikadze was born here, son of Zaza. In this very hospital. My first-born son. The future World Champion in Judo, swimming. A good fighter and a good man," the proud dad said from outside the hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia (country) more than 35 years ago.

Now, Giga isn't champ -- at least not yet -- but he's a top-10 ranked fighter in the world's most popular MMA promotion.

"From that day, I've been the project of this. I'm UFC's future. I don't even know. They already decided for me what I would have to do, what I would be in the future when I grow up. It's funny we actually have the video," Giga told TMZ Sports.

Chikadze is coming off a unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres last weekend ... in his return to the Octagon following his first UFC loss (Calvin Kattar in 2022).

Caceres was ranked several spots below Giga ... and now he's looking for that to be reciprocated by the UFC by way of a top-ranked opponent like Max Holloway, with whom he shared a locker room at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.

"It was definitely fun to share the locker room with him and I'd be happy and it's gonna be an honor if he would agree on this fight. Love the guy, he's such a nice guy, doing great stuff, great family, and all the stuff. Feel like we can do a nice event together. Maybe even a Pay-Per-View card on December 16."

Blessed is the #1 ranked contender ... in the division where Alex Volkanovski currently rules.

A win over someone like Holloway could set up a title shot for Giga ... who would then have the opportunity to prove his dad's clairvoyant.

Amir Coffey's July arrest has led to criminal charges ... TMZ Sports has learned the Clippers forward was hit with two misdemeanors late last month.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has filed one count of carrying a loaded firearm and one count of carrying a concealed firearm against Coffey ... after alleging he had a gun in his ride during a routine traffic stop in Hollywood earlier this summer.

We broke the story ... a car Coffey was in was initially pulled over on July 30, after authorities claimed it had been speeding at around 2:30 AM.

According to law enforcement, officers said the vehicle smelled like marijuana -- so they searched it and found a loaded gun they say Coffey claimed was his.

Coffey was then placed into custody -- and spent several hours behind bars before he was released.

Lisa Lyon -- a pioneer in professional women's bodybuilding -- is in grave condition, suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Lyon, who famously posed for Playboy in 1980, was recently transferred to hospice care in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

The muscle champ had a short, but sweet career in bodybuilding. In 1979, Lyon snagged the first International Federation of Bodybuilders Woman's World Pro Bodybuilding Championship in Los Angeles. Turns out this was one of two bodybuilding contests Lyon entered, but it was no doubt a huge success for her.

She went on to promote women's bodybuilding in magazines and on TV talk shows. She also penned a book on the topic called, "Lisa Lyon’s Body Magic," which was published in 1981.

Not only that ... but Lyon was one of the only female bodybuilders at the time to be photographed for Playboy. Her sexy snaps appeared in the October 1980 issue.

She also modeled for renowned photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, who occasionally produced pictures for Andy Warhol.

In 2000, Lyon was inducted into the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federal Hall of Fame for elevating bodybuilding to the level of fine art.

The Biebers served up some major star power at the US Open Friday night … prompting a shoutout from tennis great Coco Gauff -- and paving her way to victory.

Justin and Hailey were kicking back in their box seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium, watching Coco battle Elise Mertens in the third round of the women's grand slam tournament.

Hailey looked like her beautiful self in a trendy leather coat … but Justin stole the show with his funky pink glasses and polka-dot black cap turned back around.

The couple was clearly there to support Coco, jumping to their feet and cheering whenever she won points at critical stages in the match.

Coco went on to beat Mertens in three sets -- 3-6 6-3 6-0.

The 19-year-old phenom gave the Biebers credit for inspiring her to win by their very presence after she dropped the first set.

Coco told an ESPN reporter, "I definitely saw who was there. I thought, 'I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber.' I didn't lose a game after I saw that."

She added, "I was definitely starstruck with Justin Bieber. And then Hailey coming, too. I guess it was a little date night for them which is really cool.

Many athletes and celebs have stepped up in a huge way in the wake of the devastating wildfires in Maui ... and perhaps none more so than Bellator MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who raised over $2 MILLION on Instagram!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Honolulu native this week as the area is still reeling from fires that killed at least 115 people, with hundreds still unaccounted for. The people who fortunately escaped with their lives are still dealing with property loss, in some cases everything, including their homes.

"We have hit the $2.6 million mark and this is just on Instagram alone," Macfarlane said.

"The beautiful thing that I love so much about this fundraiser is that it wasn't big corporations or big huge donors, it was literally people."

Macfarlane also gives credit to a few celebrities for sharing the fund, including Bretman Rock, Meghan Trainor, and Jason Momoa.

Now, the challenge is getting the money to those who need it ... which can be a difficult job.

"I haven't raised that much for my nonprofit before so I am collaborating with other agencies to make sure it's distributed equitably and efficiently."

Macfarlane also revealed she's teamed up with Bellator to replace gym equipment and training gear at local dojos. They're also inviting a family to Ilima-Lei's upcoming title fight in San Diego.

Speaking of her fight with mentor Liz Carmouche (Bellator 300 on October 7), Macfarlane says it's a bout she's always wanted but hasn't been able to enjoy the lead-up to the event because of the situation in Hawaii.

"It was a super scary time and it was actually weird timing because [the fires] happened the day that we announced my title fight," Macfarlane said.

"I just couldn't be happy. I couldn't be excited for this super awesome fight that I've wanted for so long just because of what was going on."

Hulk Hogan is runnin' wild on his latest fitness journey ... saying this week he's now abstained from alcohol for eight months -- and it's done his body so good, he's down 40-plus pounds!!

The Hulkster joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to break down his latest plan to get fit ... and he said it all started back on New Year's -- when he "got sick and tired of being sick and tired of myself."

Initially, the WWE Hall of Famer wanted it to just be a simple booze break ... but it's now spiraled into nearly a full year without a sip of liquor -- and he couldn't be happier about it.

"It changed everything," Hulk said of how his body responded to the new diet. "I wasn't eating late at night -- I wasn't eating junk food anymore. I dropped like 40 pounds right away."

Hulk said his alcohol consumption had gotten pretty bad just before he quit ... saying it'd lead to wild binge-eating moments that were taking a toll on his physique -- and his joints.

Now, however, the 70-year-old said he's feeling so good ... he's having a much easier time keeping up with his 45-year-old fiancé, Sky Daily.

Hulk isn't sure how much longer he'll be booze-free -- he said he could see himself grabbing drinks again socially one day -- but he told Harvey and Charles he'll never go back to the way things were.

Kenneth Gainwell's feet are going to be looking out of this (Astro)world when the Eagles take the field next week ... 'cause the tailback just copped some awesome Travis Scott-inspired cleats for Philadelphia's opener!!

TMZ Sports has learned the footballer reached out to cleat master Rodney Jackson to get some heat for the Birds' Week 1 game against the Patriots ... asking for some spikes that resembled the exclusive Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG Olive F&F pair that pays homage to Scott's new album, "Utopia."

Of course, Jackson -- who's been in the custom cleats business since 2015 -- didn't take long to deliver the goods ... whipping up an amazing pair in about three and a half weeks.

You can see the spikes look exactly like the AJ1 x Travis Scotts ... all the way down to the "Utopia" branding on the back -- and Jackson said he was super happy with how they came out.

"I wanted to capture every detail of the shoe and the right leather texture," Jackson tells us.

Gainwell -- a former fifth-round pick out of Memphis -- will have a big opportunity to show them off against New England ... he's expected to be a workhorse for Philly following the departure of last year's starter, Miles Sanders.

Rose Namajunas is the 2nd-ranked strawweight in the UFC, but the former 2x 115 lb. champ is moving up to fight a top flyweight, and she tells us she feels amazing and doesn't plan on going back to her old weight class.

"I'm definitely healthier," Thug Rose told TMZ Sports of the difference between making 115 and 125 lbs. ... as she preps to fight #3-ranked flyweight Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night in Paris on Saturday.

Rose hasn't fought since May 2022 ... when she lost to fellow contender, Carla Esparza, by split decision. Physically, Namajunas feels a lot better a year and change later.

"I did think the weight cut started to get a little tougher each time, even the last cut it was like my eyes were sunken in like 'Ooh this is not super healthy.' I don't think it highly affected my performance, maybe it did, maybe it didn't, I have no idea but I'm definitely super excited to feel healthy going in there and actually eating more, lifting more, just feeling strong."

As for whether she'd go back to the division where she's so highly ranked ... probably not.

"I highly doubt I would ever go back down unless there was a really good reason to. Unless I go into this fight and something totally just like, 'Oh man these flyweights are way bigger and stronger than I expected' but I highly doubt that."

Rose continued ... "I train with flyweights. I have a good feel for that. Even in my amateur career, I fought in flyweight, too. Unless it's totally a surprise and a shock to me, I see myself staying here."

Of course, if RN stays at 125, that would likely mean there won't be a third fight between her and Zhang Weili (Rose defeated the Chinese MMA star twice) ... though Namajunas didn't entirely shut the door on the trilogy.

If it does happen, it'll be down the road.

For the time being, Namajunas -- who isn't ranked in the new division -- is getting one of the best in the world in Fiorot (she hasn't lost a fight since 2018). We asked Rose if she expected a title shot straight away after a win.

"No, I'm not really putting any expectations on anything. I'm just hoping and praying for the best performance that I can give, give glory to God and just let Him do the rest. If that happens, that would be a dream come true."

If she were to get a title shot, it could mean a scrap between Rose and Valentina Shevchenko, who is fighting to win her belt back vs. Alexa Grasso in a few weeks.

Shaquille O'Neal is back in the rap game!

The basketball legend linked up with an L.A.-based rap group for a new song and music video, and it slaps.

TMZ Sports talked to Coyote -- made up of rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco -- and they tell us The Big Aristotle was a fan of their work going back some time, and they developed a relationship. The guys began talking about hopping on a track together

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop '90s-type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' and he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!" Ladies Love Guapo told us.

The guys say O'Neal loved the beat and a few hours later, voila ... his verse was in their inbox.

"4 hours later he FaceTimes us and he shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there."

Shaquille even pulled up for the music video shoot in Los Angeles ... shot in the city where he delivered three championships.

"3 Lokos" is the first song Coyote ft. Diesel are releasing ... but it won't be their last.

In fact, Blanco says they already have a second song they've recorded with Shaq, and plan on dropping more music in the near future ... including rapping on a beat that O'Neal produced.

Kim Zolciak says it wasn't Kroy Biermann's idea to sell their house that is teetering on the brink of foreclosure ... it was hers.

Kim hit up Il Pastaio Friday night, and she said flat out ... the decision to sell their home was mutual.

TMZ broke the story, Kroy has filed for divorce a second time, although Kim has been acting like it's only a matter of time before he pulls the plug on it again. She's been wearing her wedding ring -- though not last night -- and is pooh-poohing the notion they're really getting divorced.

Kroy's lawyers have a different take ... they're saying Kroy is as serious as a heart attack ... he wants out.

At least from the filing, it looks pretty nasty.  He wants sole custody of their minor children and exclusive use of their home, for as long as they have it.

Kroy locked Kim out last month and left her pillow on the doorstep.  She called the cops.

Morgan Wallen had a hometown surprise for Pittsburgh fans during his concert Thursday night ... Wiz Khalifa!

The concert was packed when Wiz, who grew up in Pittsburgh, appeared on stage and sang "Black and Yellow," as fans went wild. The optics were pretty spectacular ... flames shooting up in the air with yellow lights surrounding the venue.

Morgan and Wiz embraced as they left the stage. Seems Wiz is a Morgan fan ... he's hit up several of the country star's concerts.

If you checked our site earlier, you'll know the concert went down at PNC Park ... it's where some women got into a pretty epic porta-potty brawl the day before!