Boxing

BTS rapper SUGA's confession about his stage name has made it all the way to the guy who inspired it -- Sugar Ray Leonard says it's awesome to see the K-pop superstar taking the moniker and "carrying that forward."

Yoongi made the shocking reveal in a WIRED interview this week ... claiming his name doesn't come from "shooting guard" over his love for basketball ... it's actually a reference to the boxing legend.

SUGA said HYBE chairman, Bang Si-Hyuk, came up with it since his rap skills are "technical" like a fighter working his craft in the ring ... and the rest is history.

Alycia Baumgardner is laser-focused on her fight at Madison Square Garden next weekend, but that doesn't mean she doesn't also have an eye on two of the biggest stars in the sport, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor!

And, Baumgardner -- a bona fide star in her own right -- says she wants to go to each woman's backyard for a megafight with each.

"The future is bright. And one thing about myself, one thing about my team, we want the biggest fights. We want main event fights. We want people in seats. And the best fight to make is Amanda Serrano in New York City or Katie Taylor in Ireland," Baumgardner told TMZ Sports this week.

4/3 6:38 PM PT -- The law firm representing Kerron Swift, The X-Law Group P.C., released a statement to TMZ Sports Friday afternoon … denying the claim from Wilder’s attorney that the filing of this suit had anything to do with his scheduled fight tomorrow.

“This firm made repeated attempts over several weeks to reach Mr. Wilder's legal counsel — including Mr. Patterson — before filing this action. Those efforts went unanswered. Filing was not our first choice. It was our last. The statute of limitations in this matter expires on April 20, 2025. After weeks of silence from the other side, despite repeated follow-ups, we had no legal alternative but to file in order to protect our client's rights."

“If the timing of this lawsuit is ‘suspicious,’ as Mr. Patterson claims, the explanation is simple: his own failure to respond forced our hand.”

They also noted that they “filed this action quietly and without a press release — the opposite of what we would have done if the intent were to generate publicity.”

“This case is not about boxing. It is not about public image or fight week. It is about the physical abuse of a child over a sustained period of time. Our client deserves to have that heard, and we intend to see that it is.”

Deontay Wilder was just hit with explosive allegations outside the ring … with a new lawsuit accusing the former heavyweight champ of repeatedly beating a minor over several years ... but the boxer's attorney is calling the claims not only untrue, but "suspicious."

TMZ Sports has obtained court documents where Wilder is accused by Kerron Swift -- son of his ex-fiancée Telli Swift -- of brutally attacking him while he was living under the Bronze Bomber's roof as a kid.

Swift alleges the abuse stretched from around 2016 through 2024 … and paints a disturbing picture of life inside the household.

Deontay Wilder has the internet stunned as he detailed how his daughter was conceived ... 'cause the boxing superstar omitted zero details in the extremely graphic story.

The 44-4 heavyweight boxer -- who is scheduled to fight Derek Chisora on April 4th -- was asked about his seven children on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Wednesday ... including his daughter, Naeiya, who has a neural tube defect called spina bifida.

Wilder said Naeiya has made a major impact on his life, especially because of the circumstances.

"Her mother tried to set me up to have the baby," Wilder said. "She injected my sperm in her, ran in the bathroom, locked the door, and that's how we had her."

2:10 PM PDT -- Gervonta Davis' legal team released a statement to TMZ Sports after the surveillance video surfaced ... saying, "We were disappointed with the court’s ruling today, as we do not believe the video tells the entire story."

Gervonta Davis grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the neck at a Miami strip club during a dispute in October, and the ugly scene was captured on surveillance video.

The attorney for the alleged victim rolled eight clips in a Florida court on Tuesday ... showing the then-30-year-old boxer confronting the woman in a back hallway at Tootsie's Cabaret in Miami shortly before 4 AM in October 2025.

Davis appeared to grab the woman by the neck/hair, push her through the hallway and down a set of stairs, and through the closed/empty club before exiting an exterior door, which led to a parking lot.

Tank Davis is clapping back ... the star boxer just filed a whopping $20 MILLION countersuit against his ex, who accused him of getting physical with her during an altercation at a strip club, TMZ Sports has learned.

31-year-old Davis answered his accusers' claims, flat-out denying nearly all the ugly allegations laid out in her filing.

Tank says he did NOT commit battery -- claiming he never hit or choked the woman -- nor did he falsely imprison her. He also claims it was a shakedown from the get-go, insisting the woman demanded $1.1 million in exchange for making everything go away.

Instead, the undefeated boxer says she was the initial aggressor, claiming she “provoked” the encounter in an elaborate scheme designed to shake him down for lots of cash.

David Benavidez is getting tired of trying to get in the ring with Canelo Alvarez, telling TMZ Sports he's moving on ... even though the fans want this mega-fight.

The undefeated boxer spoke with Michael Babcock this week and got candid about whether a fight with Alvarez will ever come to fruition.

Remember, Benavidez (31-0) has been calling out the Mexican fighter for a minute ... but nothing has materialized -- and at this point, he's over it.

"I feel like I've moved on, but I don't think the people have moved on, to be honest with you," Benavidez said.

Good news for Gervonta Davis ... TMZ Sports has learned authorities have dismissed the false imprisonment charge against the star boxer, but Tank's still in hot water over the alleged violent incident involving a woman at a Miami strip club.

Davis -- 30-0-1 in the ring -- was arrested in January following a weeks-long manhunt after a South Florida dancer accused 31-year-old Davis of getting physical with her at a Miami gentlemen's club in October 2025.

Gervonta was initially facing three charges -- misdemeanor battery, felony kidnapping, and felony false imprisonment. However, court documents show the false imprisonment charge was dropped on Thursday.

The reason? We're told prosecutors felt it was redundant ... and that's why the kidnapping charge remains.

Francis Ngannou isn’t just back in the cage, he’s in business with Jake Paul … and while there’s respect there, don’t get it twisted -- “The Predator” still wants to smack around the YouTuber-turned-boxing star!

The former UFC heavyweight champ is set to return to MMA on Most Valuable Promotions’ massive debut card May 16 -- a lineup stacked with names like Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Nate Diaz -- and Ngannou tells TMZ Sports it might be the best card of the year.

In fact, Francis didn’t hesitate when we brought up comparisons to the UFC’s Freedom 250 card at the White House.

“No argument,” Ngannou said. “As we’re speaking right now, this is the best card.”

But things heated up when we asked about Jake.

Boxer Isis Sio -- who was left in a medically induced coma after a brutal knockout loss this weekend -- is finally awake and breathing on her own ... days after the terrifying scene played out in the ring.

The positive health update came from ProBox TV on Monday afternoon, a day after it was revealed that Sio was in a coma and required a ventilator to breathe ... following her junior flyweight bout at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, California, on Saturday.

"We have some promising news to share. Isis is no longer in a medically induced coma, has been taken off the ventilator, and is now breathing on her own," the statement read.

If you thought the first showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao was massive … buckle up!!!

Jas Mathur -- CEO of Pacquiao’s promotion company and one of the key figures behind the rematch -- tells TMZ Sports the September 19 clash at Sphere in Las Vegas isn’t just big … it’s historic.

“I’d say huge is an understatement,” Mathur told us, pointing to the original fight’s eye-popping $600 million haul. “You’re talking about a spectacle.”

And this time, it’s not just boxing -- it’s a full sports-entertainment takeover inside one of the most high-tech venues on the planet … with Mathur promising a production that’ll leave fans not believing what they see.

Claressa Shields is weighing in on the Logan Paul vs. NFL fight debate ... and she's siding with the WWE Superstar -- telling TMZ Sports there's no way the football guys can beat him if they don't have at least six months of training under their belts.

The chatter -- which evolved from the Maverick's ongoing beef with Tom Brady -- has folks wondering how Paul would fare in a bout with a name like Myles Garrett, one of the most-feared defensive monsters on the planet.

Seems crazy to imagine a Paul vs. Garrett match doesn't automatically end in the Browns superstar's hand raised ... but Shields says being 6'4" and 272 pounds doesn't mean squat if he doesn't know how to fight.

Jake Paul is leaning all the way into the sweaty pit stain jokes after his viral appearance with President Donald Trump last week ... rather than hiding from it, the Problem Child is laughing right along with the internet, posting a video mocking the incident!

The 29-year-old star posted a clip to his Instagram from the slopes Tuesday in Courcheval, France ... seemingly rockin' the same suit he wore to the Kentucky rally last week, as "Y.M.C.A." blared in the background.

Of course, your eyes are immediately drawn to the exaggerated stains on his beige suit, just as they were while he was on stage with POTUS.

The Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card just added some serious star power ... 'cause Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions just announced that Nate Diaz is returning to the cage for a fight against Mike Perry!

MVP shared the news Monday morning, revealing Perry and Diaz will face off in a five-round fight on May 16, joining a lineup that also features former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

"Glad to be back in action. It’s time,” Diaz said in a press release. “Don’t forget where this all came from. I got plans on doing a lot more in the next 10 years, no matter where it is. Time to set the bar again, so get ready for a new takeover again and again until the end of time.”

Julio César Chávez Jr. may be hundreds of miles away from the U.S. right now ... but his wife says the embattled boxer is staying mentally tough as he deals with the fallout from his arrest and deportation.

TMZ Sports caught up with Chávez Jr.’s wife, Frida Muñoz, who tells us the former WBC middleweight boxing champ is holding up despite the legal turmoil.

“Julio is doing well,” Muñoz said. “He’s positively strong. But we’re taking it one day at a time.”

As we previously reported, the boxing star was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities in Southern California in July over alleged immigration violations -- a bust that resulted in his deportation to Mexico, where he’s now dealing with the legal aftermath.