Boxing

"Platinum" Mike Perry HATES Colby Covington -- telling TMZ Sports he FANTASIZES about torturing the UFC fighter ... in one of the most sick, twisted and awesome rants we've seen in a while!!!

"I want to grab him and stick my thumb in his eye and bite his ears off and rip his face apart and rip his head from his neck," Perry says.

"And, if this much pain and suffering and hatred is inside of me, I will, I can, and I'm capable."

Let that sink in.

Perry is coming off a pretty impressive win over "Cowboy" Alex Oliveira this weekend -- so we asked Mike who he wants to fight next.

Obviously, Mike says he's got a mission to destroy Colby -- but if he doesn't get that fight, he wants Darren Till.

Either way, the 27-year-old says he's peaking right now and feels he can beat ANYONE the UFC throws in the Octagon.

The man Conor McGregor boxed in an exhibition match in Ireland last week tells TMZ Sports ... Conor started off the fight with the WORST cheap shot he's ever seen ... and we got the video!!!

"It was the cheapest shot I ever caught in me life, man," Michael McGrane tells us.

Here's the deal ... McGrane took on McGregor in a 4-round fight in Dublin on Friday, April 19. Conor is in the red trunks, Michael is sporting blue.

When officials rang the bell to start the match, McGrane says he expected Conor to touch gloves ... but instead, the UFC superstar unleashed a left hook that caught him flush in the eye.

"You're meant to go back to your corner, but Conor never went back to his corner," McGrane says ... "Conor leaped at me with a left hook."

You can see the damage McGrane says he took from the shot -- still visible days after the fight.

"Conor McGregor hit me a cheap shot in his own hometown!!!"

McGrane says he got no help from the ref that day -- because even the official was obviously rooting for Conor.

"The ref was on his side. There's no way I would have won that fight unless I knocked him out."

By the way, we're told the fight ended in a DRAW.

Despite the controversy, McGrane says he's greatly appreciative of the opportunity to fight someone as HUGE as Conor McGregor and hopes the experience will make him better in the long run.

McGrane -- an electrician by trade -- says he's hoping to give up the electric game to focus on boxing full-time because he thinks he has potential to be a world champ!!!

The Uber driver accused of killing former UFC fighter Rodrigo de Lima during an altercation in Brazil on Sunday has been fired by the rideshare company ... an Uber spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old MMA fighter was a passenger in an Uber in Belem, Brazil with friends when he allegedly got into a verbal altercation with the driver.

The driver, later identified as Jefferson Roger Maciel, reportedly kicked Rodrigo out the car -- and despite initially driving away from the scene, turned around and smashed into Rodrigo from behind.

Rodrigo died from his injuries. He's survived by a wife and 2 young children.

A rep fro Uber confirmed Maciel was working for them at the time of the incident.

Uber says allegations are "horrible" -- adding, "As soon as we learned of this incident we immediately removed the driver’s access to the app and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."

On Monday, cops said they were still searching for Maciel -- no word if they've located him yet.

De Lima was 9-3-1 as a pro -- and earned the nickname "Monstro" (which means monster) -- due to his fighting style.

Canelo Alvarez has some BIG fans in his corner -- LeBron James and Maverick Carter -- and to show their support, they just hooked the boxer up with some SUPER HOT kicks!!!

LeBron's business partner just took a trip to Canelo's training camp in San Diego where Alvarez is gearing up to fight Daniel Jacobs on May 4. And, you better believe he didn't come empty-handed.

Carter presented Canelo with a pair of the new LeBron 16 "Martin" shoes -- which have already become some of the most coveted shoes on the market.

"You like sneakers?" Carter asks ... "These just came out. Very special."

Canelo is stoked -- and tells Carter to give his thanks to LeBron.

As we previously reported, Bron and Carter are producing a docuseries on the fight for DAZN called "40 Days" which premieres Tuesday night ... and will show how Canelo is preparing for the bout.

The series also features Canelo's promoter Oscar De La Hoya -- but if he wants a pair of LeBrons, he's gonna have to pay for 'em!!!

Amir Khan quit in the ring ... and he needs to man the hell up and apologize to boxing fans, so says boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.

Khan bowed out in the 6th round of his fight with Terence Crawford this weekend after getting hit below the belt ... insisting he was seriously hurt, and couldn't continue.

But, fans felt cheated by the ending ... and they were pissed.

And, they damn sure should be, according to Roy ... who says Khan flat out waved the white flag.

"Amir Khan quit."

Jones Jr. -- a multiple time world champ across 4 weight classes -- says he would NEVER quit inside the ring.

"When I go in the ring. Carry me out. I don't wanna go out on my feet if I lost. Carry me out. I rather give it all, or get it all taken away from me."

Still, RJJ says all ain't lost for Khan -- a fighter he likes and respects -- as long as he gets real about what happened.

"Amir, I love you as a fighter. I respect you since you were an amateur fighter. You went up 2 weight classes, took on Canelo. You did a lot of beautiful things to show that you have courage," Jones Jr. says.

"This time you were in a no-win situation, and you refused to continue," Jones tells us ... "You stopped at a time we know you could've given more. You didn't give it to us, the fans, your all."

Terence Crawford tells TMZ Sports ... Amir Khan was SMART to quit in the 6th round -- because the beating was only gonna get WORSE for the fighter.

We spoke with "Bud" about that smackdown he put on Khan on Saturday -- in a fight where Khan quit after taking an accidental low blow.

Crawford says Amir essentially "took the easy way out" -- because Terence was finally starting to open up and the beating was only going to get worse.

"I honestly feel like [Amir's trainer] stopped him before anything bad happened to him."

Crawford says Amir will have to live with his decision to quit for years because it's "something people will talk about for ages."

We also spoke with Crawford about the next big fight ... a potential matchup with superstar Errol Spence.

EVERYONE wants to see it -- but a behind-the-scenes feud between Crawford's promoter Bob Arum and Errol's promoter Al Haymon could prevent the fight from going down.

Crawford says he hopes everybody can be "adults" about the situation -- and if they are, he's confident the fight can get made.

#FingersCrossed

The men who allegedly "attacked" Jussie Smollett at his behest are feeling the pain in the aftermath of the whole debacle ... because their acting careers have taken a major blow.

Sources close to the Osundairo brothers -- Abel and Ola -- tell TMZ ... the 2 have come up empty trying to land an agent in the past several weeks. We're told they've reached out to about 10 of the top agencies in Chicago and none have been interested in signing them.

This especially hurts right now because it's pilot season in the TV biz, and actors like the bros can't even get auditions without an agent.

What's worse is Abel actually HAD signed with the Gray Talent Group about a month before his involvement in the Jussie drama became known, and got dropped shortly afterward.

The reason he was given, according to our sources, was generic and didn't mention the Smollett case ... but it was obvious. We're told the agency told Abel it couldn't provide him the opportunities he desired, adding ... "parting ways with talented actors like yourself is a difficult decision and not a direct reflection on your character or your abilities."

Unfortunately for the Osundairos ... their fitness biz has tapered off as well. Our sources say while it seemed to be booming about a month ago, many of their potential clients turned out to be feigning interest in getting in shape and were really looking to get details on Jussie's case.

The good news -- at least for Abel -- is his boxing career is on the rise. He followed up his win in the semifinals of the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament last month by winning the whole damn amateur competition last Friday ... in the first round.

Getchya popcorn ready for the biggest boxing match in women's history ... 'cause Cecilia Braekhus tells TMZ Sports she's down for a superfight with Claressa Shields!!!

"I wanna be in a ring with that," Braekhus says.

Of course, Cecilia and Claressa are considered the two best female boxers on the planet -- Cecilia is 35-0 while Claressa is 9-0 -- and Cecilia says she's willing to duke it out in the ring to see who's No. 1.

The only problem??? The two are in totally different weight classes -- Claressa has about 13 pounds on Cecilia -- but Braekhus tells us she'll come up in weight if Claressa will go down.

"It's three weight divisions between us," Cecilia says ... "So, that issue needs to be resolved."

The good news??? Claressa says she's willing to meet Cecilia in the middle ... 'cause she just told us this week she'll fight the boxing superstar at 154!!!

So ... LET'S GET IT ON!!!!!

Justin Bieber better learn to love whiskey and potatoes ... 'cause he's Irish!!!

The Biebs ecstatically revealed Saturday he's around 60% Irish ... prompting him to give Ireland a shout-out on his Instagram story. This was in response to his pops, Jeremy, posting on IG showing him holding a bottle of Conor McGregor's Proper Twelve Irish whiskey.

Naturally, all of this got Conor's attention who jumped on Twitter and embraced his fellow deartháir -- don't look it up, it means brother.

Justin, of course, was born in Canada and not long ago had huge plans on applying to become an American citizen. The kid's literally taking over the world, eh?!

The Biebs' got good timing ... Conor sent his love all the way from Dublin where he was there taking part of an exhibition boxing match. Conor kicked ass ... and now he has 2 reasons to slam back a few Proper Twelve shots.

Paging Floyd Mayweather ... Conor McGregor is boxing again!!!

The UFC superstar competed in an exhibition match late Friday night at his OG gym in Crumlin, Ireland. Sure, Conor's wearing headgear so already you know it's basically a sparring sesh. But, he looked great and, in typical Conor fashion, he showboated throughout the match.

Check out the video ... Conor squares off against amateur Michael McGrane, reportedly an electrician who competes in Dublin. The Irishmen put on a show for the packed crowd with a four-round bout.

McGrane was no match for Conor, obviously ... as the superstar smothered his opponent with jabs while deftly switching stances -- from Orthodox to Southpaw -- throughout the match. He did a great job cutting the ring too.

The match was reportedly a secret ... cause McGrane was listed on the "Good Friday Show" card but his opponent was marked as "A. Another." After the fight ... McGregor mugged for the cameras with fans while showing off his Proper 12 whiskey.

The event helped raise money for the boxing club ... with the money going to help young fighters cover their travel expenses as they set out to compete throughout the year.

Boxing superstar Terence Crawford says he's confident Claressa Shields wouldn't just hold her own in a boxing match with Conor McGregor ... "she would do well!!!"

Of course, Shields sent shockwaves through the boxing world when she called out several MALE fighters by name ... Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Gennady Golovkin.

Crawford says Shields is a BEAST -- but he's not super confident she'd beat a top-level pro male fighter.

A lesser pro -- like Conor McGregor, perhaps? Crawford's got some thoughts ...

Remember that insane video of Amir Khan chugging a protein shake and then juggling the bottle in midair with punches???

Yeah ... dude says it was 100 percent real -- telling TMZ Sports it took AN HOUR of practicing before he got it right!!!

The trick is wild ... Khan tosses a plastic bottle in the air, hits it just right so it stays spinning ... and then he keeps it in the air with punch after punch until he's bored with it.

Khan tells us the trick ain't easy to do ... saying, "I was standing there for about an hour until I got it right!!"

In fact, Amir says it's SO difficult, he's only been able to do it twice since!!!

As for his upcoming mega-fight with Terence Crawford on Saturday night ... Khan says he's feeling extra motivated to get the win because he's such a huge underdog.

4/19 -- G Herbo was released from jail late Thursday night, and went on Instagram Live to talk about the altercation.

Rapper G Herbo is facing a battery charge after an argument with his baby mama, Ariana Fletcher, allegedly turned physical ... TMZ has learned.

According to Atlanta Police ... the rapper and Ari got into it Wednesday morning -- mostly yelling at each other -- but at some point, cops say Herbo assaulted her. Cops say he then left the location with their son but later returned ... and after officers spoke to him, they arrested him for simple battery.

Cops say Ariana sustained minor scratches during the altercation, and right now it's unclear what triggered the alleged assault. Cops are continuing their investigation.

Perhaps complicating matters for G Herbo is the fact Ari is now dating boxer Gervonta Davis ... and is actually about 14 weeks pregnant with his child.

What's interesting is Ari and Gervonta were out partying Tuesday night at Allure Gentlemen's Club where G Herbo also happened to be. The trio was NOT there together. It's unclear if any encounter there might have led to the alleged assault the next morning.

Herbo is still in jail. His bond has been set at $2,000.

Originally Published -- 4/18 10:06 AM PT

Boxing sensation Claressa Shields will have to find another male challenger to fight -- because Shawn Porter says he's NOT down to get in the ring with the female superstar.

Porter appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show after Shields told us this week she's 100% confident she could BEAT top male fighters like Porter, Keith Thurman and Gennady Golovkin.

So, we asked Porter for his reaction -- to which he smiled and replied, "It's cute!"

Make no mistake -- Porter says he has nothing but respect for Shields as a fighter, but claims boxing a top male fighter is simply "an animal that she's not really prepared for."

Porter says Shields would obviously be outmatched when it comes to strength and power -- but also explains that speed and movement in men's boxing is on a different level than what she's faced in the women's division.

When asked if he'd be down for a 3-round exhibition with Shields to let their fists do the talking -- Porter shot that down ... telling us he's just not interested.

In the full interview, Porter says if Shields is serious about fighting men she needs to start at the bottom and work her way up the rankings ladder like everyone else -- she just can't skip the line and fight a champ.

In the meantime, Shields is working on setting up a fight with the only other reigning undisputed female boxing champ, Cecilia Braekhus.

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields -- the undisputed middleweight champ -- says she's 100% confident she could beat male fighters ... and she's calling them out by name.

Shields was a BEAST in her title fight this weekend against then-undefeated Christina Hammer -- dominating every round en route to an obvious unanimous decision. It's clear Shields is on another level.

The 24-year-old sensation is now focused on a superfight with the other reigning undisputed female boxing champ, Cecilia Braekhus ... and hopes to set up a PPV fight in the near future.

The two fight at different weight classes but Shields says she's hoping they can meet at 154 pounds and battle it out to determine the greatest pound-for-pound fighter alive.

But, Sheilds doesn't just consider herself the best female fighter alive -- she thinks she's better than most MALE fighters too ... and she's willing to back it up.

"I spar with men. I drop men. I bust [men's noses]. I beat men up all the time," Shields says.

That's when Claressa began naming names ... from Keith Thurman to Gennady Golovkin.

"I think I can beat up Keith Thurman ... I really do."

FYI, Thurman is undefeated with a 29-0-1 record. He's held multiple titles.

"They may be stronger than me, but their boxing ability isn't like mine. GGG, he's older now, but I could give GGG a run for his money."

We asked if she could honestly hang with the brute strength and power of a male fighter -- and again, she wasn't worried.

"Power for power isn't a question because what is boxing? Boxing is the sweet science. It's not about strength ... because people were saying Christina Hammer was stronger than me. They were saying all these girls were stronger than me, but did you not see the head movement that I had during the fight? See the defense? The offense? The traps I set!?"

"If I were to get in there with a man, I would do a lot more of that. And, I do have some power. I'm not gonna say I'm stronger than them, but if I set up the right shots with the right timing?!?!"

58-year-old Iran Barkley -- Saquon Barkley's famous boxing uncle -- says he ain't done in the ring yet ... 'cause he's telling TMZ Sports he wants one last fight ... WITH DEONTAY WILDER!!

"I want to fight the heavyweight champ of the world," Iran says ... "I'm looking for that."

If you're unfamiliar ... Iran was actually a world champion boxer back in the day -- with 2 victories over Tommy Hearns and a near win over Roberto Duran on his 43-19-1 resume.

But, even though the guy hasn't fought since 1999 ... he says he ain't ready to hang up his gloves yet -- 'cause he wants one last fight with Wilder!!

Oh, and he says he'll win that, too, telling Wilder, "I bet I knock you out!!!"

By the way, Iran is Saquon's great-uncle, and Saquon's credited him in the past as a big reason why he's become one of the NFL's toughest running backs.

Which only means one thing ... better watch out for Saquon's high-school-aged little bro in a couple of years!!!