Boxing

Boxing legend Leon Spinks -- who famously beat Muhammad Ali in 1978 -- is fighting for his life in a Vegas hospital, TMZ Sports has learned ... and his wife is asking for prayers.

Details surrounding the 66-year-old's condition are unclear -- but we know his family and friends are very concerned.

In fact, Leon's wife, Brenda, went to social media saying, "Reaching out to ask you to kindly send some prayers out for my Beautiful Husband Leon so that he may overcome the obstacles that have crossed his path."

Spinks has fought back from serious medical situations in the past -- he was hospitalized in 2014 after a piece of bone from a chicken wing caused major damage to his intestines.

The boxer underwent several surgeries and spent weeks recovering at a rehabilitation center.

Spinks is a boxing legend -- he was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

His 1978 victory over Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight championship of the world is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

Spinks is also a military veteran who served in the U.S. Marines from 1973 to 1976.

The average starting salary for a college graduate is $50,000 ... so good news, Manny Pacquiao -- you're finally gonna make some money!

The 40-year-old boxing superstar just got his diploma from the University of Makati in the Philippines, joining more than 400 other graduates Wednesday at a massive ceremony in his home country.

Pac only announced his decision to attend Makati to try and earn a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (Local Govt.) earlier this year ... so he clearly moved fast through the program!

Of course, Manny is a Senator in the Philippines -- so, guess it's good he's learning more about his field, right?

After the graduation, Manny issued a statement about his achievement ... saying, "It is never too late to dream bigger dreams. It is never too late to accomplish our dreams."

He added, "I am excited to receive my diploma and display it on the wall."

"Let this victory outside the boxing ring serve as an inspiration for people who are struggling to fight, to rise above adversity, to conquer and to embrace life and all its difficulties.

FYI, Manny has reportedly made around $500 million in his celebrated boxing career -- with a possible mega-rematch with Floyd Mayweather on the horizon.

One of Jussie Smollett's alleged "attackers" is on a roll -- shortly after starring in his first movie ... he's hanging out with one of the biggest celeb athletes in the world.

Abel Osundairo met up with Floyd Mayweather this weekend at the undefeated fighter's gym in Las Vegas ... then hit up his club later on for more face time with the boxing champ.

We broke the story ... Abel's been training with Floyd's renowned trainer, Nate "The Snake" Jones, in order to advance his own promising boxing career after winning a title in Chicago's Golden Gloves tourney in April -- a fight that wasn't staged!

We're told Abel's preparing to give it a shot at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo -- representing his home nation, Nigeria -- and meeting with Money Mayweather should provide a ton of inspiration.

The Osundairo bro isn't just succeeding in boxing either ... he's on the up and up in the showbiz world too. We broke the story ... he landed the lead role in the low-budget film, "Friends Family & Lovers," directed and cowritten by the guy who also cowrote the Master P produced comedy "I Got the Hook-Up 2."

It didn't earn any Golden Globes noms or anything ... but still. Ever since being linked to Smollett's "hate crime" in Chicago on that bitter, cold night in January ... Abel's been heating up.

Can't say the same for Jussie.

LL Cool J says Andy Ruiz broke the golden rule when it comes to STAYING successful -- he got comfortable.

If you know LL, you know he's a HUGE boxing fan (see: "Mama Said Knock You Out") ... and it's obvious he was disappointed to see Ruiz blow his run as heavyweight champ.

Ruiz told TMZ Sports he didn't take training camp seriously and "ate everything" -- which is why he showed up to the Anthony Joshua rematch 15 pounds heavier than their first fight.

"At the end of the day when you step in the ring you gotta be ready. And, if you’re not ready for whatever reason it doesn’t matter, you win or you lose," LL said ... "And he wasn’t ready."

"I got respect for [Ruiz]," the rap legend explained -- but he noted, "You can’t come into the ring 16 pounds heavier!"

LL knows a little something about sustained greatness -- he's been famous for almost 4 decades -- and he had a little advice for Ruiz moving forward.

"It’s the things you do in the valley that gets you to the peaks. And, it’s the things you do at the peaks that extend the peaks. Part of being great at anything is having the discipline to stay focused when you’re successful."

Deontay Wilder just WENT OFF on Anthony Joshua -- saying he fought Andy Ruiz like a COWARD ... and says AJ will get "demolished" if they ever get in the ring together.

"He didn't want no engagement," Wilder said about the Ruiz fight ... "He was just scared."

"You got a 6-inch height advantage, you got an 8-inch reach advantage. Why is you running from the smaller guy?"

Wilder says Joshua's style was boring as hell -- "Punch, hold and grab like you scared of confrontation!"

"When you're dealing with Deontay Wilder ... I woulda came in and demolished him!"

AJ has said his plan is to eventually fight Wilder to unite the heavyweight belts, but Deontay says AJ is full of crap ... claiming Joshua wants absolutely NO SMOKE.

"He definitely don't want me, for sure. I live in his dreams, I'm his worst nightmare."

"A lot of people read into [Joshua's] bulls**t and we can understand and identify and we know it's bulls**t coming out of his mouth. We just don't have enough toilet paper to wipe it as it comes."

Bottom line ... Wilder says he's ready to destroy Joshua whenever AJ is willing to sign the contract -- but he ain't holding his breath.

In the meantime, Wilder is gearing up for his own rematch against Tyson Fury in what could be the best fight of 2020.

"I think I ate everything ... EVERYTHING ... that's why I gained so much weight."

That's Andy Ruiz keeping it all the way real about his loss to Anthony Joshua -- admitting to TMZ Sports he just let himself go leading up to the rematch.

"I was having too much fun, I was celebrating too much," the former heavyweight champ told us at LAX.

Ruiz says his partying was also out of control leading to the Dec. 7 fight in Saudi Arabia -- "Just being with my friends and just celebrating. Drinking a few more Coronas than I should have."

FYI, Ruiz weighed in at 284 lbs for the rematch -- 15 pounds heavier than his weight for the June 1 fight, when he shocked the world with a 7th round TKO over the British superstar.

Still, Andy tells us he was impressed with his performance despite being out of championship shape.

"Even out of shape, even the way that I was training back and forth (between Mexico and California) ... f**king, I did pretty good, dude! I did pretty good! But, I wish I had taken it more serious."

Ruiz lost via unanimous decision -- and even though he suffered a gnarly cut over his eye in the fight, he's in pretty good spirits. He also showed us the cut and it's already all stitched up.

Now, Ruiz says he plans to take some time off and hang with his family before trying to lock down a 3rd fight with Joshua ... a fight Andy says he'll PROPERLY train for.

If Floyd Mayweather is serious about boxing a UFC fighter, Max Holloway says he's ALL THE WAY DOWN!!

The reigning UFC Featherweight champ has a solid stand up striking game -- and sources tell us that's exactly what Floyd is looking for in his UFC opponent.

So, when Max rolled through the TMZ Sports office ... we asked if that was something he would seriously consider.

"I want a Money Belt! Why not?!"

He added, "I would love to do that. He's one of the best guys to ever do it. And, to share the boxing ring with him, it would be a checklist for sure."

Holloway says he's already in INSANE shape -- and 12 rounds in a boxing ring would be "easy work" since he's already a cardio machine!

But, even if the Mayweather fight doesn't work out, Max says he's still interested in taking a boxing match ... especially with Dana White gunning to launch Zuffa Boxing in 2020.

Max says he's always wanted to box -- and brags that he's got a pretty solid Philly Shell ... but first, his focus is on beating Alexander Volkanovski on Dec. 14 at UFC 245.

Floyd Mayweather vs. a UFC star is nothing more than a "circus fight" -- according to pro boxer Andre Berto who says he's ready to step up if Floyd wants a REAL challenge in 2020.

Of course, Berto -- a former welterweight champ -- fought Floyd back in 2017 ... just a few months after Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao.

Berto lost the fight ... but tells TMZ Sports he knows what he did wrong and things would go MUCH differently if they fought a second time.

"It was hard to catch him the first time," Berto says ... noting he would "let his hands go" a lot more in the rematch.

As we previously reported, Floyd is looking for TWO boxing matches in 2020 -- one against a pro boxer and another against a UFC star.

Berto thinks Floyd is too afraid to take on a legit contender -- explaining, "I doubt he's gonna come in and fight any of these other hungry champions out there."

"He might come back for one of these circus acts."

Mike Tyson is the only man to ever knock out Larry Holmes ... still, the boxing legend tells TMZ Sports "Iron Mike" ain't the toughest fighter he fought.

Holmes was a beast in the ring who scrapped with Tyson, Holyfield, Spinks and just about every other dominant heavyweight of his era. So, when we saw him in NYC, we asked if Mike was the hardest guy he ever faced.

His answer ... nope.

"My toughest opponent was Kenny Norton. I fought Mike Tyson, I was kinda over the hill a little bit. I had retired then I came back and fight Mike Tyson. I really wasn't in that good of shape."

"If I could do it all over again, I'd take more time and do it right."

FYI, Holmes -- 69-6 as a professional -- was 39 years old when he was dropped 3 times and KO'd by Tyson in the 4th round of their January 1988 fight.

In his 75 pro fights ... it's the only time Holmes was knocked out.

As for his 1978 fight with Norton ... it was a 15 round war that Holmes won by split decision -- earning him the WBC heavyweight title.

We also hit Holmes with a question about the ultimate dream fight -- Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson -- in their primes ... and asked who'd win.

"Mike Tyson would get beat up 'cause he's a face fighter. He comes in down low, and Muhammad Ali is a jabber," Holmes says ... "He'd get that jab in there just like he did with Joe Frazier. So, Mike Tyson would have to get around that jab, and he'd have a lot of problems getting around that jab."

UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal is calling 2020 "The Year of the Lottery" -- telling TMZ Sports he's actively trying to line up fights with Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.

"2019 was cool," Masvidal says ... "But, if you like violence, 2020 will be a very powerful year. We’ve got a lot of options. I've got a lot of lottery tickets in my hand."

Masvidal -- who demolished Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz in 2019 -- says his goal is to fight Conor in April or May ... and then take a boxing match with Floyd in November.

As we previously reported, Mayweather has a handshake deal with UFC president Dana White to box an MMA fighter in 2020 and we're told he's eyeing fighters with top stand-up striking talent.

Masvidal obviously has those skills and firmly believes he's the frontrunner for that fight.

"I can box my ass off," Masvidal says ... "Not saying I’m a better boxer than Mayweather, but man, I’m gonna be in there with bad intentions trying to hurt him."

The last UFC fighter to take on Floyd was Conor McGregor who famously gassed around the 8th round with the ref ultimately stopping the fight in Round 10.

"I'm a well-conditioned athlete that’s not gonna fade," Masvidal says ... "I'm not gonna fade in the 8th or 9th round. I’m gonna be there for the whole night."

Jorge -- who's calling the big Tito Ortiz vs. Alberto El Patron fight for Combate Americas on Saturday -- also had a message for Floyd ...

"If you’re looking for a fight, I’m right here. If you’re looking for an easy paycheck, go back to Japan and beat up those little guys."

Masvidal says he understands why Floyd would be interested in someone like Khabib Nurmagomedov ... it's easy money for Floyd ... but if he REALLY wants a challenge, he'll sign the contract with Jorge.

The video is great ... Jorge knows Floyd is obviously much more experienced than him in the boxing ring, but he truly believes he can get the best of Mayweather and spells out his case on camera.

Think about it ... if Jorge's plans come to fruition, he can make LIFE-CHANGING money in 2020.

The Conor fight alone is big money ... and a Floyd fight could earn him more around $100 MIL.

22-year-old boxer Evan Holyfield's favorite fighter is NOT his legendary father, Evander Holyfield ... it's Filipino star Manny Pacquiao.

Yes ... NOT his dad a.k.a. George Foreman/Mike Tyson (twice) slayin' Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield.

TMZ Sports talked to the younger Holyfield -- who's dominated his first 2 professional fights -- and asked, who's your favorite boxer?

"Manny Pacquiao. I love Manny Pacquiao. Besides my dad, of course. I'm gonna take some stuff from him, but Manny Pacquiao. I watch that man before I go to sleep, I watch that man when I wake up, when I get bored."

"Manny Pacquiao's my guy. I watched all his movies. I stole so much stuff from Manny Pacquiao, it's ridiculous."

Suffice it to say, Evan likes Manny ... and is super pumped about the prospect of having some face time with his hero in the future.

"I haven't had a chance to meet Manny yet, but I'm sure if I was ever to meet Manny, I don't know what I would do."

"I don't fan out when it comes to celebrities because my dads had me around a lot of them, but someone like him, ain't no telling what would happen."

Doc Gooden just couldn't wait 'til March to get a piece of his celeb boxing match opponent -- attacking Catfish Cooley at a press event -- and TMZ Sports has the video!!

The 54-year-old MLB legend and 29-year-old "Nitro Comedy Tour" star are set to square up for real March 7 at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.

The duo met up for a press event Chima Steakhouse in Philly on Wednesday and started trading verbal jabs before Catfish said something that REALLY pissed Doc off -- he brought up that epic brawl from 1990.

"I'm 5'5" and we're in Philly, but I ain't Pat Combs, brother!!" Catfish says as Gooden springs at the comedian!!!

"You be ready March 7, I'm coming for you!!" Catfish says.

As we previously reported, Doc says the fight is a good way to stay focused on his health and sobriety.

Cooley, on the other hand, doesn't have much experience as an athlete ... but he can squat 605 pounds, so there's that.

Floyd Mayweather is proving he's still in prime shape -- strip club shape, at least -- for his big comeback ... by getting right back in the strip club and throwing an INSANE amount of money!!

Of course, the 42-year-old boxing superstar announced he's returning to the fight game in 2020 ... and if his moves are as sharp as his throwing, his future opponents better watch out.

Money -- with endless stacks of $100 bills in hand --- made his presence known at G5ive in Miami on Tuesday night ... letting the cash fly as the dancers put on a show.

Floyd showed off at least 5(!!!) stacks of hundos before kicking off his thunderstorm ... but it's unclear if that's what he was throwing. Regardless, there were a BUNCH of bills on that stage by the time he was done.

The Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua rematch will have TONS of action -- but it will NOT have scantily clad women flashing giant cards between rounds.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... promoters have decided NOT to include ring girls at the Dec. 7 event, out of respect for local culture in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has a strict dress code when it comes to women -- though the country is easing back on restrictions ... especially when it comes to foreigners.

But, the promoters for Ruiz vs. Joshua II aren't trying to push boundaries or ruffle feathers ... so they've decided to scrap the ring girls from the event to avoid controversy.

As we previously reported, WWE was faced with a similar decision when they held their "Crown Jewel" event in Riyadh earlier this year ... and ultimately decided their female wrestlers would wear more modest costumes instead of the usual revealing, sexy attire.

WWE honcho Stephanie McMahon explained it this way ... "We need to be respectful of the cultures in the countries we perform in."

The event went off without a hitch -- and the people behind Ruiz vs. Joshua II are hoping for the same result.

Floyd Mayweather's mixed up in another one-sided fight, but he wasn't the one throwing punches ... some guy in his crew delivered this beatdown.

The champion boxer was involved in an incident at a Las Vegas mall on Thanksgiving eve that resulted in a fan getting thumped by a presumed member of his security team ... as you can see on surveillance footage, obtained by TMZ Sports.

We're told Floyd was exiting the House of Hoops store with his girlfriend and his crew when an employee working at one of the kiosks nearby approached for a photo. The employee, Juan Calderon, tells TMZ ... he was trying to get a pic for a coworker who felt weird asking, but Floyd shot him down.

Calderon says Mayweather was rude about the rejection, so he let Floyd and his group know that he thought they were "acting like d**ks."

One of Floyd's boys allegedly confronted Calderon about the comments, and Juan tells us he told the guy Floyd should take photos with his fans. Juan says the guy tried to smooth things over and shake his hand ... but he refused.

That may have been a bad move because Calderon tells us another crew member noticed he was still looking Floyd's way ... so he then approached to confront Juan about his insults.

The apparent bodyguard can be seen in the mall footage wearing a TMT shirt walking next to Floyd and is later seen throwing at least a couple punches at Calderon. Juan says the guy unloaded on him, landing 3-5 blows before leaving.

Calderon says Floyd was right there when the attack went down. Juan tells us he went to the hospital for a CT scan afterward ... which fortunately revealed no brain injury.

He also says he filed a police report, and law enforcement confirms it responded to a call for a simple battery incident at the mall on Wednesday night around 9:30 PM.

He's 44-years-old ... but Tito Ortiz says his fight game is BETTER than ever -- and he wants to prove it against Jon Jones.

"I think I could beat Jon Jones," Tito tells TMZ Sports ... "I think I got a good chance. I really do think I got a good chance."

Tito has been training his ass off for his Dec. 7 MMA clash with ex-WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio and says he finally feels healthy, clear-minded and strong.

Of course, Jones is only 32 and hasn't really lost a fight since turning pro -- he's widely considered one of the greatest UFC fighters ever!

But, Ortiz says Jones ruined his shot at being the G.O.A.T. -- "He tarnished his career so many times, so much stuff he did in and out of the cage. Bums me out because I love the guy, man."

As for the critics who say Tito's too old hang with a guy like Jones, Tito has a message for them too ...

"Come to my camp. Come train with me. Come wrestle with me. Come do Jiu-Jitsu with me. Watch me weight train, watch my biking ... I'm doing amazing, my mind's in the right place."

There's A LOT more in the raw video (see below) ... Tito talks about his issues with Dana White and why he's down to squash the beef with the UFC once and for all.

He also talks about his rivalry with Chuck Liddell, his upcoming movie with Bruce Willis ... and his dreams of becoming a WWE superstar down the road!