Boxing

Boxer Sergey Kovalev agreed to a $650k settlement with the woman he allegedly beat up in 2018 -- but the woman claims he failed to come up with the cash ... and now she's suing.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 36-year-old Russian superstar was accused of bashing Jamie Frontz in the face during a June 2018 attack in Big Bear, CA -- breaking her nose in the process.

Frontz told police she had rejected Kovalev's romantic advances earlier in the night and he followed her back to her cabin to make her pay. Frontz claims the former light heavyweight champ punched square in the face and she suffered a concussion and a displaced disk in her back as a result. She also claims "Krusher" brutalized her dog.

Kovalev was investigated by police and charged with felony assault, though he's since pled not guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 4 years in prison. That case is still pending.

Frontz had sued Kovalev for assault and battery demanding $8 MILLION -- but claims she agreed to drop the case after reaching a confidential settlement with the boxer.

The problem ... Frontz claims Kovalev hasn't lived up to his end of the bargain so she's exposing the terms of the secret deal in a NEW lawsuit.

According to the court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Frontz claims Kovalev agreed to fork over $650,000 in 3 easy installments ... but stopped paying after cutting the initial $250,000 check in October.

Frontz believes Kovalev should easily have the money -- claiming in her lawsuit he was guaranteed to make at least $10 MILLION from his Nov. fight against Canelo Alvarez.

Now, Frontz is suing for breach of contract -- and though she didn't specify an exact dollar amount, it's clear she wants MORE money than the original $650k deal to cover legal fees and punitive damages.

If it seems Tyson Fury is acting a bit "jerky" before his big Feb. 22 rematch with Deontay Wilder, it's because the guy is masturbating 7 TIMES A DAY!!!

At least, that's what Fury is telling people ... claiming a little (or A LOT of) self-love is helping to keep his testosterone levels at a championship level!

"I'm masturbating 7 times a day to keep my testosterone pumping," Fury told reporter Manouk Akopyan at L.A. Live on Monday.

"Pump it, pump it, pump it, pump it up! Dontcha know!"

The 31-year-old Gypsy King explained ... "I gotta to keep active and the testosterone flowing for the fight. Don't want the levels to go down."

Couple questions ...

1. 7 times a day?!? Who's got that kind of time?
2. Is this a real thing with boxers? (No way, right?)

We have heard some crazy stories from athletes trying to find a legal edge before a big event ... but this could take the cake.

"I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."

That's Logan Paul telling TMZ Sports a potential boxing match with Antonio Brown is VERY realistic ... claiming he's already in talks with AB's camp.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul says.

As we previously reported, Logan called out Brown in December -- saying the NFL star would be the perfect opponent to further his pro-boxing career.

Brown responded on social media -- telling Paul, "Square up." Brown has since told Complex he's down to scrap and wants to train with Floyd Mayweather.

So, when we saw Logan in L.A. promoting his brother Jake Paul's upcoming Jan. 30 boxing match against AnEsonGib on DAZN, we had to ask if all the AB fight promotion was real ... or just a gag.

Logan says he's not messing around -- he's deadly serious about getting a deal done and thinks Brown is highly motivated, too.

Paul says transitioning into fighting helped rehab his image after the incident in the Suicide Forest in Tokyo a few years ago ... and a high-profile match could do the same thing for AB.

"In many ways the KSI fight gave me a purpose. I think this would do this for Antonio Brown -- give him a nice pay day, give him a chance to redeem himself."

Paul thinks the fight could be HUGE -- a la Mayweather vs. McGregor.

Mike Tyson says he hated Michael Jackson's guts for YEARS -- calling him a "cold motherf**ker" -- until he got to know the singer ... and that's when everything changed.

The boxing superstar opened up about his experience with MJ on T.I.'s "Expeditiously" podcast ... saying Jackson dissed him backstage at a concert in 1986.

Tyson says he had just become the heavyweight champion of the world -- and had become super famous -- but Jackson treated him as if he was a nobody. Tyson said MJ straight-up hurt his feelings.

"It broke my ego," Tyson said ... "It crushed me."

Tyson says he harbored some serious animosity toward MJ for years -- saying, "That cold motherf**ker. I hated his guts forever."

But, a while later, a mutual friend approached Tyson and said MJ wanted to hang out -- so he swallowed his pride and visited with the singer, hoping to squash the beef.

Claressa Shields is getting a big-time assist in her possible MMA fight with Amanda Nunes -- PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS FROM JON JONES!!!

The planet's best female boxer tells TMZ Sports she's been in contact with the UFC superstar about some MMA lessons to get ready for a possible tilt with Nunes ... and it looks like those will all go down after Jones' fight with Dominick Reyes in February.

"He said after he fights, I could come down there a week or two and see how I feel doing MMA stuff."

Of course, if Shields had her way ... there would be no need for the workouts -- she wants a fight with Nunes to be strictly boxing only.

But, Amanda told us last month the only way she's getting in the ring with Shields is if it's an MMA fight ... so Claressa is taking the steps to get the ball rolling on that.

Shields says she's actually "excited" AND "scared" to begin learning the tools for the possible bout ... telling us, "I'm going to have to learn so much more stuff and I just hope that I like it."

As for what will happen when she feels her MMA skills are good enough to take on Nunes ... Shields says she expects that fight to be BIGGER than Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor!!

But before stepping in the cage ... Shields has a big time boxing match this Friday against Ivana Habazin in Atlantic City.

Logan Paul has called out Antonio Brown -- TO FIGHT IN A BOXING MATCH -- and the craziest part?! Antonio Brown says he's down!

Paul -- whose rematch against KSI was one of the most-watched events on DAZN in 2019 -- had appeared on Barstool's KFC Radio in December and initially called out AB.

"Antonio Brown, I wanna f**k you up," Paul said at the time.

LP essentially explained that AB is out of a job and loves the spotlight -- and it could actually be a huge event.

Well, Brown is down ... tweeting at Paul late Monday night, "Square up!"

Paul fired back, "I’d drop you faster than the patriots."

Things have escalated to the point where a betting site has released betting odds on the possible matchup ... with Logan being the overwhelming favorite. AB could barely believe it.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still adamant he's NOT considering a rematch with Conor McGregor ... despite what Dana White has been saying, this according to Khabib's manager.

White has been talking about a Conor vs. Khabib rematch for weeks -- telling BT Sport, "If Conor can get through [Cowboy Cerrone], and if Khabib can get through [Tony Ferguson], then we’d be looking at a rematch with Conor and Khabib down the line pretty soon."

So, when we saw Ali Abdelaziz out in NYC, we asked how Khabib felt about running it back with Conor ... and he made it pretty clear, the Dagestani ain't down.

"Conor is not on our radar," Ali says ... "He might lose to Cowboy. I think he might lose!"

Ali pointed out the first fight ... saying Khabib simply kicked Conor's ass for 4 rounds before making the Irishman tap out. He thinks Justin Gaethje is a better opponent for McGregor but has his own suspicions about why the UFC hasn't booked that fight.

"The UFC made the right choice not to fight Gaethje because he would have beat his ass, simple."

What's interesting is Ali -- who reps both Gaethje and Khabib -- says he thinks those two should fight it out one of these days because they're two of the best in the world.

In fact, we spoke with Gaethje about the possibility of a Khabib fight a few months ago ... and he says it's nothing personal, he just wants to fight the best.

As for Ali, he had one hell of a year in 2019 ... with clients like Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo and others winning belts and putting on great fights.

So, how can things get better in 2020? He's got a plan ...

This is bad.

Bhad Bhabie -- AKA Danielle Bregoli -- is publicly shaming boxing star Adrien Broner for trying to slide into her DMs.

She's 16 years old. He's 30.

Not a great look.

Bregoli posted a screenshot showing an Instagram notification from Broner which reads, "Text me crazy girl."

She attached a video of the Akon song, "Locked Up" -- a clear shot at Broner for hitting up a minor.

Bregoli's fans immediately went after the boxer on social media -- lighting up his page with comments saying he should go to jail ... and even tagging the FBI and Atlanta Police.

Earlier in the day, Bregoli created a social media buzz by posting a video in which she's modeling a crop top. Broner's message seems to be in response to that clip.

We reached out to Broner for comment -- so far, no word back.

It's the latest misstep for Broner who was just ordered to pay more than $700k to his sexual assault victim stemming from a 2018 incident at a Cleveland nightclub.

Originally Published -- 12:10 PM PT

TMZ Sports has obtained police video from Errol Spence Jr.'s horrifying Ferrari crash which shows a cop scrambling to get a blood sample from the boxer while he was being treated at the hospital.

... plus, the footage also shows officers found a loaded, expensive handgun at the crash scene.

As we previously reported, Spence -- one of the best boxers in the world -- wrecked his Ferrari during an Oct. 10 crash that was captured on video.

It's a miracle the 29-year-old survived ... 'cause the car was ripped to shreds -- and the dude was EJECTED from the vehicle after impact.

Spence was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where investigators rushed to get a blood sample because they suspected Spence had been driving under the influence of alcohol.

Obviously, time is of the essence for a DUI-blood draw ... because the more time passes, the harder it is to determine the BAC at the time of the crash.

Spence's blood showed he WAS intoxicated ... and he has since been charged with DWI.

The good news ... we're told Spence is recovering well and is even expected to fight again in 2020.

Back to the crash scene ... the police body cam video shows responding officers surprised over a firearm they found at the scene -- which they note is a pretty expensive weapon.

You can hear the cops talking about the gun ... with one of the officers saying jokingly, "It's only a $1,000 gun!"

Errol was not hit with any legal issues over the weapon because a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Dept. tells us, essentially officers couldn't link it to the boxer.

The spokesperson added the firearm has since been placed in the department's property room.

Here's a guy who's THRILLED to get out of 2019!!!

Boxing superstar Anthony Joshua rang in the new year on a beach in Barbados -- flexing and smiling ... and honestly, we can't really blame him!

Joshua had his worst moment as a pro fighter in 2019 -- when he got the snot beat out of him by Andy Ruiz back in June. It was AJ's first loss ... and it was really bad.

But, Joshua basically locked himself in the gym after that -- and redeemed himself in December ... outboxing Ruiz in the rematch to win back all 4 of his heavyweight belts.

Now, he's back on top and on track to fight either Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in what could be one of the biggest fights EVER.

He's also agreed to be Fury's sparring partner to help Tyson train up for his Feb. 22 rematch against Wilder. No word on when Joshua will head to Detroit for that work.

Evander Holyfield ain't giving up on Andy Ruiz -- telling TMZ Sports he strongly believes the former champ can win his belts back ... if he busts his ass!

Remember, Holyfield and Ruiz go WAYYYY back -- they famously sparred back in the day when Evander was training for his comeback in 2011.

Ruiz was a nobody way back then ... but Evander has said he could tell Andy had killer potential and wasn't shocked when he beat Anthony Joshua back in June.

Of course, Ruiz lost the Dec. 7 rematch -- and blamed himself for eating and partying way too much -- but Holyfield says if Ruiz can get focused again, he's a legitimate contender.

"Joshua became champion again, right? He made an adjustment," Holyfield tells TMZ Sports.

"People who make adjustments, their chances is still good. He made some bad choices. When you make bad choices, you gotta be accountable. If you're accountable, you can make adjustments."

Holyfield -- who knows all about coming back after losing a belt -- also had some advice for Ruiz.

"Go back to the work plan. Do whatcha daddy tell you to do. All these years, he's been right, what makes you think he's goin' be wrong?"

There's more ... boxing superstar Terence Crawford also believes in Andy ... telling TMZ Sports he understands why Ruiz lost his focus but strongly believes he can bounce back.

In fact, Crawford says he's good friends with Ruiz and knows what he's capable of doing in the ring when he's not raging outside of it.

Forget Conor McGregor ... Canelo Alvarez says he's down to fight UFC star Jorge Masvidal next -- telling TMZ Sports, "Why not?!"

... Of course, in boxing only.

Masvidal famously called out Canelo shortly after beating Nate Diaz for the 'BMF' belt back in November ... and when we asked Alvarez out in L.A. this month if he'd be up for the fight, the boxing superstar told us he's down.

"For business, why not?!" Canelo says.

Neither guy has an opponent lined up for their next fight ... so could it actually happen??

Seems there's a chance ... the first big, MMA-boxing crossover was HUGE -- with Floyd Mayweather and McGregor making SERIOUS bank for getting in the ring back in 2017.

And, Canelo DEFINITELY appears pretty intrigued by that.

As for if the Masvidal fight falls through ... Canelo says he'd be up for a rematch with Mayweather next -- telling us, "I was very young and experienced at the time and now I'm a different fighter. It will be a totally different result."

It's the season of giving ... which means boxing superstar Errol Spence got himself an AMAZING Cartier watch for the holidays ... and it's got a $100k price tag!!

TMZ Sports has learned, the champ wanted to treat himself at the end of the year ... so he hit up his go-to guy, Iceman Nick, to make him a one-of-a-kind diamond Cartier watch!!

We're told it's a one-of-one 2-tone Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch ... which is decked out with 30 carats of VVS diamonds, 18k rose gold screws and bezel, 7-sided crown set with a faceted sapphire, blue-steel sword-shaped hands and a sapphire crystal case back.

Yeah, fancy stuff.

And, after surviving a near-fatal Ferrari crash in October -- we totally get why the boxer would want to spend a little money on himself!

Of course, Iceman Nick is also the guy behind Errol's sick, $400k "Man Down" chain ... so you know the dude loves what he sees.

Tyron Woodley says he was "disgusted'" with the Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington fight ... admitting, "I wanted to throw up [over] the fact I lost to Usman."

"F**k both of them."

The former UFC welterweight champ spells it all out on this week's 'Hollywood Beatdown' -- saying both guys looked weak during their UFC 245 title fight ... and neither man fought smart.

"As far as IQ, moving your fucking head maybe!? ... I didn't see a lot of that."

Woodley also says when it comes to power -- neither guy showed anything special, despite the fact Kamaru broke Colby's jaw in the 2nd round.

"If I would have punched Colby, he may be on life support right now."

Of course, Usman is the guy who beat Tyron to take his welterweight belt back in March. Tyron hasn't been back in the Octagon since ... but says he's looking for a big-money fight, even if it's in the boxing ring.

Woodley says he's getting his boxing license in California and Nevada and is seriously hoping to land a fight with Canelo Alvarez.

There's a lot more in this episode ... from Tyron's thoughts on Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy Cerrone to his upcoming plans with the FaZe Clan and why he's got a ton of respect for Jorge Masvidal.

Chuck Liddell just got REAL fired up over that Serena Williams boxing video!!!

Not only does Chuck think Serena's a freak athlete with crazy potential (obviously), he thinks if she continues to train with Mike Tyson ... she could MURDER PEOPLE!!!

"Mike's a BAAAD man! Trust me! If she wants to fight and Mike teaches her? She'll be a BAAAD woman!"

Liddell notes that Serena has a long way to go -- "She looks like a girl who just learned how to punch" -- but if anyone has the ability to train up quick, it's her.

As for Mike, he's been working with a bunch of top athletes lately, giving pro tips to UFC stars like Francis Ngannou.

Tyson had previously said he intentionally stayed away from all things fighting because he doesn't want to turn into the animal he used to be back in his heyday ... but it seems obvious he's got a knack for coaching.

This was no Mayweather vs. McGregor ...

UFC superstar Derrick Lewis told a boxer to PUT UP OR SHUT UP during an argument about MMA vs. boxing ... and the results did not go well for DL's opponent.

The 34-year-old heavyweight says he was working out in the gym on Wednesday, when the other man said, "He will knock me out because I’m a MMA fighter."

Lewis, not one for boring debates, told the guy to strap on the gloves and get in the ring ... and the rest -- well, just watch.

Lewis beats the guy up so badly, he almost punched him THROUGH THE ROPES!

Of course, Lewis -- aka "The Black Beast" -- is known as one of the toughest dudes in all of combat sports ... beating guys like Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Travis Browne and Roy Nelson.