Boxing

Billy Joe Saunders has called his shot ... he wanted Canelo -- and now he's getting Canelo!

Sources tell TMZ Sports the undefeated 30-year-old British champion is all set to do battle with Canelo Alvarez on May 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas (as first reported by ESPN's Salvador Rodriguez) ... and it's a fight Billy Joe has wanted for months!!

In fact, the reigning WBO super middleweight champion came into the TMZ office back in November to shoot an episode of "TMZ Sports: Roundtable" ... and told us why he's supremely confident he can beat the Mexican superstar.

"He's a real good fighter, he's done brilliant things for boxing," Saunders told us ... "I just think I've got the keys to his locker."

"If he beats me, I'll shake his hand and say you're the better man, but I know I'll beat him."

At the time, Saunders -- who was sitting with his promoter, Eddie Hearn -- said he doesn't care about the money, he's a competitor who wants to prove he's the best in the world.

"Let me win and keep the money," Saunders said ... "You let me win and keep the money. That's how much I want to beat him."

Canelo is one of the top fighters in all of combat sports and arguably the biggest draw -- coming off a spectacular violent KO of Russian stud Sergey Kovalev back in Nov.

Couples that train together ... kick ass together???

That's clearly the case for Russell Wilson and his wifey, Ciara ... 'cause the two lovebirds got after it in a boxing workout Wednesday!!!

"Training with my lady," Wilson said of the sparring highlights. "We will whoop dat..."

Ciara and the Seattle Seahawks QB have been awfully cozy this off-season ... ever since the "Level Up" singer announced she was pregnant with the couple's second child together.

Remember, we got them out in West Hollywood on a date night just last month ... with Russ sporting a sweet hairdo and Ciara looking smitten.

But, the NFL superstar ditched the long locks for some boxing gloves this week ... and we gotta say, dude looked pretty good on the bag!

As for Ciara ... she kicked ass too!!

By the way, Russ said it wasn't all intensity during their sweat sesh ... saying, "Also, I think I may have let one go while swinging #GasMask"

"Sometimes I feel like a bitch because I don't want that person to come out ... 'cause if he comes out hell is coming with him."

That's Mike Tyson getting extremely emotional talking about the monster he used to be -- and although Mike says he's a changed man, he's deathly afraid of relapsing.

The boxing legend opened up with Sugar Ray Leonard on the "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast ... saying he felt "empty" after his boxing career wrapped up.

"I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared, that’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that’s all I was born for," Mike said.

"Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing."

"I’m working on being the art of humbleness. That’s the reason I’m crying, 'cause I’m not that person no more, and I miss him."

Tyson continued, "And, it’s not funny at all. It's not cool like I’m a tough guy. It’s just that I hate that guy, I’m scared of him."

53-year-old Tyson says Leonard knew him back in his heyday -- and knows that he's changed his life -- but it's been a challenging process to get to where he is now.

Great news from Leon Spinks' corner ... the Hall of Fame boxer is at home and recovering after a serious health scare in December.

As we previously reported ... 66-year-old Spinks -- who famously beat Muhammad Ali in '78 -- was fighting for his life after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, which spread to his bladder.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Spinks has made tremendous improvement and doctors recently cleared him to leave the hospital, which is a big deal considering how serious the situation was.

“Leon is home from the hospital and is slowly relearning his daily routine and getting physical therapy a few times a week," Spinks' rep tells us.

"He is in great spirits and has received an outpouring of love these past few months."

Matter of fact, Spinks tuned in to the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight alongside family and friends at his home last weekend ... and loved what he saw!!

"Leon thinks the heavyweight division of boxing is in great hands in the future with these two stars as well as guys like Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz who continue to put on great performances.”

Spinks is even getting back to work by doing a private autograph session with Inscriptagraphs in April ... where fans can get him to sign a bunch of awesome memorabilia.

Deontay Wilder might want to pick up the phone and call Floyd Mayweather -- because TBE just suggested he could help Deontay beat Tyson Fury ... if Floyd trains him!

Mayweather was speaking at an event in Manchester, England over the weekend when he was asked straight-up -- "Do you think Wilder will win in a rematch with Fury?"

Floyd responded, "If I train him! If I train him, I can teach him how to win!"

Floyd has been especially supportive of Deontay after the Bronze Bomber lost that Feb. 22 heavyweight fight with Tyson Fury.

"Win, Lose or Draw ... Deontay is our brother that has accomplished many triumphs and as a community we should all uplift and support him throughout it all," Mayweather posted on social media.

"No matter what, you're still a winner in my eyes, King!"

Wilder has exercised his rematch clause with Fury and is expected to get back in the ring for a 3rd fight with the Gypsy King on July 18 in Las Vegas.

Wilder has been catching flack for suggesting his 45-pound ring entrance costume had a lot to do with his poor performance against Fury ... after he claimed the weight of the outfit burned out his legs.

Over the weekend, Wilder posted a new video assuring his fans he's doing okay now -- and he's laser-focused on defeating Fury.

Will he strike a deal to train with Floyd? They do have a connection ... Wilder is managed by Al Haymon, Floyd's business partner.

Dana White hates the idea of a costume party before a big fight -- which is why he won't allow UFC fighters to play dress-up like Deontay Wilder did at the Tyson Fury fight.

The UFC honcho thinks Deontay's decision to rock a 45-pound costume during his ring walk was ill-informed ... but says ya can't blame the whole loss on the outfit -- give credit to Fury!

"I think there's a lot to it. Fury looked awesome," White says ... "Fury fought a perfect fight. But, if you think about boxing and fights when fighters are getting ready, they're in the back. They're relaxing. Some guys sleep. Some guys just lay around and chill. Then you get up, you time it out, do your warm-up. Then you throw something on to stay warm. You don't put all this gear on and all this stuff. That's why I don't do any of that bulls**t in the UFC. I don't like it. I don't like any of that."

But, is the costume the reason Wilder lost? No.

"The reason he lost is 'cause Fury is a bad-ass boxer, and he fought the perfect fight that night and executed his game plan."

As for Fury, who has previously teased a possible MMA fight at some point in his career -- White says, "I'm interested in the future of Tyson Fury in all combat sports!"

"I'm excited to see him no matter where he goes. If he wants to fight in the UFC, I would love it. I'm excited to see what's next for him in boxing."

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he's down to fight Floyd Mayweather ... but The Eagle is floating the idea of a mixed boxing/MMA match!!

"Like maybe 11 rounds boxing, 1 round MMA," Khabib tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, Khabib and Floyd have flirted heavily with the idea of a fight for years ... with Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, telling us TBE has been "begging" for a scrap.

In fact, Ali says they even got a $100 MILLION offer from some powerful Saudis to put on the fight in the Middle East!!

But, talks haven't advanced between the two sides ... and when we asked Khabib about it this week -- he says it's because he straight-up doesn't want a boxing-only matchup.

"If he want to fight, come to UFC!" Khabib says. "This is real fight. You know, I'm not boxer. I'm not, like, just wrestler. I'm MMA fighter."

If the two somehow do agree to a bout ... Khabib is VERY confident he'll emerge victorious -- insisting 43-year-old Floyd is just too damn old.

"He almost like my father's age, you know?" Khabib says. "I don't understand how I'm going to punch his face."

Seems a Dominick Reyes vs. Jon Jones rematch is on the horizon -- with UFC honcho Dana White saying DR earned a second crack at Jon after that legendary battle in Feb.

Oh, and another clue a rematch is in the works ... Dana had lunch with Dom's manager Tiki Ghosn in Bev Hills and yeah, they were definitely talking business!

Of course, Jon emerged victorious in his UFC 247 fight with Reyes -- though a bunch of fans and fight experts think the judges got it all wrong by giving Jones the unanimous decision.

So, what's the best way to settle things once and for all? LET 'EM RUN IT BACK!

Dana seems to be on board ... telling us, "I think [Reyes deserves a rematch]. You'd be crazy not to think he deserves a rematch."

Ghosn added, "I think there's a very good chance of that!"

As for Jones, he's got options -- but he seems to be the most interested in a fight with light heavyweight contender Jan Blachowicz.

There's more with Dana ... we also talked to the UFC boss about everything from Conor McGregor's next fight and a possible Khabib vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match.

Jussie Smollett's alleged attacker may not have done much damage to the actor on the streets of Chicago, but he keeps racking up knockouts in the ring.

Abel Osundairo was a featured fighter in the 11th Annual Fights Amateur Boxing Tournament at the Belvedere Events Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame was behind the event.

Dude strolled into the ring and it was no contest ... 'cause after feeling out his opponent in the first 18 seconds, Abel unleashed his vicious jab and strong left hook to smother his opponent. Watch ... with less than a minute and a half left into the round, Abel traps him on the ropes and knocks him out with a powerful right hook. And just like that, it was over.

After the match ... Abel -- with his brother, Ola, in tow as a guest -- were all smiles posing for pics with boxing Hall of Famers Larry "The Easton Assassin" Holmes and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.

BTW ... Abel's no stranger to knocking out opponents in the first round. He built a solid boxing reputation doing just that when he entered -- AND WON -- the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament.

Deontay Wilder is NOT firing the design team behind the 45-pound costume he wore at the Tyson Fury fight ... in fact, Wilder has already hit them up to work on his next outfit!!

It's a shocking move considering Wilder blamed the elaborate costume for playing a key role in his loss to Fury -- claiming the battery-powered, jewel-encrusted suit was so heavy, it zapped the energy from his legs before the fight even started!

Here's how Wilder broke it down after the fight ...

"I knew I didn’t have the legs because of my uniform. I was only able to put it on [for the first time] the night before, but I didn’t think it was going to be that heavy. It weighed 40, 40-some pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month. I wanted it to be good and I guess I put that before anything."

But, if you expected Wilder to cut ties with the Los Angeles-based company behind the costume -- Cosmo’s Glamsquad -- THAT AIN'T HAPPENING!

Cosmo Lombino and Donato Crowley spoke with CBS42 and claimed it was Deontay who reached out to them after the fight to talk about his NEXT costume!

"Deontay Wilder called me at home last night," Crowley said ... "We had an extensive, honest conversation that put confusion and rumors to rest."

Cosmo said Deontay told him he considers the designers "family" and was "very clear that he looks forward to future collaborations."

And, after they talked things out ... "The subject of the call then turned to ‘Wilder v Fury III."

For the record, Wilder has worked with Cosmo for a BUNCH of his pre-fight costumes and has always been super happy with the results.

Guessing the next design meeting will be focused around style and HOW TO MAKE THE COSTUME WAY LESS HEAVY!!!

Chad Johnson is getting a TKO even before his "Battle of the Bachelors" boxing match, because organizers want nothing to do with an alleged domestic violence abuser.

TMZ has learned Chad, the bad boy from JoJo's season of "The Bachelorette," just got axed from next month's fight for charity at SoCal's Commerce Casino. Hearts Entertainment is putting on the event and its CEO, Bruce Thomas, tells us, "In no way shape or form do we condone the type of behavior Chad Johnson's been accused of."

TMZ broke the story ... Chad was busted Monday night following a heated argument with his GF, Annalise Mishler. She alleges things got physical, and responding cops say they found visible red marks on her face.

Johnson was arrested for felony domestic violence and also robbery ... for allegedly snatching Annalise's phone while she called 911.

He's admitted on camera to getting heated, throwing a phone and punching a hole in Annalise's wall -- but he denies getting physical with her.

Just last week Chad was at a boxing gym prepping to be the main event, and talking major smack ... even though he didn't yet have an opponent for the April 23 bout.

We're told the new main event is 'Bachelorette' fan favorites, Robby Hayes and Luke Pell ... who are also alums from JoJo's season.

Even though Johnson's out, we're told proceeds will now be split between Safe Horizon -- a domestic violence victims group -- and the event's original charity, the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation.

It was a regular Wednesday afternoon in the life of Floyd Mayweather ... which means he hit up a high-end sneaker shop in NYC and dropped an INSANE amount of dough.

The boxing superstar and his entire crew dropped by Flight Club near Union Square Park and you already know TBE didn't leave empty-handed.

Check out the video ... Floyd walks out of the store followed by his bodyguards -- one carrying what appears to be 8 bags.

We're told Mayweather copped several pairs of sneaks -- including multiple pairs of rare Nike Air Force 1's -- coming in at a combined price tag of $11,000.

Obviously, these aren't your normal $90 dollar AF1's ... these are special and hard to get.

So, why the huge haul? We're told Floyd has new TMT sweatsuits that are dropping soon ... and he wanted to get coordinating kicks.

$11k might sound like a lot of money ... and it is. Unless you're Floyd ... who according to Forbes, made almost a billion dollars last decade.

Give me 10 pairsssssssssssss 💸 ... you know you were thinkin' it.

Remember the guy who split Tyson Fury's face in half back in Sept. and came thiiiis close to upsetting the Gyspy King?

That fighter is Otto Wallin -- and he tells TMZ Sports he did a MUCH better job fighting Tyson Fury than Deontay Wilder and deserves a rematch before Wilder gets his 3rd crack.

"I'm the guy who landed the most punches on Fury, ever," Wallin tells us ... "I cut him. I gave him 2 cuts. One above the eye, one on the eyelid, and it was a grueling fight."

"He had to really dig deep to get the win in our fight. It was a good fight, good performance by me. Good performance by Fury."

Wallin is right -- he battered Fury so effectively, the ringside doctor almost stopped the fight because the gashes on Tyson's face were so big and bloody ... there was concern about longterm damage.

After they fought, Fury admitted he "couldn't see" out of his left eye for the majority of their fight.

In the end, the fight was decided by the judges and Fury won by unanimous decision -- resulting in Wallin's first-ever pro defeat.

Wallin believes he DESERVES a rematch simply because he came MUCH closer to defeating Fury than Wilder ... telling us, "It would be awesome to get another shot. And I think I can do better."

Wallin was a 10-1 underdog going into that fight -- but his performance was widely praised by boxing critics. He's set to fight Lucas Browne on March 28th and a dominant victory could put him back in the mix for a title shot.

Tyson Fury has finally returned home to England ... and turned the airport into a nightclub!!!

There were HUNDREDS of fans lined up to greet the 31-year-old heavyweight champ at Manchester Airport on Tuesday morning ... including a DJ who pumped music to the pumped-up crowd.

Fury LOVED IT -- and played along to the crowd as he continued to celebrate his victory over Deontay Wilder.

Tyson had a few marks on his face -- but overall, he looked pretty good ... much better than his last fight anyway (remember, they had to sew his face shut after that gnarly gash).

"Thank you, everybody, for coming to support me," Fury told the crowd ... "God bless!"

Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder has said he wants a 3rd crack at Fury and will exercise the rematch clause in his contract.

No word on when that will take place -- but whenever it happens, ya gotta think Wilder will cool it on the ring walkout costume next time around ... maybe get carried to the stage like Tyson!

Don McLean says he saw Tyson Fury sing his #1 song, "American Pie," after beating Deontay Wilder in Vegas Saturday night ... and tells TMZ Sports he thought it was AWESOME!!!

After Fury got the TKO against Wilder in the 7th round, he took the mic during the post-fight interview and said, "I said I'd sing a song tonight didn't I?!" ... and delivered his version of McLean's 1971 classic "American Pie!"

"He did very well," McLean tells us, "I would say he's the #1 bar room singer. Excellent job!"

McLean says he was even more ecstatic when the WHOLE CROWD joined the new heavyweight champ ..and they also KILLED IT -- word for word!

"The thing that knocked me out was that everybody, all the old folks, young folks, everybody knew all the words. Kind of a thrill for me to see that!"

And, he hopes Fury does it again 'cause he's down to get in the ring and sing with him ..."That would be fun!"

"I'm looking forward to hear him do it again and winning again!"

McLean is actually on tour right now, so we asked since Fury got some time now, if he can join him ... and ya gotta hear what he says!

Deontay Wilder wants ONE MORE SHOT at Tyson Fury ... so says his fiancee, Telli Swift, who's vowing the Bronze Bomber will be champion again.

Of course, 34-year-old Wilder lost the WBC heavyweight title to the Gypsy King on Saturday in a 7th round TKO. It was the first loss of Wilder's pro career.

Wilder has a rematch clause in his contract and everyone wants to know if Deontay will exercise it.

Now, some clarity courtesy of Deontay's fiancee -- who posted on Monday morning, "#WilderFury3 here we come!!"

Telli Swift buried the statement at the bottom of a long Instagram post praising Wilder -- in which she explains why she's confident he'll return to the top of the boxing world.

"Deontay, you showed us what Strength, Passion, and Courage looks like. You showed the world what it takes to Be A Champion."

"Most people have no idea just how hard you train, the blood, sweat, and tears you put into this sport for other people’s entertainment ... One moment in time does not define your legacy, your legacy is created throughout time and we will continue to do just that."

Swift ended her tribute saying "Continue to give god the glory so we can get back our belt!  #WilderFury3 here we come!! #thesagacontinues #stillourchamp #bombzquad."

And, get this ... BEFORE the fight, we asked Tyson Fury how he felt about a 3rd bout with Wilder -- and the comments he gave us are encouraging if you're hoping for a trilogy.