Boxing

Mike Tyson is not letting his airplane beatdown stop him from talking to a bunch of bigwigs in the weed biz at an industry event ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources say Tyson is slated to speak at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Afterparty at LIV in Miami at around 8 PM ET on Thursday night ... despite bloodying a man in an altercation on a plane in San Francisco on Wednesday night.

What's interesting ... Tyson was initially scheduled to talk at the Cannabis Capital Conference -- an event for those in the weed industry -- at 12:05 p.m. ET with Ric Flair, but event organizers told conference-goers Mike had to cancel on that "due to a flight change."

No word on if Tyson will address the plane incident at the afterparty ... or stick strictly to marijuana talk.

As we reported, Tyson was captured on video throwing a flurry of punches at a man on a plane at SFO on Wednesday after the passenger had appeared to annoy him.

Footage shows following the blows, the man was bleeding from his forehead. A witness on the plane told us the man required medical attention and went to the police.

For his part, sources close to Tyson claim the man was extremely intoxicated ... and wouldn't stop provoking the boxer prior to the outburst.

Oscar De La Hoya is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman on two occasions ... with the former co-worker alleging the boxing star brutalized her, causing "severe physical and emotional damage" that plagues her to this day.

But, the boxing Hall of Famer is adamantly denying the claims ... accusing the woman of being nothing more than a bitter employee who was fired.

"Unfortunately, with the twenty-four-hour news cycle, we find ourselves today, more often than not, as the recipient of vindictive and unjust accusations that are interpreted and spread as truth -- without any evidence to support erroneous claims," Oscar's rep told TMZ Sports in a statement.

As for the explosive allegations ... they're part of a larger lawsuit -- initially filed by Casa Mexico Enterprises -- where 49-year-old De La Hoya is a business partner.

ODLH's accuser was sued by Casa Mexico ... before filing a countersuit where she revealed the disturbing claims.

The accuser says she was on a work trip with Oscar and others at the company distillery in Mexico in March 2020. She says while fast asleep, someone began banging on her door. She says she got up and opened the door, only to find ODLH standing there with his pants around his ankles. She claims Oscar pushed his way past her and got into her bed.

The accuser states she got Oscar out of her bed, and back into his own room ... before returning to her room for the night.

However, the next morning she claims she was tasked with waking Oscar up ... and that's when she says things took a turn for the worst.

The alleged victim says she knocked on the door, but didn't get a response. She went inside the room. Once inside, the woman claims Oscar "subsequently pulled [name withheld] into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her."

The lawsuit makes no mention of the woman going to law enforcement ... or alerting Casa Mexico execs.

Unfortunately, the woman says the abuse didn't end there.

Sometime after the Mexico trip, the woman says she went to dinner with work colleagues, including Oscar, before returning to his home after eating.

The woman claims Oscar "revealed and retrieved a sexual object from a stored collection in his house" and "forcibly inserted the sexual object into" the alleged victim's body.

At that point, the woman says she alerted Don Buccio, the Casa Mexico founder, but she says no action was taken.

Despite the serious allegations, De La Hoya believes his name will be cleared.

Logan Paul continues to cut his ties to L.A. ... selling his mansion for $7.405 million.

Real estate sources tell TMZ the deal was finalized Wednesday for the 7-bedroom, 6-bathroom, 7,667-square-foot home which is set behind a private gate comes with a massive yard, wine cellar, and a billiards room.

The new owners will be able to enjoy a large pool, plenty of lounge and entertaining space, an outdoor Grotto kitchen and a detached guest house with a full bedroom, bathroom, and complete view of the property.

Logan bought the house in 2017 for $6.6 million and remastered and renovated the pad while living in it. While the profit isn't as big as he first wanted -- he listed it for $8.995M -- $1M turnaround ain't bad.

We broke the story ... Logan's house hit the market last November. Paul has been very vocal in the last couple years about his desire to move to Puerto Rico for financial reasons.

Amir Khan is providing a blow-by-blow of the terrifying moment thieves stuck guns in his face and stole his luxury watch -- while his wife watched from just feet away -- telling TMZ Sports "it's the first time I ever had a gun literally pointed at my face."

We talked to the 35-year-old former boxing champion a day after his night out on the town with wife Faryal Makhdoom nearly turned deadly ... and asked the former boxing champion about the life-altering experience.

"In the UK, I mean the law is quite strong where hardly anyone, even the police, don't really carry guns," Amir explained, exasperated.

"So, it was quite shocking to see a gun pointed at me. And you could see that they were young. They seemed a bit nervous, and he kept saying to me, 'take off your watch.'"

We asked Amir, who had just finished eating in a restaurant about 45 minutes outside of London, if he believed the lick was somehow an inside job.

"Yeah, definitely. Obviously, I was in a restaurant taking pictures with a lot of people. I've never said no for a picture whenever someone wants to come for a picture," Khan said, explaining someone may have spotted the wristwatch and knew it was worth a pretty penny.

"Someone must've recognized that watch. I was wearing a really expensive watch which is worth like maybe $100,000. I think that news must've traveled a little bit. So, I do think that somehow it was set up. Maybe the news just went to the wrong people, and they knew I had a watch there."

We asked Khan -- who has some of the most dangerous hands in the world -- if he considered launching a counter-ambush and attempting to disarm the thieves.

Amir says the thought crossed his mind.

"I'm a fighter. There was a time I thought, he had the pistol and I can just move the pistol to the side and hit him. I know I would've hurt the guy."

But, he felt with two gunmen, and Faryal only feet away, the risk was too high.

"The only thing that stopped me was having my wife not far from me, behind me. Even if he shot the gun and even if it didn't hit me, it could've hit someone else."

After the robbery, Amir, as you'd expect, called the cops ... who immediately launched an investigation. We asked him if the police had any leads or suspects.

"The last time I spoke to them was obviously after the interview I had and they said that they saw where the car went, and they've got the car in that radius -- they've got the cameras around that car."

So far, Khan hasn't heard of any arrests that have been made.

Perhaps the saddest part about the story ... Amir, who grew up in Manchester, says he no longer feels secure in one of the world's most popular cities.

"I don't feel safe. I'm in the city London which is obviously a very well known town and everyone loves London. Now, after I was robbed, you start hearing all the stories or you start reading up on all the robberies that have happened. I mean, it's quite regularly happening," Khan says.

Jake Paul flipped men's boxing on it's head ... and now he's doing the same for the women, telling TMZ Sports stars Amanda Serrano AND Katie Taylor will both make OVER $1 MILLION when they fight next month, and the Problem Child believes it could be the "biggest fight of the year," man or woman.

"The history that this is making. First time women have ever headlined Madison Square Garden, which is massive, and two of the pound-for-pound best going at it, this is what boxing needs more of. I am counting down the days," Jake told us.

Serrano -- who fights for Jake's Most Valuable Promotions -- is 42-1-1. Taylor is 20-0. The women, along with Claressa Shields, are considered the three best active female boxers alive.

Typically, women's boxing hasn't received anywhere near the interest the men have ... but that's something Jake sees changing.

"I think it will shine a light that women boxing is just as good as men boxing. I think that's been a stigma for so long. 'Oh we don't wanna see that, we don't wanna see it. It's not as fun.' No! These women are awesome, they're legit, they are savages and you're gonna see a war April 30, and I think this is gonna open up a lot of doors for women's boxing in general."

It's not just eyeballs and media attention that are sometimes lacking when it comes to women's boxing ... there's also a pay disparity. But, Paul says Amanda and Katie are gettin' PAAIIIID.

"They're both getting 7-figure payday which is unprecedented and will knock down so many doors for the women that deserve this pay over the next couple of years. This is just historic for the sport in general."

And, JP's prediction for the scrap?

If Jake and Logan Paul make the switch from boxing to MMA, they could go up against some of the biggest talent in the game -- so says Bellator CEO Scott Coker, who tells us they could fight some Top 10 guys in his promotion!!

Of course, Coker has previously said he's had ongoing dialogue with the internet superstars ... and when we spoke with him at a Bellator event at the Grammy Museum last week, he gave us an update on their status.

"We've had convos with [Logan] and Jake about, 'What does MMA mean to you guys,' and 'What do you guys wanna do?'" Coker told us. "There's ongoing dialogue, but if they wanna really get down and get serious, we'll bring them in. Sure, why not."

Coker says Jake and Logan are great athletes who are still learning and getting better ... adding he warned people of their potential.

"When they started boxing two years ago," Coker said, "I told people don't underestimate these guys, because they're gonna get better and better and better."

He continued ... "It's just a matter of them training and practicing. If they get into a gym like [American Kickboxing Academy] with Javier Mendez ... talk to me in a year, man."

Jake and Logan still have their fair share of haters as they continue to transition from social media stars to real fighters ... but Coker applauds the brothers' work ethic.

"I'm impressed with how much they've grown over the last two years, and if they have their mind made up, I think they can come get into it."

The Bellator boss says he wouldn't put the Paul bros. against a current champion or an experienced MMA fighter just yet ... but with enough training and hard work, he believes they could fight someone ranked in the top 10.

As for his message to the Paul Bros??

Dana White says he's hoping to get Jon Jones back in the Octagon this summer ... telling TMZ Sports a fight against former heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic is an obvious move.

Bones hasn't fought since February 2020, when he beat Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision at UFC 247.

We talked to the UFC boss about the superstar's future recently ... and it sounds like this year's International Fight Week is going to be an absolute banger.

"Listen, people have been talking about how awesome this card is, and I was just telling somebody the other day our lineup for this summer is incredible," White said.

"I'm hoping that Jon Jones is gonna be a part of that lineup this summer."

We followed up and asked if this meant we could see Jon take on Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic ... and fans of the former champ out of Ohio are gonna be excited.

"Yeah, Stipe makes sense."

As for another UFC legend -- Conor McGregor -- Dana says he's not going to consider giving him a fight until he's 100% and cleared ... and that hasn't happened yet.

It's been nearly four years since Cris Cyborg lost to Amanda Nunes ... but she STILL wants her revenge -- telling TMZ Sports she's still gunning for a rematch with The Lioness.

Cyborg initially lost to the UFC legend in December 2018 -- and she's clearly not over it ... explaining to us out at LAX that she'd love to get another crack.

The 36-year-old says she initially wanted to run things back right after the fight 3.5 years ago -- but wasn't able to make it happen.

Now, she tells us she's down to get it done in any way -- even if that means making the fight happen on their own.

In the meantime, Cyborg is set to square off with Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23 ... and she says she's excited to try to get the win even though she's already beaten Blencowe back in Oct. 2020.

As for how much longer Cyborg plans to fight ... she tells us she's still planning to be around for a while -- hoping to get three more years in.

Boxer Chris van Heerden is fighting undefeated rising star, Conor Benn, in the U.K. Saturday afternoon ... but the vet isn't content with being Benn's 21st victim, he's looking to shock the boxing world and emerge victorious.

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old van Heerden (28-2-1-1, 12 KO's) in Los Angeles days before he hopped on a plane and headed across the pond for one of the toughest matchups in his long career.

We asked Chris if he felt confident he'd beat Benn.

"Hell yeah, man. You know what, we're goin' to Manchester, I know we're going to a hostile crowd. I'm excited," Chris says.

"We're talking about 20,000 people in the AO Arena. I'm going to London with one thing on my mind and that's to get the victory. I want to upset him, you know? Conor Benn 20-0."

Benn -- who was born in London -- is only 25 years old. He's ranked 5th in the welterweight division. There's been talk of him being ready to take on the likes of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence. Conor is also the son of former champ, Nigel Benn.

In the week leading up to the fight, Conor has talked about being ready to face the top fighters in the division ... but Chris -- the first southpaw CB will fight -- believes Benn hasn't faced any tough competition thus far.

"Who has he fought? Who has he fought? He hasn't really fought anybody, but much respect. I've gotta task on my hands that I know I can successfully accomplish so we're going to bring the heat to the U.K."

How does he see himself getting his arm raised?

Well, hell has officially frozen over and pigs are flying ... 'cause the long-standing feud between Oscar De La Hoya and Dana White could be coming to an end after the boxing legend told us he wanted to patch up his relationship with the UFC president.

TMZ Sports talked to De La Hoya and his girlfriend Holly Sonders outside the Christian Louboutin store in Beverly Hills ... when the conversation turned to Las Vegas, and eventually the UFC honcho.

"I wanna fix things up with Dana."

You probably know ... Dana and Oscar pretty much hate each other's guts. They've both gone back and forth, verbally eviscerating each other in the process.

"I criticized the UFC a bit and I was wrong for it but yeah, I would love to patch things up with Dana and Mayweather."

It's gotten personal -- very personal -- between the men over the years (search YouTube) ... but it's clear Oscar had a change of heart and wants to squash the beef.

ODLH says he's building a house with Holly in Sin City (which happens to be Dana's backyard, where he lives and runs the UFC ... and actually wants to work with White as business partners.

"I have some big plans for Vegas."

As for Floyd Mayweather ... TBE and Floyd previously fought each other in 2007, where Mayweather won by split decision. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy, Oscar's promotion, also worked together for years.

Question is ... after all the barb's back-and-forth, will Dana and/or Floyd be open to the peace talks??

Errol Spence is putting all his belts on the line Saturday night when he steps in the ring with Yordenis Ugas ... but it's the guy the undefeated boxing star wants next that'll be music to fan's ears -- Terence Crawford!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the champ ahead of his unification bout against 27-4 (12 KOs) Ugas ... his first fight since he had surgery on a retinal tear in his left eye in 2021.

"I'm 100% healthy and 100% ready," Spence tells us.

"My message to anyone doubting, please tune in. Even if you wanna see me lose, please tune in, watch the fight."

But, don't count on that L ... 'cause the 27-0 (21 KOs) boxer says he's taking home the win -- the only question is whether he can turn Ugas' lights out.

"Hopefully I can get the knockout but if I can't, I'll take the victory," Spence says.

"Definitely in the back of my mind to get the knockout"

Spence tells us right after this bout, he's coming for Crawford's WBO welterweight belt  -- one of the most highly sought-after fights among boxing fans.

"That's the fight I feel like only makes sense because it would just be one belt left," Spence says.

"That's the next fight I'll be campaigning for."

But first, Spence has to win this weekend.

And, this bout's even more special because it's at AT&T Stadium ... in his home state of Texas. The mayor of Dallas even proclaimed April 16 "Errol 'The Truth' Spence Jr. Day."

"It's dope, man," Spence said, "I've never had my own day in Dallas and just fortunate that it's gonna be on April 16th when I gain another title, too."

It's also just his second bout since his 2019 car crash that nearly took his life ... which we learned wasn't the only crash Errol got into. Spence says he was involved in a second accident (his insurance company is the only one who has successfully dropped Errol).

Kamaru Usman -- the UFC welterweight champ and top pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world -- is breaking his silence on (likely) future opponent Khamzat ... telling TMZ Sports, he's down to fight Chimaev, but it's gonna cost him that undefeated record!

"I've never had a doubt that I can and will or would beat anyone in the world," Usman plainly told us when we asked if he had any uncertainty that he could beat Khamzat after watching the Burns fight.

It's the first time the 34-year-old star -- who hasn't lost in nearly a decade -- has talked about Chimaev, who is now the #3 ranked UFC welterweight, since UFC 273.

Prior to the fight, Khamzat had literally been hit a grand total of one time during his four UFC fights. However, that all changed when Burns put a hurtin' on Chimaev, landing over 100 strikes during their three-round brawl which KC won by unanimous decision.

We asked Usman if he saw any weaknesses he could take advantage of in Chimaev's game.

"Absolutely. That's what I'm supposed to do. That's my job. That's just how I roll, what I do. I dissect each and every situation all the time, and I definitely did in that fight. But, there were a lot of things there that I knew were present all along."

Holes in his game aside, Kamaru isn't downplaying Chimaev's accomplishments, admitting he's been pretty impressive.

"This kid has done a good job going out there and defeating the #2 guy in the division. So, yeah, if that's the next fight after Edwards, then that's the next fight. But, Edwards is our focus right now," Usman says.

FYI, Kamaru and #2 ranked Leon Edwards are supposed to fight sometime this year ... though contracts haven't yet been signed.

And, whenever the Chimaev fight makes sense, Usman is ready to roll.

"I'm just focused on the next one, and if it's Edwards, so be it, I'll be prepared, I'll be ready to go in there and do what I do best."

"If it's Chimaev, I'll be ready to do what I do best. If it's the little Irish guy [Conor McGregor], I'll be ready to do what I do. That's why you're given the title of pound-for-pound best."

Chris Rock's younger brother wants to do more than slap Will Smith ... he wants to lace up the gloves and climb into the ring for a boxing match!!!

CR's brother, Kenny, just signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman for a fight this summer down in Florida ... but he doesn't have an opponent yet, and he's calling out Will.

Kenny says the size difference wouldn't be an issue for him ... even though Will's taller and once played Muhammad Ali on the big screen ... he's confident he could score a victory over the Oscar-winner.

Remember ... Kenny slammed Will for slapping his brother at the Academy Awards, and now it sounds like he wants to take things to the next level and get physical.

The clock's ticking on Kenny to find an opponent, be it Will or some other celeb ... he's scheduled to fight June 11 at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, FL.

Gilbert Burns wants a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev!

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Burns -- the first time the UFC star has broken his silence since leaving the Octagon after losing a 3-round decision at UFC 273 -- and chopped it up about everything from a rematch, what it was fighting Khamzat, to how Chimaev would fare against champ Kamaru Usman (Burns is the only person to face both).

Oh, and Gilbert is also interested in scrapping with Nate Diaz ... if that rematch with Borz isn't immediate.

Full Interview ⬇️⬇️⬇️

But, first ... we asked Gilbert if he won the fight (technically, all three judges scored the fight for Khamzat, but the fight was razer close), and that's when he called for the rematch.

"I believe it was super close. I don't want to take nothing away from Khamzat, he was a warrior in there, too. I just believe we are not done. We have to do this again."

Burns later continued ... "Even if I think it's fair, wasn't fair, I don't want to take no credit from those 15 minutes. It was genuine, it was a lot of heart, it was a lot of intensity, intimacy, I don't want to take nothing away from that."

"I think the judges do whatever they have to do, but I'm just thinking we aren't done. Me and Khamzat have to see each other again. Somebody gotta go down next time, I don't care how many rounds we need in there."

We also asked GB what was it like to face MMA's boogeyman ... a guy many believed was indestructible.

As you may know ... Khamzat only absorbed one "significant" shot in his first four UFC fights. But, that was before he stepped in the cage with Gilbert ... who put 119 significant shots on Chimaev (KC landed 108 significant strikes).

So, what was it like to be in there with Khamzat??

"Definitely a lot of pop in his hands. That guy hits very hard. But like I said before, I have a ton of respect for this guy, but I don't see no Super Man. I don't see no murderer, no monster. I see a guy just like me with a lot of will, a lot of heart, trying to get a finish."

The UFC rankings came out on Tuesday, and Chimaev jumped from 11 to 3 (Gilbert went from 2 to 4). Prior to the fight, UFC prez Dana White told us he was eyeing a Khamzat vs. Colby Covington fight (#1 contender).

If Chimaev was able to beat Covington, it's all but guaranteed he'd get a fight with Usman.

So, as the only UFC fighter to face both Khamzat and Kamaru, we asked Burns who'd win.

"That would be a tough fight. I still think Kamaru hits harder. Kamaru put me out, you know? [Khamzat] hit me with everything and he didn't put me out."

"The difference as of right now, for sure, after these wars, that guy's gonna get better, I believe. The IQ of Kamaru Usman, if I gotta answer that question right now, will be the difference. Kamaru is a very intelligent and tested fighter. He's been in the wars, he's been against best guys around and I think Kamaru's MMA wrestling is better than Khamzat's. That's my takeaway."

Burns knows he likely won't get an immediate rematch with Chimaev ... so he has an alternative opponent in mind.

"I want a big fight. I know Nate Diaz need an opponent. I think that will be a crazy fight. I can put in the contract 'no takedown attempts.' Just stand up," Gilbert says.

Logan Paul is finally revealing how he broke his hand last year ... admitting it happened while drunkenly attempting to get the high score on an arcade boxing game.

TMZ Sports posted pics of Logan with a busted hand back in September ... but for the longest time, no one knew the 5 Ws and 1 H about the injury.

As it turns out, the Maverick was out on the town in Germany ... and when he came across an arcade punching bag at a bar, he grew determined to stroke his own "I'm a real boxer" ego and get the top score.

Logan says the bartender warned him beforehand about a column positioned right next to the game that has resulted in several broken hands in the past ... but he had his eyes set on his goal.

"I said, 'Guy, I'm a boxer,'" Logan said on his "Impaulsive" podcast. "I go, 'I'm not going to hit the f***ing wall.'"

Sure enough, on Logan's third and final attempt ... he gave himself a running start, wound up and his hand made solid contact with the Column of Doom ... shattering his paw in the process.

But, before he went to the hospital, Logan decided to record some epic #content ... showing off his bones and joking about trying the game one last time.

Eventually, Logan went to get checked out, where he learned he broke his third metacarpal -- which is located at the base of the middle finger.

The scary part -- Paul says he was told it's a career-ending injury for boxers.

"It was very hard to hear, it was very depressing -- especially when you're drunk, hearing things like this," Paul said.

But, Logan says he's recovered now and is already back to training ... and as he told us last month, he is planning to take a fight in 2022.

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya says Jake Paul isn't just great for the sport, but tells TMZ Sports the Problem Child could be a world champion fighter in the future.

"Let me tell you one thing about Jake Paul. He's the real deal. I'm gonna tell you that, with only four or five fights, and the way he's taking it serious," De La Hoya tells us.

"Jake Paul is the real deal. And I dare anyone who has boxing experience who has MMA experience to call him out, 'cause I'll tell you one thing, this guy can beat a lot of good champions, and even great champions."

Of course, 25-years-old Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) has only been boxing for a few years. But, despite the relative inexperience (many fighters started as young kids), most agree Jake's been incredibly impressive in the ring.

Over the course of his last 3 fights, Jake has beaten former MMA champ Ben Askren and future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley (twice) in the squared circle. He also beat former NBA star Nate Robinson in 2020 -- in what was his second pro scrap.

Jake hasn't made any bones about it ... he wants to continue stepping up in competition -- and that means facing experienced boxers.

"This is not a one-off, a two-off, a three-off, no. He wants to become a world champion. There's no way out of becoming a world champion. You have to fight the very best."

Just how far can Paul go? De La Hoya believes he could win belts.

"He's on his way to becoming a contender, and he's on his way to becoming a world contender, then a world champion."

There's more ... we also talked to ODLH about his star fighter, 23-year-old Ryan Garcia's return to the ring after a long layoff.

Ryan beat Emmanuel Tagoe by unanimous decision Saturday night ... after dropping and hurting the vet during their fight.

Who's next for Garcia?? Before the Tagoe bout, Oscar told us he was eyeing a fight with Ryan's rival, Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

De La Hoya lays out the blueprint ... one more fight for Ryan, sign Tank to Golden Boy Promotions, and make a super fight with Garcia and Davis!