Boxing

Adrian Peterson's transition from the football field to the boxing ring is clearly going just fine -- the former Vikings star showed this week he has a NASTY right hand, flattening a guy with it during a recent sparring sesh.

The 37-year-old posted a video of the impressive KO on Monday ... showing him crushing his opponent with a right that caught the man square in the jaw.

In the clip, you can see the dude hit the canvas almost as soon as the punch landed -- and he was so dazed from the blow, he couldn't immediately take Peterson's offer for help up.

Peterson seemingly threw up the vid as a message to Le'Veon Bell -- 'cause he captioned it, "September 10," AKA the date he and the former Steelers star will square off in the Social Gloves boxing event at Banc of California Stadium.

Bell got wind of the footage late Monday night -- and posted a tongue-in-cheek response, appearing to joke about how he was scared to fight Peterson now.

Of course, Bell has looked more than ready for the challenge in the last few weeks -- posting impressive sparring footage of his own.

Adrien Broner hasn't fought in a year-and-a-half -- a streak that was supposed to come to an end this Saturday -- but the 4-weight class world champ just announced he's struggling with his mental health, and is pulling out of the fight.

33-year-old Broner was scheduled to box 32-year-old Omar Figueroa Jr. on August 20 at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL. ... but early Monday morning, AB let the world know the fight's off.

"Man, I'm going thru a lot at this moment in my life but I ain't go give up I set some more goals and UI ain't stopping until I finish what I started but sorry to say this but I'm not fighting #August20th," Broner wrote.

Just hours before AB made the announcement, he was still promoting his Showtime fight on Instagram. But, early Monday morning, he decided to announce he was pulling out because he wasn't feeling full-strength ... and the boxing ring isn't a place for play.

"Sorry to all my fans but #MentalHealth is real and I’m not about to play inside the ring I’ve watched a lot of people die playing with they boxing career and that is something I won’t do just pray for me I love the sport of boxing to much to not give my all and I feel Like I came up short before because my mind wasn’t 100%," Adrien wrote.

Broner says he needs to change some stuff in his life before he takes another boxing match.

"I need to make some changes for the better instead of worrying about other people feelings and pleasing them when In all reality I have nothing to prove to nobody," AB wrote, adding, "I have to step back and overcome this obstacle before I go put my life on the line inside the square circle again I know I’m far from being finished with the sport SEE YALL SOON #Respectfully❤️ 🆎"

Unfortunately, this is the 2nd time AB and Figueroa -- a former lightweight champ with only 2 losses -- were supposed to fight ... before the bout was canceled. In 2018, Omar was forced to pull out with an injury.

As for Saturday's event ... we're told execs are working on finding a new opponent for Figueroa Jr., and with just a few days to work with, there's a good chance it'll be another fighter from the card.

New date, new place, same fights -- the Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib boxing match has officially been rescheduled for September 10 at Banc of California Stadium, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Social Gloves event -- which was originally set to happen at Crypto.com Arena on July 30 -- was pushed back due to issues with Gib getting medical clearance ... and the whole thing was close to getting scrapped altogether.

Luckily for fans, we are told the original card -- including the Adrian Peterson vs. Le'Veon Bell bout and Nick Young vs. Blueface fight -- is still intact ... so there's a lot to look forward to.

Speaking of Young, Swaggy P has been working out like crazy leading up to the fight ... and by looking at his training footage, it's clear he's taking this thing seriously.

Le'Veon is certainly giving it all he's got, too -- previously telling us he's fully focused on his boxing career.

Many men wish death upon 50 Cent, but Floyd Mayweather isn't one of them ... 'cause the rapper says they have officially squashed their longtime beef.

Remember, the two used to be really tight up until 2012 ... when Fiddy claimed TBE stiffed him out of $2 million used to kickstart his Money Team boxing promotion.

The feud went viral -- with Fif incessantly calling Mayweather out on social media, including a video challenging the boxing legend to read one page of a Harry Potter book on camera to prove he could read.

Despite the bad falling out, 50 says that's all water under the bridge now ... telling "The Breakfast Club" he made amends with Floyd at a comedy show in Vegas earlier this year.

50 says the two realized life is short and they have a ton of respect for each other's success ... and after he apologized, Floyd replied, "What took you so long?"

The make up was made official on social media on Sunday ... with 50 announcing Floyd would be attending his Tycoon Weekend comedy event.

Sorry boxing fans, a potential Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson exhibition is not happening ... The Real Deal tells TMZ Sports, it's just too late for the legends to square up again now.

Remember, Holyfield and Tyson were trying to set something up in the spring of 2021, but were so far apart in negotiations, they just couldn't come to an agreement.

When we saw Holyfield out at LAX this week -- we had to ask if there's been any movement on the front ... and he said, sadly, no.

"It's too late," the 59-year-old told us.

The two originally squared up back in 1996 and 1997 -- and both fights were epic (for various reasons) ... leading many to believe a third, less-serious tilt a couple decades later would be appealing.

Holyfield actually agreed ... but he added, "I'm done now."

The 59-year-old former boxing champ last fought in September 2021, losing an exhibition match against Vitor Belfort.

There may be just as many eyes on the crowd as on the ring when Teofimo Lopez steps into the squared circle this weekend, 'cause the former unified champ tells us some of the biggest stars in the world are attending his fight.

"I've been contacting everybody to let everyone know honestly we're gonna have Odell Beckham Jr. at the fight, we're gonna have Akon, Lil Wayne, I've been contacting everyone tryna have everyone come and support," 25-year-old Lopez tells TMZ Sports.

"It's all love and support at the end of the day and that's the type of man I am. I wanna let people know, I wanna show that I am that type of fighter, I am that guy. I'm the man of the hour, the man with the power, the man too sweet to be sour."

Lopez, who beat pound-for-pound king Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, snatching his three belts, lost to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021. It was the first loss of his career.

It'll be the first time Lopez has been back in a ring for a sanctioned fight following the loss ... and his opponent, Pedro Campa, is tough. The 30-year-old fighter has a 34-1-1 record with 23 knockouts.

Despite a tough challenger, Teofimo says he made changes to his team following the L, and he's ready to go.

"We had to cut a lot of people and bring some new people in just so we can what's the different environment that I need. My team now, it feels so more as a team, as a unit, as it should be," Lopez says.

And, Teo feels awesome.

"I'm feeling the greatest right now. What else can I say? Preparation went really well, push myself to the limits, man, to greater heights, and just seeing how much I can really handle. I think that overall it's been amazing."

In addition to the stars that'll be in the building, Oscar De La Hoya will also be in the building. But, this is a business trip for the legendary boxer. His fighter, Ryan Garcia, is a possible opponent for Lopez.

That's why Teofimo says he extended an invite to The Golden Boy.

"I actually invited Oscar De La Hoya a couple weeks before he decided to make that announcement so it's been on his mind," Lopez said, referencing ODLH telling the media he was going to scout TL.

But, Lopez isn't convinced Ryan actually wants to fight.

"If you're gonna call me out, better keep that same energy 'cause after Saturday night, I don't want them to make some excuse. If you're gonna talk about it, be about it. I've seen Ryan Garcia call out so many fighters and yet, has fought one of them. I don't believe anything until it's on contract and it's on paper."

"This is gonna be a billion-dollar company. I know it. I feel it."

That's Jake Paul proclaiming his new company, "Betr" -- aiming to not just turn the betting world on its head, but also sports media -- will one day be worth at least 10 figures.

TMZ Sports talked to the 25-year-old Problem Child and his partner Joey Levy ... who broke down the new venture.

"We announce our new company Betr which has two parts. One is sports betting and online casino and the other is a media content factory. We plan on taking over the sports world and changing it forever. Bringing new sports content," Jake told us.

Levy says Betr will focus on so-called "micro bets" ... which allows bettors to put money down on wagers during a game.

"We kind of view micro betting as the TikTok-ification of sports betting, and kind of like the final level of introducing instant gratification to the sports betting experience."

(Instead of betting on the Yankees to beat the Red Sox ... think putting money down on whether Gerrit Cole's next pitch is a strike.)

That's half of the new biz. The other part is Jake's show.

"We already got some big guests lined up for the next couple of weeks. Anyone from the heavyweight champions of the world in boxing to rappers. I'm bringing everyone on the show to talk about sports," Paul told us.

"I don't wanna do the long drawn-out sports show. I want it to be quick, easily digestible, you know, 20, 30, 40 minutes, and just fun. A fun sports show."

And, Paul says his show will be very different than any sports show that's existed in the past.

"These sports show hosts are stuck in their set, they can't get drunk and talk about sports, they can't curse even. How you supposed to talk sports without cursing? So that's where we're really changing the game."

The company has already raised $50 million ... with investments from some big celebs like Travis Scott and Ezekiel Elliott.

Jake Paul and KSI will finally step in the ring and squash their beef for good -- with the YouTubers-turned-fighters agreeing to a boxing match in 2023.

The two superstars aired out their negotiations via Twitter on Monday ... and they sound serious about making it happen.

"I’m gonna send you a contract," KSI tweeted at Jake. "We fight next year. Wembley Stadium. Winner of the fight takes all. 100% of the purse will be on the line."

"Put your money where your mouth is and let’s finally end this."

Jake was quick to reply ... saying he's "1,000%" down -- as long as KSI admits he's the inferior boxer right now.

"As of today in boxing you’re better," KSI clapped back. "Let’s run it bitch."

The history runs deep between the two -- remember, KSI first called out both Jake and Logan after his first win over Joe Weller in 2018 ... but the Problem Child ultimately took on his little brother, Deji, later that year.

Jake had previously talked about avenging KSI's win over Logan in 2019 ... but eventually went on to fight guys like Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Things got even more heated between the two this week ... with Jake and KSI barking at each other over their own boxing events' issues.

KSI -- who recently showed off his insane body transformation -- was slated to fight Alex Wassabi later this month, but will now go up against rapper Swarmz on Aug 27 ... despite Jake's offer to fight him on short notice.

If Jake Paul can't fight Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6, there's someone else willing to step in the ring in his place -- Hasim Rahman Sr.!!

That's right ... the 49-year-old, 2x heavyweight champion tells TMZ Sports he's down to fill in for Jr. and box the Problem Child.

Oh, and for good measure, he says he'll fight Logan, too ... same night.

"How about this?" Hasim says, "If somebody would sanction this, I will fight Jake and Logan back to back. We can go eight rounds a piece. Neither one of them will make eight rounds but we can sanction for eight rounds and I promise you, if I don't knock Jake and Logan out, they win."

Of course, Jake and Jr. were set to box Saturday at MSG ... but the fight was scrapped after Paul accused Rahman of ignoring their contractually agreed-upon weight limit.

Now, let's be honest ... two fights in one night ain't happening, but you get Hasim's point. He isn't all that impressed with what he's seen in the ring from the Paul bros.

In 2001, Rahman Sr. shocked the sports world when he knocked out one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, champ Lennox Lewis ... becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Throughout his career, Hasim racked up a 50-9-2 record with 41 KO's. He retired in 2014.

We also asked Rahman about the possibility Jake and his son could still fight another time ... and Hasim had a suggestion for ensuring the terms of the contract are followed.

"If the public demands it, both sides can put up a million dollars in escrow. That way we can be sure that ain't nobody gonna not make weight. If somebody miss weight, whatever the contractual demands are, they will be met or somebody gonna lose their million dollars."

So will it be Hasim Rahman Sr.? Rahman Jr.? Tommy Fury? Someone else? Stay tuned.

Hasim Rahman Jr. out -- Bola Osundairo in ... vs. Jake Paul?!

If one of the brothers who assisted Jussie Smollett in his hate crime hoax gets his way, that's exactly what'll happen ... 'cause Bola tells TMZ Sports he's ready to fight Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, as was originally scheduled.

“Do not cancel that fight Jake Paul. Fight me instead. I am ready to fight this Saturday," 28-year-old Bola said Monday afternoon.

The 2-0 pro fighter (who also had several amateur fights) tells us he's a superior fighter to both boxers Jake was set to scrap with August 6.

"I’m ready to fight. I’m better than Hasim Rahman Jr., or Tommy Fury. I’m actually ranked higher than Tommy Fury and he has 8 pro fights, and I have 2 pro fights. He’s ranked 340, I’m ranked 193."

23-year-old Fury -- Jake's original opponent -- dropped out of their fight after having Visa issues, leaving him unable to reach the U.S.

Of course, Bola was one of the two brothers who assisted Jussie in his hoax attack ... before cooperating with authorities. Smollett was ultimately convicted of 5 felonies.

In ways, the fight makes more sense than Rahman Jr., who's significantly bigger than Jake (Hasim previously fought weighing over 260 pounds). The fight fell apart over weight issues ... the 12-1 boxer wasn't going to be able to make 200 pounds, as was contractually obligated.

Bola is 6'1", 188 pounds ... virtually identical to the 6'1", 190 pounds that Paul weighs.

And, Osundairo says he's more well-known than Rahman Jr. ... so it'd be an even bigger draw.

"People know me. People know of me. I’m one of the Nigerian brothers involved in the Jussie case, the Jussie Smollett case. So it will sell, this fight will sell. People know me more than Hasim Rahman Jr. Nobody knows him outside of boxing."

Bola ended with a shot at Jake (and Jussie).

Jake Paul purposely ran away from his fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. ... so says the former boxing champ's son, who claims he easily could have made weight for their August 6 bout -- but the YouTube superstar got scared.

HRJ faced the music hours after Paul's Most Valuable Promotions announced the bout at Madison Square Garden was scrapped ... and he claims it's a sketchy situation.

Rahman claims he could've easily made weight for the fight ... but the Problem Child simply didn't want to risk losing.

HRJ says he "absolutely" could have made it to 205 pounds in order to make the fight happen ... but claims Jake's camp wouldn't let it happen.

Rahman has some words for Paul ... basically calling him a fraud and vowing to keep the YouTuber from ever claiming a real belt.

Jake Paul's boxing match against Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled, according to the Problem Child's boxing promotion, after the 12-1 fighter allegedly failed to meet contractual obligations tied to his weight.

Paul vs. Rahman Jr. was set to go down August 6 at Madison Square Garden in NYC ... but just one week before the highly anticipated scrap, Most Valuable Promotions announced the fight was off.

It all has to do with the weight of Hasim, who previously fought at heavyweight, weighing more than 260 pounds. For the fight with Jake, Rahman Jr. agreed to weigh a maximum of 200 pounds at weigh-ins, the day before the fight.

However, MPV says Rahman Jr. was obligated to show the NY state athletic commission officials he was losing weight in the lead-up to the fight, in an effort to prevent a big weight cut in an attempt to make 200 pounds.

Unfortunately, MVP says Hasim had lost less than one pound since signing the contract for the fight more than 3 weeks ago.

Due to this development, the athletic commission dictated the fight would be fought at 205 pounds instead. Paul -- who weighed in at 190 pounds for his second fight with Woodley -- says he agreed to the change.

But, MVP claims Rahman Jr. then demanded the match be fought at 215 pounds ... a huge jump from the originally agreed upon 200 pounds.

That's where Jake drew the line ... and that's why MVP says the fight isn't happening.

"MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner. Therefore, MVP is left no choice but to cancel the August 6th event. This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event," a statement released by the promotion said.

A few weeks ago we talked to Rahman Jr. ... and he seemed to take issue with the weight cut.

Jake responded to the cancelation, saying ... "First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me."

"I apologize to all of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans."

Of course, Hasim wasn't Jake's original opponent. That was supposed to be Tommy Fury ... but Tyson's bro pulled out over issues traveling to the U.S.

Celebrities have been taking to the skies in their private jets for years, but a recent study is pointing the finger at some celebs most guilty of poisoning the planet.

According to research gathered by Yard, a marketing agency that focuses on "metrics that matter," celebs like Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, and Blake Shelton have been polluting the air with tons of CO2e this year alone ... but no one has done it more than Taylor Swift.

According to Yard, T. Swift has flown private 170 times since January, with a time in the air of about 16 days. Her total flight emissions for the year come in at 8,293.54 tonnes -- that's 1,184.8 times more than the average person's total annual emissions!!!

To put it into perspective, they say the average person emits 7 tonnes -- annually.

Mayweather comes in 2nd place in the pollution race ... emitting 7,076 tonnes so far -- still over 1K shy of Taylor's mark.

Jay-Z, A-Rod, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey also made the list ... and Floyd's plane took the shortest flight of the year, at 10 minutes.

It's interesting ... the Internet started to buzz about celebs and their carbon footprints after Kylie Jenner posted about her and TS' private jets last week, but she didn't make the top ten list. Travis Scott took the #10 spot ... flying a total of 5.8 days so far.

Mike Tyson wasn't moving so well this week while out in New York City -- he needed a cane to get around -- but TMZ Sports has learned the boxing legend is uninjured, and is just dealing with a bit of normal, wear-and-tear problems.

Iron Mike raised some eyebrows on Tuesday -- when fans and photogs caught him moving gingerly as he made his way from a car to his hotel room.

The 56-year-old appeared to be limping heavily, and was using a walking stick for support.

But, sources close to Mike tell us he hasn't suffered any new injuries -- and is just working through a little bit of an old back issue.

"He’s dealing with a sciatica flare-up," our sources tell us. "Nothing serious. Just an occupational hazard for an athlete like Mike."

It's great news -- especially considering just a few days ago, Mike said on his "Hotboxin'" podcast that "my expiration date is coming close, really soon."

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are reportedly "very close" to inking a deal to once again meet in the boxing ring, and Dana White has a thought -- "BULLS**T!"

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC President on Tuesday, and asked about a report out of the UK stating the two megastars were all but set to rematch in the near future.

"It's total bullshit!" White told us, adding, "That story came from a paper called The Daily Mirror which is a tabloid in Europe. It's total bulls**t!"

(Note: The Sun first reported the story. Daily Mail and The Mirror -- two separate outlets -- published stories referencing the initial Sun report.)

And, Dana's more than a spectator ... he's an interested party. Conor is under contract with the UFC ... meaning if he wants to box Floyd, the UFC honcho must be involved. Clearly, White -- who has a good relationship with Mayweather -- says it ain't happening ... at least not now.

Of course, Conor and Floyd boxed in August 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ... in what was one of the most promoted and talked about fights in the history of combat sports.

Mayweather, 49-0 in the ring at the time, won by TKO in the 10th round. It was McGregor's first time in a professional boxing match.

Since, Floyd retired after winning his 50th pro fight ... but he's still taken exhibition bouts against guys like Logan Paul.

As for Conor, he broke his leg last summer fighting Dustin Poirier, and while he's getting close to being fully recovered, he isn't there yet.

We also talked to Dana about a highly anticipated rematch that we definitely know is happening this weekend at UFC 276 ... Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena II!

The Venezuelan Vixen forced The Lioness to tap in the 2nd round of their UFC 269 title fight ... and White believes the rematch isn't only one of the biggest fights in the history of women's MMA, but will have major ramifications on both their legacies.

We also chopped it up about Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France fighting for the flyweight interim title ... and Dana gives us his pick for a sleeper fight.

UFC 277 goes down Saturday night from Dallas, TX on ESPN+.

Adrian Peterson's big boxing match against Le'Veon Bell is postponed, but the NFL star is clearly keeping focused on the fight by training like crazy in the gym -- and TMZ Sports has the footage.

We broke the story -- AP and Bell's battle of the running backs scheduled for July 30 has been pushed to early September ... after issues with the main event between Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib.

But, AP didn't see the announcement as an opportunity to take a day off -- instead, he hit up his gym in Texas and worked on his game on Friday.

In the video (shot by Fanfield NFT), AP hits the mitts with a trainer and takes a few shots at the bag without gloves during an intense workout ... and the dude looks solid.

The AP vs. Bell fight is one of the more interesting matchups on the Social Gloves card ... as the 30-year-old former Steelers and Jets star has expressed his desire to switch to boxing full-time, and 37-year-old Peterson is still in the NFL.