Boxing

Jermall Charlo just scored a big win in his assault case ... prosecutors tell TMZ Sports they're dropping the felony charge against the star boxer.

According to court documents, Charlo was accused of roughing up a family member during a Sept. 5, 2021 incident in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was eventually arrested over it all back in February, and charged with felony assault.

But a spokesperson for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office tells us they filed a motion to dismiss the case on Monday "based on the reason that we cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Evidence developed in a way that did not support the charge to conclusion," the spokesperson said.

Charlo's attorney said in a statement Monday the 32-year-old was "very happy" with the decision.

"Nine witnesses came forward to say Charlo never hit his 21-year-old nephew," said Charlo's lawyer, Kent Schaffer. "Jermall is very happy. He can concentrate on preparing for his next fight now that this distraction has been removed."

Another Charlo -- Jermall's twin brother, Jermell Charlo -- is still facing legal troubles related to the case, however.

Prosecutors tell us Jermell -- who was hit with a misdemeanor charge after he was accused of telling the alleged Jermall victim during the incident, "I will kill you with my bare hands" -- is still facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat.

Jake Paul says Dana White still owes him a million-dollar check for beating Ben Askren, but the Problem Child is once again proposing a friendly wager with the UFC honcho ... saying he's willing to put $5 MILLION on the line when he fights Anderson Silva.

Jake and Spider were holding a news conference in L.A. on Monday ahead of their October 29 bout in Arizona ... when Paul mentioned how his nemesis thought he'd never take on the challenge ahead of him.

"Dana White did not think I'd take this fight," Jake said minutes ago. "And Dana, I know you're watching, bro. You still owe me a million dollars from when you bet against me on Ben Askren."

"I want you to come out of hiding, stop being a bitch and make a bet against me and Anderson and actually pay up this time because you didn't think I would take this fight."

"So let's make a bet," he added. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put 5 mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a bitch."

As for a bet between Jake and Anderson ... Spider says he hates tattoos, so a body ink bet is off the table. With that being said, Jake says he'll get clever and figure something out.

Don't expect Dana to respond to Jake's offer -- 'cause as he told TMZ Sports last week, he's sick of talking about the guy.

Robert Kraft had a champion in his corner as New England kicked off its 2022 season ... with the Patriots owner hosting none other than Mike Tyson in his suite.

Iron Mike was on hand at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. ... where he watched as the Pats fell to the division rival Dolphins, 20-7.

Mike had a seat right next to Kraft, who was sitting next to his son, Jonathan, -- and the two appeared to be chummy throughout the game as the Pats and 'Fins duked it out on the field.

No word on what exactly led to the meetup ... but Mike and Kraft seemed to have a lot to talk about throughout the duration of the game.

The day didn't go without an awkward moment, though -- At one point, Tyson went to give Kraft a fist bump, who missed the cue, but the two managed to clean it up at the end.

Ryan Garcia is officially a homeowner ... TMZ Sports has learned the star boxer has copped his first house -- an amazing, $3 million crib in Southern California.

The pad is located in Porter Ranch, roughly 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and Garcia just sealed the deal on it this week.

The two-story property features 3,680 square feet and comes with five bedrooms and six bathrooms.

The outside has a luxury pool, spa, an outdoor fireplace ... and insane views of L.A.

There's a cool bonus, too ... it's fully designer furnished -- so the super lightweight boxer can move in ASAP.

Garcia's buyer's agent, Brandon Soufer of The Agency, was pumped about the deal ... saying on social media, "Congratulations to my brother @kingryan for purchasing his first home with me."

"I am honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this big step in your life. Cheers to many more accomplishments together for us to celebrate. Love you my brother."

Garcia deserves to treat himself ... the 24-year-old just won in July after knocking out Javier Fortuna in 6 rounds and continues to add on Ws to his undefeated record (23-0).

Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell came face-to-face for the final time ahead of their highly anticipated boxing match on Saturday ... and they look ready to brawl!!

Peterson and Bell, two current/former(?) NFL running backs, both weighed in for the Social Gloves 2 event in Los Angeles ... and locked eyes with one another before they go to war in the ring.

AP -- who was known for his bruising style as a running back -- displayed a great physique ... weighing in at 218 pounds according to the scale.

Bell -- who was more known for his shiftiness coming out of the backfield -- hit the scale and appeared to be in awesome shape for a guy who ran for over 6,500 yards in his career.

LB weighed in at 204 pounds on the scale ... so he's conceding a 14-pound weight difference to Peterson when the two collide on Saturday.

But, the video of both future Hall of Fame running backs sparring this week has boxing fans encouraged that both men will deliver a good, solid fight.

Dana White is making one thing clear -- he's absolutely FED UP with Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he has no interest in talking about the YouTuber's fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

It's no secret -- the UFC honcho and Jake have become hated rivals in recent years ... with Paul constantly calling him out for how he runs his business, and White criticizing the Problem Child's relevance and talent in combat sports.

After his fight was announced this week, Jake posted an old clip of Dana, who previously said he doubted Paul would ever call out Anderson, hyping up Silva's skills in the boxing ring. Now that the fight's been made, we had to ask White about the matchup.

Well -- we tried, at least ... before White cut us off.

"I don't care about that. I literally was saying the other day, everybody keeps asking me about Jake. This guy's not even in my sport!!"

"I don't care."

What Dana DOES care about is UFC 279 on Saturday ... where Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are set to duke it out in Las Vegas in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

Adrian Peterson ain't done with football yet ... the future Hall of Famer says he still wants to play -- and he revealed to TMZ Sports he's got his eye on joining one of the three big Super Bowl contenders this year.

The former Minnesota Vikings star -- who's training his ass off to fight Le'Veon Bell in a celeb boxing match this weekend -- said despite his newfound goals in the ring ... he's hoping someone gives him a call to play football later this season.

Specifically, the running back said he's targeting the Bills, Rams and 49ers.

"There's a couple teams out there," A.P. admitted out in L.A. on Wednesday while gearing up for his big fight night with Bell. "Buffalo Bills would be a good team. The Rams, I don't know what need they'll have at running back. San Fran would be a good look."

Peterson said while Buffalo, L.A. or San Francisco would be ideal -- the plan is to ultimately chase a ring somewhere this year.

"There's a lot of teams that have the opportunity to advance far into the playoffs that I've thought about," he said.

For now, Peterson -- who last played for the Seahawks in 2021 -- is solely focused on boxing ... as his match with Bell is scheduled to go down at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday.

Adrian tells us he isn't worried about the age gap between him and the former Pittsburgh Steelers star (37 to 30) ... and is hoping his power and awareness get him a win.

Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell finally gave us a long look at their boxing skills ahead of their big fight night ... with both dudes hitting the mitts at a workout in L.A. on Wednesday.

The guys took to a local gym's canvas and threw combos repeatedly -- just three days before they'll scrap at Banc of California Stadium.

Peterson put on the gloves first, and while his workout was less intense than Bell's ultimately was ... he showcased what appeared to be some big power.

A shirtless Le'Veon went next -- and he looked good. He was smooth and precise while showing off a chiseled frame.

The guys' fight is all part of the Social Gloves 2 event -- and will take place just before YouTubers Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib square off.

Blueface will not be stepping into the ring with Nick Young on Saturday -- the rapper has not yet been approved for a boxing license ... and now event promoter Austin McBroom is scrambling to find a replacement with only 3 days until fight night.

TMZ Sports is told the 25-year-old Thotiana rapper received a letter from the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday informing him his application for a pro boxing license in the state would not be granted until he appeared before the organization in October.

Obviously, that means Blueface can't fight Swaggy P on Saturday's Social Gloves 2 card at Banc of California Stadium in L.A.

McBroom is headlining the event with rival and fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib. Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell are also fighting.

Of course, Blueface has made headlines lately for several violent altercations with his girlfriend Chrisean. It's unclear if those incidents played a role in the denial of a license.

It's not the first bout Blueface has been pulled from ... he was taken off the recent KSI card at the O2 Arena in London, where he was supposed to fight FaZe Temperrr.

Now, McBroom and his partners are working tirelessly to find a suitable opponent for the 6'7" former NBA star.

Story developing ...

Austin McBroom is clearly ready for his fight this weekend ... 'cause he flattened one of his sparring partners in a recent training sesh -- and the YouTuber's violent KO punch was all caught on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

McBroom, who's slated to finally box AnEsonGib at the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday night, showed off his improving skills in a workout just days ahead of the huge fight night.

In the footage, you can see McBroom probing his opponent -- before dropping him with a vicious right hand to the jaw.

The force of the blow was so heavy, the dude immediately crumpled to the canvas -- and nearly spilled out of the ring in the process.

McBroom has showcased his quick hands before -- pummeling Bryce Hall in their fight back in 2021 -- but he's clearly taken things up a notch.

He and Gib have exchanged trash talk repeatedly over the last few months in the buildup to the fight -- and the guys nearly came to blows in the TMZ office last week. Seems McBroom is more than ready to settle things once and for all this week.

A man who's been hit by both Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell in his football career is weighing on the celeb boxing match between the two NFL stars ... and he's giving the edge to AP in the fight.

Orlando Scandrick -- the longtime Dallas Cowboys cornerback who played 11 seasons in the NFL -- says in his mind, Peterson is the safer pick if you're looking to bet on the match later this week.

"I've seen a couple of Instagram highlights and Adrian looks very, very strong," Scandrick tells us. "I know Adrian is very, very determined. I know he's a hard worker, he gives it all at everything."

"I mean, I'd be surprised to not see Adrian be victorious."

Bell and Peterson will square off on Saturday as part of the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium. The betting favorite is Le'Veon -- but it's clear, Scandrick, who played against both running backs multiple times in his career, sees the tilt going differently.

As for if Orlando would ever get in the ring himself, he told us there's no chance in hell.

He did, though, deliver a message to the guys ahead of the fight -- "Protect yourself!"

Nate Diaz has a huge fight next weekend, but the scrap with Khamzat Chimaev isn't stopping the superstar from Stockton from launching his very own fight promotion, Real Fight, Inc.

TMZ Sports is told 37-year-old Nate, one of the most popular fighters in the world, will apply to become a promoter of combat sporting events sometime over the next few weeks ... with a specific focus on "boxing, MMA, and BJJ," according to team Diaz.

It's a path we recently saw Khabib Nurmagomedov take, when after retiring, he launched Eagle FC ... his own MMA promotion. Khabib's been able to sign fighters like Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez to his promotion.

The difference with Khabib and Nate ... Diaz isn't done competing.

"The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active.  Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years," Diaz's team tells us.

As for the fighters Nate's looking for, they told us this ... "The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of 'Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit...'”

Caitlyn Jenner is getting put on BLAST by a transgender artist who's getting ready to step in the ring ... and she's calling Caitlyn out to be her next victim.

CJ was challenged by recording artist BraydBunch at a recent face-off event for the Fake Drake celebrity boxing match, which is set to go down in October.

As Brayd faced off against Mike Mazza, she says she hopes her courage will bring others like her into the boxing scene -- even saying she'd love to take Caitlyn down next.

The insults were FLYING -- calling her an oldie whose Olympic status won't mean squat once she's done with her ... she's craving the opportunity to "shut her up," and thinks she can get it done in the ring.

Caitlyn has some experience in the ring, but it might not have been as legit as it looked -- she fought and "beat" bodyguard Mark Behar back in '09 for a charity match ... Mike later claimed the fight was staged for their reality show.

FYI -- the Fake Drake boxing event was supposed to end the night with a big brawl between the imposter himself and Lamar Odom, but the basketball star recently backed out and was replaced by YouTuber M2thaK.

Evander Holyfield's gloves from his iconic rematch with Mike Tyson -- where "Iron Mike" infamously bit part of his ear off in one of the most memorable sports moments ever -- are hitting the auction block, and could fetch $100K!

Holyfield wore the gloves during his highly-anticipated second fight with Tyson on June 28, 1997 ... when the two squared off at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The red gloves worn by Holyfield -- one of the greatest fighters in boxing history -- were made by Everlast, and have "Holyfield #1" in black marker on each cuff logo.

The folks at Lelands tell us Holyfield's gloves show "light use" -- which makes sense, considering the bout was called after only three rounds, when Mike chomped into Evander's ear.

Remember, Holyfield defeated Tyson via 7-round TKO the first time they fought in November 1996.

During their second fight, Holyfield once again proved to be getting the better of Tyson, which frustrated the legend ... who bit Evander's ear in the third round.

Referee Mills Lane deducted points from Tyson, before ultimately disqualifying him, ending the contest in dramatic fashion.

Tyson has since explained the reason he bit Holyfield's ear ... saying he was upset Evander was "headbutting the s*** out of [him]" and "ringing my f***ing bell."

Some speculated Tyson pulled the stunt as a way to get out of the fight after Holyfield got the better of him in the early rounds.

The fight may have disappointed boxing fans in the moment, but the night has become part of boxing lore ... and that's why the used gloves could rake in 6-figures.

The gloves have already been bid on 5 times ... with a high mark of $12,155. Look for that figure to go up substantially.

Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib are both focused on beating the brakes off each other next weekend ... but they've also got an idea of who they wanna face next -- telling TMZ Sports they're going after KSI and Jake Paul, respectively.

McBroom and Gib are the main fight at the Social Gloves 2 event at Banc of California Stadium on September 10 ... and stopped by the TMZ office earlier this week to talk some serious trash.

Gib says his plan is to "dismantle" McBroom next Saturday and then go for the best ... who he considers to be the Problem Child right now.

Of course, Gib and Jakey P already met in the ring in 2020 ... when both guys were still pretty inexperienced fighters. Paul came away with the TKO win in the first round.

As for McBroom, he says it's only a matter of time before he gets a piece of KSI ... who after his two recent victories, claimed he'd be interested in taking the winner of the Social Gloves bout.

"Oh that fight's gonna happen," McBroom said. "After this, after he sees that easy work, for sure it's gonna happen."

Tensions were at an all-time high when Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib visited the TMZ office on Monday ... with the two YouTube superstars getting in a heated confrontation ahead of their boxing match.

Austin and Gib came to our HQ for a sit-down interview leading up to the Social Gloves event at Banc of California Stadium on Sep. 10 ... and while things started off cordial, the mood quickly changed as both sides unloaded smack talk.

McBroom started it off by saying Gib looks too small to last in the ring with him ... which triggered the hilarious clapback, "you got t***ies!!!"

McBroom -- who beat TikTok star Bryce Hall last year -- says he thinks their fight will end before 3 rounds ... and Gib promised to "shower Austin in suffering."

"He's going to be in pain from the moment the bell rings, because he's never faced an opponent like me," he added.

The guys traded verbal jabs like that for nearly half an hour ... and when it was time to leave the studio, they came close to getting physical.

Here's the breakdown ... the chirping continued as they left the studio, with Gib throwing some playful jabs near Austin's face, which he was NOT happy about.

When Gib extended his arms out, Austin pushed them away ... and it was clear they were no longer being playful.

The fighters got right up in each other's faces ... before Austin's team luckily came in and whisked him away.