Boxing

Nate Diaz had a trouble-filled night Friday ... he first chucked a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor and then choked a young man into unconsciousness in separate confrontations.

The UFC legend kicked off his wild night by attending the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans to watch Chris Avila beat Paul Bamba in the main event.

While Diaz was enjoying the bout in the front row, he got into a heated argument with DeMoor, who was seated behind him. Video shows DeMoor heckling Diaz and calling him a "p****." Diaz then pitched the water bottle at DeMoor, and the two would have come to blows if onlookers hadn't stepped between them.

Hours later, Diaz was filmed getting into a physical altercation with a young man on the sidewalk outside the venue. Nate put the guy in a choke hold until his body went limp and he fell to the ground unconscious. Diaz then casually walked away.

The extent of the man's injuries was unknown, nor was it clear if he was taken to a hospital. It’s also unclear if police got involved.

Video of the assault has since gone viral. UFC boss Dana White and former UFC champ Conor McGregor reacted on social media to the video. White suggested the man attacked by Diaz could be pro boxer Jake Paul's brother, Logan (It wasn't, though). McGregor laughed and praised Diaz for his "rampage."

Andy Ruiz's ex got a temporary restraining order against the star boxer earlier this month ... claiming he raped, abused and terrorized her throughout their relationship, TMZ Sports has learned.

But, Ruiz strongly denies the allegations ... and is adamant he is actually the victim in the case.

Julia Lemus filed for the domestic violence restraining order in San Diego back on April 6 ... alleging Ruiz "sexually, physically, and psychologically abused me, making me feel like feel like I had to walk on eggshells around him" while they were dating.

The 26-year-old -- who was with Ruiz from 2015 through 2022 -- added that Andy physically and emotionally abused their two children as well.

In the documents, she also accused Ruiz of abusing both alcohol and illicit drugs ... causing her to "fear for my life and safety and the lives and safety of my children."

Lemus described several instances of alleged abuse from Ruiz in her restraining order application ... saying the 33-year-old began to get physical with her in 2019 after he beat Anthony Joshua for the heavyweight title.

"He began grabbing me by my upper arms and physically yanking me in order to move me wherever he wanted me to go," Lemus said in the docs. She added he also began to "jokingly" punch her in her arms and legs, leaving her with bruises. She attached photos of the alleged injuries to her application.

Lemus claims in the docs ... earlier this year, Ruiz purchased several guns in Las Vegas and wanted to show them to her -- but when she became uncomfortable with all the firearms around, she said he "proceeded to point an AK-47 at my face." She claimed in the docs that after she told Ruiz to stop, he "told me to 'shut the f*** up,' and then noted that the guns did not have bullets in them and mocked me by telling me I was being dramatic."

Lemus then said beginning around February 2023, Ruiz began to sexually assault her -- forcing himself onto her on at least six occasions.

A temporary restraining order against Ruiz was granted shortly after the application was filed on April 6. It ordered the pugilist to stay at least 100 yards away from Lemus. It also prohibited him from owning any firearms. The court also ordered Lemus to have sole legal and physical custody of the couple's children ... at least until a court hearing scheduled for Monday.

Ruiz, however, filed a response to Lemus' docs in court on Thursday ... saying he "categorically denies that he ever has abused Julia Lemus or his children."

He said in the docs there "is no just reason to separate Ruiz from his" kids -- while adding Lemus is the one who's been violent in the relationship.

The boxer said in February 2020, Lemus stabbed him with a knife -- and attached a photo of the alleged injuries he suffered in the incident. He also said in April 2020, Lemus "entered my hotel room with a loaded gun in her hand, and screamed, 'everybody get the f*** out of here.'" He alleged in the docs Lemus hit one his friends in the head with the gun during the altercation, and then broke furniture in the room.

Ruiz also said in the court docs Lemus slapped, punched, and grabbed him "on multiple occasions."

"Not once did I ever engage in any physical response to Julia's assault," Ruiz said.

Ruiz also accused Lemus of stealing $250,000 worth of jewelry from him last month ... and said in the docs that he had made a report of the theft with police in San Diego.

We've reached out to Ruiz, a 35-2 fighter who's rumored to be Tyson Fury's next opponent, for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Mike Tyson says he now understands why so many people around boxing have compared Tank Davis' fighting style to his own, saying their "stoutness to the ground" and the way they throw power punches are very similar.

56-year-old "Iron" Mike joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he talked about everything from the comparisons between him and "Tank," to whether Davis will have trouble with Ryan Garcia's height Saturday night.

"Tank is very comfortable fighting taller people because when he fights he catapults himself, and pushes himself in the air, so it makes it very difficult to stop his attack cause it's very awkward when you're in the air, normally you have no power. But, the way which he catapults himself, it's almost like a gun being fired. He flies right into you with every ounce of power."

FYI, Gervonta is giving up between 5-6 inches to Ryan, and also has a shorter reach. Length, in boxing, typically provides an advantage.

Mike continued ... "I understood them now when they say he fights like Mike Tyson 'cause he flies through the air which is normally bad positioning, you have no power in the air. But, for him and myself, our stoutness to the ground, as I said before, catapults us like being shot like a bow and arrow and the force is unstoppable."

As for Gervonta's other weapons ... Tyson says he's more than just a power puncher.

"Tank has a lot of arsenal, he's got a lot of ammunition in his arsenal, and he can box. He's a great boxer, he's a great, aggressive fighter, he has a great jab, and he's an all-around good fighter."

"They call him short 5'5", but he can do it all pretty much."

That's not to say Mike doesn't believe Ryan can win the fight ... or have dangerous weapons of his own.

There's much more ... we also talked to Tyson about the potential of him returning to the ring. Mike says a big check is important, but most importantly he'd want to put together a big-time event, and he believes that means an exhibition fight with Evander Holyfield.

The Ryan Garcia and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis super fight is FINALLY here ... and Oscar De La Hoya tells TMZ Sports the winner stands to become the face of boxing!!

The two superstar boxers will meet in the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday and ODLH wholeheartedly believes Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) is gonna prove he's the real deal, and not just some Instagram boxer.

"I feel that Ryan Garcia is a special fighter," the former boxing champ said. "I think he's gonna do something special Saturday night and be the face of boxing."

Of course, this may seem like favoritism from De La Hoya (Garcia is under ODLH's Golden Boy Promotions), but the 50-year-old legend says Tank, too, can become the biggest star in the sport with a win.

"If he's doing something special Saturday night, he will be the face of boxing. He will be the man." Oscar said about Davis.

"That's how important this fight is. We're gonna find out who is the very best and who's gonna carry the sport on their shoulders for years."

ODLH credited both fighters for their strength, speed, and boxing IQ, and that's why he believes it's a 50-50 fight.

"This could be the fight to save boxing," De La Hoya said. "It excites me that the sport, because of this fight, is gonna grow."

"I strongly feel we're gonna see some record-breaking numbers come Saturday night on Pay-Per-View."

We also talked to Tank about the fight ... and the 28-0 boxer says while the fight could go to a decision, he's confident he can put Garcia down for his 27th knockout.

Put down your sammie for this one -- a fighter literally beat the puke out of his opponent during a kickboxing match this week ... and it goes without saying, the video is as disgusting as it sounds.

The wild moment went down during a Petchyindee event between Praewpraw and Dokmaipa in Bangkok, Thailand ... and according to MMA Fighting, the two were going at it for two rounds before the former started to take control of the bout.

Praewpraw started rocking Dokmaipa with some left crosses and knees in the third ... and when he connected on a hit to the gut, Dokmaipa lost his lunch right in the ring.

The ref decided to call it as soon as the vom started to fly ... but fortunately for everyone, it was the last fight of the night.

One staffer got the short end of the stick, though ... being forced to grab a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess.

Both fighters seemed to be fine afterwards ... sharing a moment before Praewpraw continued his celebration with his team.

Mike Tyson isn't 100 percent done with boxing ... the former heavyweight champ -- who last fought Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- tells TMZ Sports he's still open to fighting again if the price is right.

We spoke with the boxing legend this month about a potential rematch with Jones Jr. -- who just lost to former UFC star Anthony Pettis on April 1 -- and he didn't close the door on a return to the ring against the Hall of Famer at all.

In fact, the 56-year-old told us, "I could be persuaded."

Then, when we asked about another possible rematch, one that would pit him against his former rival, Evander Holyfield -- Tyson said the same thing.

Iron Mike wouldn't reveal the dollar figure that it would take to persuade him to agree to future bouts with the boxing legends ... though he did say he has been recently approached by people in Saudi Arabia who want "me to do this stuff too."

"I don't know," he said ... before adding, "When I see the money people for the end of the product, my mind works clearer. I can't express myself right now financially."

Tyson fought Jones Jr. in a wildly successful exhibition match back in 2020. He also fought Holyfield twice in two memorable tilts in 1996 and 1997, but lost both bouts.

Tyson had previously agreed to an exhibition match with Holyfield in 2021, but negotiations fell through.

Blueface and UK bad boy TikToker Ed Matthews are fighting in a week ... and the social media star from across the pond isn't looking to put in a full night's work -- he says he'll starch the American rapper in the first round!

TMZ Sports talked to 19-year-old Matthews earlier in the week ... just days after the bout was added to the Kingpyn Boxing card, going down April 22 at OVO Arena Wembley in London, Ed's home turf.

"It's a big fight, obviously a lot's on the line. Last minute, as well. Usually I'd be in a 6-week camp, but it's been a 2-week camp. Not that that's gonna change anything. I'll still have the same gameplan," Matthews told us.

But, that doesn't mean he isn't ready to go ... Ed, who's 1-0 in the boxing ring, says he's not only in the "best shape" of his life but, "I'm definitely the best I've ever been."

26-year-old, 6'3" tall Blueface has experience in the ring, too, but Ed says it won't matter.

"It's a first-round knockout, I've already seen it, trust me."

Matthews says he's actually a fan of Blueface, and admitted while it's likely the rapper doesn't know who he is, he will soon enough.

"It's weird actually because I used to listen to his tunes, but I feel like he fell off from the music scene a bit. I ain't heard any of his tunes in a sec, but they used to bang. it's weird, it's a bit nostalgic fighting him," Ed said.

"He definitely don't have a f****** clue who I am, but he's gonna!"

WrestleMania 39 is over ... but Dolph Ziggler is already eyeing a spot on next year's card, telling TMZ Sports he's down to fight UFC star Conor McGregor on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" at WrestleMania.

We spoke to Dolph -- whose last WrestleMania match was in 2020 against Otis -- out in Beverly Hills recently ... and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion is already imagining what a feud with McGregor looks like on the heels of the WWE and UFC merger.

"Why not make it a best of 3?" Ziggler asked. "Octagon. Boxing match. Wrestling. Fighting. WWE. And then set it all up for the best out of seven at WrestleMania."

"That's just where the money is, but not everybody can go and back it up. But some of us can," said Ziggler, the 2012 men's Money in the Bank ladder match winner.

ICYMI -- McGregor posted a pic of him holding a WWE and UFC championship belt with the hashtag, "It's inevitable," one day before WWE sold to UFC's parent company, Endeavor.

After Vince McMahon announced he sold WWE and joined forces with UFC to create a new $21 billion sports company ... Ziggler wasted no time going after The Notorious.

"ABSOLUTELY AMAZING #WrestleMania PS: If I can drop 45 more pounds, I can drop anyone talking trash! seems even easier to get the deal done now, right @TheNotoriousMMA," Ziggler tweeted.

So, will we see Ziggler vs. McGregor at WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next April?!?

Biaggio Ali Walsh just picked up his third straight 1st-round knockout win, but despite his recent dominating performances, Muhammad Ali's grandson says he isn't ready to turn professional.

"Honestly, I don't think I'm that close. I think I need at least two or three more good wins under my belt and then I think I'll be ready to go pro," Biaggo told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays FS1).

24-year-old Ali Walsh fought last Friday at PFL 2 (Professional Fighters League) ... where he dispatched Isaiah Figueroa in only 1 minute and 42 seconds, winning by TKO.

Considering how long his fight before went, Biaggio took forever ... in November, he knocked out Tom Graesser in 45 seconds.

Many fans assumed BAW would go pro after his latest contest, but that's clearly not going to be the case.

"I do know that, before I do turn pro, my last two fights I would like to have a very good challenge, you know, maybe go to war where both of us are just bleeding to the pulp and black eyes, and cuts and bruises, whatever."

"I wanna go through at least one or two wars before I'm ready to go pro."

Biaggio is new to the sport. He's only trained for a couple of years ... and has a 3-1 record. Ali Walsh lost his first fight by submission but hasn't looked back since.

"I haven't been through like a bloody back-and-forth war yet and that's what fighting is about. I have a theory where some of the best fighters can also take the most damage. You watch guys like Max Holloway, these are guys that can just eat shots and keep coming forward."

The daughter of late soap star Kristoff St. John and professional boxer Mia St. John got arrested in Idaho after allegedly stripping down in a supermarket ... and cops say she later tried to escape from jail.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ, cops in Boise were called to a WinCo around 8 PM Monday night for a report of indecent exposure, with a store employee telling police Paris St. John was naked in the store, praying and meditating.

When cops arrived, they say Kristoff's daughter was naked in the store's front office. The woman who called police ultimately convinced Paris to put her clothes back on.

Police say Paris was arrested for indecent exposure and transported to Ada County Jail ... where cops claim she stood up and ran out of the jail's sally port when the door opened for an entering officer.

Cops say they told Paris to stop, but she ignored them and continued fleeing ... with police running after her, grabbing her and bringing her to the ground.

Paris was booked on three misdemeanor charges ... indecent exposure, escape, and resisting or obstructing officers. We're told Paris is currently getting mental health treatment.

The St. John family has been through a ton of trauma ... Paris' dad died 3 years ago from heart disease triggered by alcohol abuse ... and in November 2014, her brother Julian died by suicide.

Jake Paul is getting his wish -- the Problem Child will enter the boxing ring with ex-UFC superstar Nate Diaz later this year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the massive event is slated to go down on Aug. 5 in Dallas, TX ... and will be put on by Jake's Most Valuable Promotions and Nate's Real Fight Inc. The bout will be a DAZN Pay-Per-View.

Jake just posted about the fight ... saying, "August 5th we commemorate the funeral for Nathaniel Diaz as we send him in casket back to Dana [White]."

"Refreshments will be provided at the service. Black Tie Attire."

As we previously reported, Jake has wanted to fight Nate for some time now ... even challenging him to a boxing match AND an MMA fight after announcing his partnership with the Professional Fighters League.

He even told us on two separate occasions in 2022 he wanted Diaz ... even calling him out after beating Anderson Silva in October.

This will be Jake's first fight since losing to Tommy Fury via split decision in February ... and Nate's pro boxing debut.

Nate -- who recently became a combat free agent after his UFC contract expired -- has a long list of impressive wins over the course of his MMA career ... including victories over Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Cowboy Cerrone and Anthony Pettis.

As for Jake, he's beaten former UFC stars Ben Askren, Silva and Tyron Woodley, as well as Nate Robinson and AnEsonGib.

The March altercation between Jake Paul and Floyd Mayweather might have been a little more stressful than it initially appeared ... because new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows a cop actually had to rush Paul to safety amid the chaotic confrontation.

The dustup went down outside of the Kaseya Center in Miami following the Heat vs. Cavaliers game on March 8 ... and in the new footage, you can see police seemed to be very concerned a real fight could break out between Paul, Mayweather and their entourages.

The video shows Floyd approached Paul first in the street near the arena ... before getting into a verbal spat with the social media star and his friends.

As the guys were arguing, an officer on the scene called for backup -- saying there could be "a fight" with "a couple celebrities." Seconds later, Jake can be seen in the footage taking off.

That's when the video shows a Miami Police Dept. officer racing toward Paul to make sure he was safe.

The cop can be seen in the footage ushering the 26-year-old back inside the NBA arena -- making sure no one followed. As he was taking Paul for cover, the YouTuber-turned-boxer told the cop, "They're trying to jump me."

For several minutes, the cop guarded the door as Paul and his team waited inside the building for a car to take them away from the area.

You can hear in the footage they believed Floyd had around 50 people with him.

Eventually, Paul made it out of the area without further issue.

Jake later took to social media to blast Floyd for running up on him with a bunch of his guards and his friends. Floyd's jeweler, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports later in March that Paul was "exaggerating" about the whole situation.

Blueface will be back in a boxing ring in less than two weeks ... the rapper just agreed to fight TikToker Ed Matthews, who called Blueface out in an antagonizing video last month.

The fight will go down on April 22 at OVO Arena in England ... and the trash talk between the guys has already begun.

Just two weeks ago, Matthews appeared to poke fun at Blueface for his up-and-down relationship with Chrisean Rock in a TikTok that garnered nearly two million views.

The "Thotiana" rapper, meanwhile, posted a video of his own jabbing at Matthews over the weekend ... claiming he has no idea who the British social media star is.

The fight -- which will be on the same Kingpyn card that features the highly anticipated rematch between Anesongib and Austin McBroom -- will be the first for Blueface since July 2021, when he dominated a TikToker and then beat up a fan afterward.

The 26-year-old had been slated to fight former L.A. Laker Nick Young last year, but the tilt was canceled jays days before it was set to go down after he failed to secure a boxing license in time.

As for Matthews, he's no stranger to celeb fights -- he made quick work of social media star Simple Simon in a boxing match last year.

If NBA players are tryna get their hands on some top-notch cannabis -- after the league announced they won't be penalized for marijuana use -- then they need to hit up Mike Tyson who tells TMZ Sports he's got the best product in the world!

The NBA announced this month that they're going to remove weed from their drug tests and allow players to use marijuana under a new labor agreement.

The boxing legend -- who also runs a cannabis business called Tyson 2.0 -- loves the idea and told us NBA players should hit him up and cop some of his product.

"I would prefer [NBA players] to use my product," the 56-year-old said on Wednesday. "My product is the best product in the world."

"I'm not tooting my own horn -- it just is. Look at the write-ups from people that have tried it."

Tyson even has a couple of recommendations, including his favorite weed that he smokes on his 'Hotboxin'' podcast regularly ... Sour Diesel!

"If you want to go down and do some indica, you do some OG Kush. If you wanna stay up and enjoy the world, you do the stuff I always smoke, Sour Diesel. It keeps me thinking."

Tyson knows his stuff when it comes to good cannabis ... his brand is in 12 countries, the Mike Bites ear-shaped cannabis-infused gummies are sellin' like crazy and he just opened up the first Coffeeshop TYSON 2.0 in Amsterdam with his friend and CEO Adam Wilks.

"It's a real full Tyson 2.0 experience," Wilks said about the new café.

"You can buy cannabis, baked goods, ear-shaped cookies, and brownies, you can buy pre-rolled joints ... all different Tyson 2.0 cannabis products that you can experience in-house at our café."

What about the NBA and Tyson 2.0 partnering up since the adjusted drug tests??? Well, Wilks tells us there are some "open discussions to be had."

Canelo Alvarez may have an upcoming fight with John Ryder, but the Mexican boxing legend has his eyes set on Dmitry Bivol, telling TMZ Sports he wants to avenge his 2022 loss to the undefeated fighter!

Remember, Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) handed Canelo the 2nd career loss of his future Hall of Fame career by unanimous decision last May ... the only boxer to beat Alvarez outside Floyd Mayweather, whom the Mexican superstar fought at only age 23.

Alvarez, who went up to 175 lbs. to fight the 6-foot-tall boxer, clearly hasn't forgotten about the L ... and recently told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs on FS1) that he wants a rematch after his upcoming May 6 scrap with John Ryder.

"Everybody knows I want that rematch with Bivol," Alvarez said. "That's my goal this year."

"We'll see but that's my goal this year."

Now, just because Canelo's thinkin' ahead doesn't mean he's not taking Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) seriously, nor is he considering it an "easy fight."

In fact, it's just the opposite ... Alvarez hears everyone saying he'll run through Ryder, but that's not how he's thinking.

"They said the same thing about Bivol -- it was an 'easy fight' and you saw what happened, right," Alvarez said. "Any fight is dangerous. You never know in boxing."

The Ryder fight is a special one for the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter 'cause it's happening in his backyard of Guadalajara ... and it's the first time he's boxed in Mexico in nearly 12 years.

"After all I've been doing in boxing, I think it's very special for me. This fight is very special for me to bring my people the same experience as me."

"I come to my hometown as the best fighter, not almost retired and everything. I'm coming from being the best and that's special for the people, too."

The two women accusing George Foreman of sexual abuse 45 years ago -- when they were minors -- want to hook him up to a polygraph ... challenging him to a lie detector test.

The boxer's alleged victims, Gwen Hunter and Denise Shipes, say George made them out to be liars and villains when he countersued them and accused them of extortion ... and they say they passed their own lie detector tests.

The accusers' attorney, Samuel Dordulian, tells TMZ ... Hunter and Shipes took their polygraph tests with one of the world's preeminent experts in the field, an examiner they believe George's legal team has routinely used for past cases, and they want Foreman to use the same person.

TMZ broke the story ... the women sued George back in August, claiming the pugilist was in his 20s when he groomed, and eventually sexually abused them when they were still underage. They say it all happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Hunter detailed her allegations in a news conference three months after filing suit, saying ... "He asked me to remove my clothes, and if I didn't then my father would be fired, so I complied."

As we first reported ... George then filed a countersuit against Hunter, claiming she was intentionally dragging his name through the mud and flat-out lying to score a payday.

The accusers say they wanted to clear their names after George's countersuit, and they claim their lie detector tests show they're telling the truth ... and now they want Foreman to take one.

What's more, their attorney tells us he's in the process of bringing a separate defamation countersuit against George in response to what they say are baseless and harmful claims of extortion.

The timing of this all is worth noting ... in a few weeks, the "Big George Foreman" biopic is set for release.