Boxing

Roy Jones Jr. is one of the best boxers ever, but the legendary fighter is stepping back in the ring with an opponent like never before, massive bodybuilder and social media star NDO Champ!

54-year-old RJJ and 39-year-old NDO Champ -- who is 250 lbs. of solid muscle -- are fighting Friday night in the Metaverse (more on that later).

NDO Champ, government name Robert Wilmote, is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder who has over one million followers on Instagram ... and has gone viral a bunch of times. There's a good chance you've seen NDO's videos online.

Much different than Roy's typical opponents ... which he concedes.

"It's much different than I'm used to. It's kind of like Godzilla versus King Kong. You know, King Kong being the gorilla, that's what he kind of reminds me of with all the muscles and he's such a big dark figure," Jones Jr. said.

But, RJJ has a strategy to deal with his powerful foe ... "be smart enough not to run into the foolishness." The "foolishness" being a big power punch.

As for how he sees the fight going, Jones Jr. says he'll win ... it's just a matter of whether it's by knockout or not.

"Depends how good of a punch he can take. He can't take good punch then he goes to sleep. All depends on what happens. I don't know, I've never been in the ring with him. I've never seen him box. There's no film on him. That's what makes it so different."

Roy continued ... "You don't know what he's bringing. You don't know if he's gonna be a Mike Tyson puncher or a guy with a lot of muscle that can't punch at all."

Champ, as you may expect, sees things playing out a bit differently.

"Listen, we don't train to lose. We don't train to come in there and play. If that's the case, I'll go back doin' something else, you feel me. No disrespect, I salute the OG, but it's wartime."

NDO continued ... "I'm not coming in there to congratulate you on all our successes, nah, you shouldn't have gotten in this ring with this man. You shouldn't have gotten in the ring with me. I'm a born stone killer!"

Jake Paul calls himself the Problem Child, but it certainly has nothing to do with his business ventures ... 'cause the social media superstar/boxer's Betr company is now worth $300 MILLION!!

The social media and betting platform -- which the 26-year-old co-founded alongside Joey Levy in 2022 -- just raised $35 million in new funding, which was led by Fuel Venture Capital and Roger Ehrenberg of IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital.

Of course, Betr is all about sports betting content as well as micro-betting ... and is now moving into becoming a full-fledged sportsbook as well.

Jake is all in on Betr -- he even got the company's logo tatted on his leg to show how serious he is about his faith in the brand.

It's a huge deal for Paul ... as Betr is well on its way to becoming a billion-dollar company in a short amount of time.

Jake has made a killing in the ring as well ... he claimed to have made over $30 million on the Tommy Fury fight alone.

Boxer Albert Ochoa will be channeling his inner Michael Jackson when he steps into the ring this weekend ... 'cause he just copped some insane custom "Thriller" shoes to pay homage to the King of Pop!!

Ochoa -- who famously took Kylie Jenner to prom -- is set to fight TikTok star Xavier Long at Academy LA in Hollywood on Saturday ... and TMZ Sports has learned he plans to show out with his moves AND his shoes.

We're told the 23-year-old wanted personalized gear for the fifth fight of his career ... so he reached out to his close friend, artist Aztek Kustoms, with the idea of making kicks similar to the loafers on Jackson's feet in the iconic "Thriller" music video.

Aztek Kustoms -- who also made Rolly Romero's Frank Ocean boxing shoes -- says the kicks feature over 4,000 pearl-white rhinestones and black glitter paint ... and Ochoa is thrilled with the finished product.

Ochoa tells us "Thriller," which is his all-time favorite song, will be playing for his walkout to the ring.

"He's an icon, he's a legend," Ochoa told us. "For me to wear these shoes and to come out with that outfit and his music ... it's dope."

Boxing is something Ochoa is taking very seriously ... in fact, he says he's training with former boxing champ Joel Casamayor and former Olympian boxer Vicente Escobedo.

"It's a great team -- having a world champion and an Olympian and two people that were successful in their sport at the start of my career is a blessing," Ochoa said. "It's a dream come true."

Of course, many still doubt the reality star, like they did YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, but the 3-1 super welterweight tells us he's the real deal.

"I'm a real fighter," Ochoa said. "I put in the work and I've improved so much in this camp. I'm on my way to becoming a great star in this sport."

NFL star Maxx Crosby just got a permanent reminder to chase greatness daily ... getting pictures of Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Kobe Bryant tattooed all over his torso!!

The Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher got the work done last week ... hitting up Andres Ortega at Onder Ink for the massive piece, and check out the images of the artwork -- it came out awesome.

Just above his right hip, Crosby got a shot of Jordan in the middle of a free-throw stroke. To the left of that, the football player had an iconic snap of Ali put down. And, just above his left hip, Crosby also got a photo of Kobe mid-celebration inked too.

Ortega tells the reasoning for the trio of tats was simple ... Crosby wanted to make sure he always keeps his focus on his journey to being one of the best ever -- hence why he also got the words "Be Legendary" put near his rib cage as well.

The homages to the sports icons, though, were far from the only tats he got ... Ortega also put a sweet tribute to Crosby's baby daughter on his chest, before rounding out the nod to the newborn with diamonds and a rose.

In total, Ortega says it took about 11 hours to complete.

Canelo Alvarez clearly wanted some R&R before returning to the ring in September, so the boxing superstar grabbed his beautiful wife and darted off for a romantic vacation in Portofino, where the smoke show couple were seen packing on the PDA! 🔥

32-year-old Canelo and 26-year-old wife Fernanda Gomez were photographed in Italy Sunday afternoon, Father's Day, enjoying the European holiday ... where they shopped in several luxury stores, including Dolce & Gabbana.

Alvarez and Gomez, who married in May 2021 (just a few days after Canelo broke Billy Joe Saunders' face in their fight), were seen kissing and holding hands in between the retail therapy.

Portofino, located in Genoa on the Italian Riviera, is a hot spot for some of the richest and most successful people from Europe and America.

The couple also posted a photo on social media of their view, seemingly before a meal ... and it's breathtaking!

Alvarez last fought on May 6, in his hometown, where he easily handled John Ryder, winning by unanimous decision.

Canelo now plans to fight again in September, but his opponent has not yet been announced. Alvarez has made it clear he wants to rematch Dmitry Bivol, the only man to beat him outside of Floyd Mayweather.

Conor McGregor isn't hiding under a rock after a woman accused him of sexual assault -- he's out and about in NYC, and still drawing a crowd wherever he goes.

The UFC fighter pulled up to his hotel in NYC Saturday night and was immediately swarmed by autograph seekers ... just as he was earlier in the day. McGregor happily stopped and signed for seemingly all of them, before bounding into the hotel.

He didn't have anything to say, though, when one of them asked how he was holding up.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman claims McGregor took her into a restroom -- during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami last week -- and forced her to perform oral sex, before attempting to sodomize her.

We also obtained 2 very relevant videos -- one shows McGregor holding the accuser's hand and leading her into a men's room at Kaseya Center arena.

Another video shows them hanging out together, still at the arena, about 30 minutes after the alleged assault would have happened. McGregor has flatly denied the sexual assault happened.

Meanwhile, the accuser's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, says her client acknowledges she was still around McGregor after the alleged assault, but says they were "visibly awkward" with each other at that point.

The accuser did file a report with the police, who are now investigating -- and McGregor's team believes he will be fully exonerated.

Forget Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, Fury vs. Wilder and Davis vs. Garcia ... Terence "Bud" Crawford tells TMZ Sports his fight with Errol Spence is a bigger one than all of them!!!

"It is the biggest fight of the year," the 35-year-old said out in New York City on Wednesday ... before adding that it could be "the biggest fight in the last 10-plus years!"

Crawford might actually not be wrong ... even though Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury and Gervonta Davis have had some huge, headlining bouts since 2013 -- both Crawford and Spence have been must-see fighters for boxing fans all over the globe for the last few years.

The two are undefeated, have rare knockout power -- and are still considered to be in their primes.

And, Crawford tells us there's no way the match will let anyone down ... promising fight fans there will be "fireworks" in the ring when they get after each other next month.

As for who's going to come out victorious ... Bud insisted he's got it in the bag.

"I'm going to win this fight," he told us. "And I'm already the best fighter in the world!"

Conor McGregor tuned in to Floyd Mayweather's exhibition fight vs. John Gotti III, but the UFC superstar "wasn't that impressed" with the boxing legend, saying he "enjoyed the brawl afterward more" than the actual bout!

TMZ Sports caught up with 34-year-old McGregor Wednesday morning in NYC ... when we asked Conor for his thoughts on Mayweather vs. Gotti III.

"I wasn’t that impressed, to be honest with you, wasn't impressed," Conor said.

The former double champ added ... "I don’t know where [Floyd's] at. There’s no meaning behind it. He’s just here and there. There’s no meaning behind the bouts. There’s nothing to it. I enjoyed the brawl afterward more than I did the actual bout."

Of course, Floyd retired from fighting professionally in 2017, leaving with a perfect 50-0 record. Since, he's taken several exhibition bouts, fighting everyone from Logan Paul to the Gotti, grandson of one of the most infamous mobsters ever.

The Gotti fight lasted 6 rounds before referee Kenny Bayless disqualified John for repeatedly grabbing Floyd ... and that's when the real action started, with a melee ensuing in the ring and in several other places at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL.

Conor expressed support for John after the fight, tweeting ... "I back the Gotti's. The war is on."

Mayweather clearly intends to return to the ring, and Conor has an opponent in mind. Himself, in a rematch of their 2017 super fight.

"We'll have a go if he wants!"

Floyd Mayweather, despite being attacked in the ring by John Gotti III after their fight, was still able to share a cool moment with his longtime business partner, with both men receiving a custom Juneteenth belt in a back hallway of the venue.

The ceremony was originally supposed to go down inside the ring, but the subsequential brawl made that impossible. Still, the 50-0 legend, along with WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, presented CEO Jas Mathur with the World Boxing Council Championship Freedom Belt.

Mayweather also received the commemorative strap.

The belt, the WBC says, celebrates "the remarkable achievements and visionary leadership demonstrated by Mr. Mathur and Limitless X for their contributions to the sporting and business community."

“Thank you to Mauricio and the WBC for creating and presenting me and my partners with this unique freedom belt to commemorate Juneteenth,” Floyd told us.

"The WBC has always led by example. I am honored to receive the belt along with Robert Smith, who is the largest civil rights activist in our history, and Jas Mathur my dear friend and partner."

Mayweather's friend, billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith, also received the Freedom Belt at a dinner Saturday night in South Florida.

Mathur, who has worked alongside Floyd for years, was touched by the gift, writing, "It is truly an honor to receive this championship belt from the World Boxing Council."

Of course, Mayweather and Gotti III fought in an 8-round exhibition fight on Sunday ... which erupted into chaos after the grandson of the legendary mobster attacked Floyd after the ref stopped the fight.

A rematch between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III in Florida won't be happening anytime soon ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the boxer has been suspended six months in the Sunshine State for his role in the brawl with TBE over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Florida State Athletic Commission said Tuesday the decision to hit Gotti III with the ban actually came down on Sunday night ... right after Gotti III kicked off a melee when he went after Mayweather following a disqualification during their exhibition match.

The scene at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise was wild ... Gotti III attempted to throw multiple punches at Mayweather -- which caused a flurry of people to jump into the ring.

Chaos then ensued -- as multiple men were seen pushing and shoving each other ... before it all mercifully was broken up.

According to a rep for the FSAC, Mayweather was NOT penalized for his role in it all.

Our sources say Mayweather and the grandson of iconic mob boss John Gotti ultimately ended up hashing things out once cooler heads prevailed ... and are engaging in talks about potentially running it back down the line.

Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III's exhibition match ended in complete chaos on Sunday night ... with multiple brawls breaking out after the two fighters got done with each other in the ring.

The scene at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla was absolute mayhem ... after Mayweather toyed with Gotti III for several rounds, the New York mob boss' grandson kicked off a melee by trying to go after the boxing legend.

You can see in video filmed by bystanders in the arena, after Gotti III was disqualified for holding in the sixth round, he attempted to still throw punches at Mayweather ... which led to several people jumping into the ring to protect the 50-0 boxer.

More than a dozen people got involved ... and while most of the scuffle featured pushing and shoving -- several punches were thrown.

Mayweather did not appear to be involved in any of the mayhem -- he was seen retreating to his corner away from all the action -- but the fracas lasted several minutes nonetheless.

Eventually, order was restored in the ring ... but that didn't stop some from misbehaving throughout the arena regardless.

As people were making their way back into the locker room area ... some were seen still going after each other -- with more punches being thrown.

Things didn't look much better in the bowels of the venue as well ... as "Love & Hip Hop" star Joseline Hernandez beat up Big Lex in a wild fight.

At some point, however, cooler heads finally prevailed ... and our sources say Mayweather actually took the time out to smooth things over with Gotti III.

We're told TBE and two others from his camp met with the boxer and chatted things over ... and there's now talks for the two to potentially rematch down the line.

Usain Bolt's speed certainly isn't limited to the track ... 'cause the Jamaican sprinter flew past his opponents to score an impressive goal in a charity soccer match on Sunday!!

The 8-time Olympic gold medalist ditched his running spikes for some cleats at the Soccer Aid for UNICEF event ... and he wasn't just there to show face -- he balled out!!

Bolt -- fittingly rocking a No. 9.58 jersey to represent his world-record 100-meter dash time -- broke things open 23 minutes into the competition ... zooming past the last line of defense to put the ball in the back of the net for team World XI.

The best part of the highlight came when Bolt celebrated the goal -- first, he did English soccer star Marcus Rashford's signature move ... before switching up to his famous "To Di World" point alongside former French pro Patrice Evra.

Bolt's teammate Tommy Fury was the first to run up and congratulate him ... and it was smooth sailing for their squad the rest of the match, thanks to Robbie Keane's pair of goals.

Former One Direction member Liam Payne wasn't all upset about England's 4-2 loss to World XI ... considering the game raised more than $14 MILLION for the humanitarian organization.

Bolt previously flirted with the idea of playing soccer in the States -- remember, he told us back in 2018 he'd listen to offers from MLS teams if they came with the money.

Floyd Mayweather might've been throwing jabs this weekend, but Joseline Hernandez was handing out haymakers backstage ... landing several on Big Lex.

The former "Love & Hip Hop" star -- dressed in light blue -- was on hand Sunday during FM's exhibition fight against John Gotti III in South Florida ... as were a ton of other Zeus Network-connected reality stars, like Big Lex for example.

Lex -- once featured on Joseline's own reality show, "Joseline's Cabaret" -- was on the receiving end of a brutal beatdown during the boxing match.

The video of her taking a whoopin' is going viral on social media right now ... and for good reason. You see Joseline holding Lex in a headlock while she wails on her -- which got so violent and tumultuous, it actually ended up leaving BL flailing and topless.

Clearly, Joseline got the better of Lex in the moment ... eventually, the women were separated. However, Joseline wasn't done using her fists -- she continued to throw punches at a bunch of different people in the vicinity (even men) ... and seemed to strike at random.

At one point, an unknown woman walking by all the commotion threw a drink in Joseline's direction ... and then got chased out of the building once JH realized where it came from.

It's unclear what precipitated the brawl -- but it obviously had Joseline in a wild state.

This wasn't the only chaos in the building that night ... another brouhaha broke out in the actual ring itself, not between the boxers -- but between their teams and management. Gotti was disqualified in the 6th for continuous holding ... and yet, he continued to battle.

Floyd's team jumped in to stop him themselves ... and that spurred an all-out rumble. Safe to say the antics made it one of the craziest sporting events anyone's seen in quite a while.

BKFC just celebrated their 5-year anniversary -- and for a promotion that was once a pariah -- President David Feldman says they've got big things coming, including a reality show, setting them up to become the second biggest combat sports org. in the world.

"We're in talks with two major networks right now. I think we're going to get a network deal, and I think that's going to really blow us up. We already have four or five buyers on it," the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship CEO told us.

"We're going to have a reality show end of '23, beginning of '24, and a major TV deal," Feldman said, adding ... "I really certainly think in three to four years from now, we're in the number two spot in combat sports. I really mean that."

BKFC has recently put on some big fights ... namely Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold (that's when Conor McGregor came into the ring afterward) and Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes.

Like the early days of MMA, bare knuckle boxing was once shunned by many states, accused of being too brutal. But, the sport has been much more widely accepted over the last couple of years, with BKFC having put on more than 50 events in 12 different states, and 4 countries.

"A lot of people ask what's my toughest obstacle that I had to overcome with BKFC, and it was just changing people's perception on it. The perception on it was, a backyard street fight, a bar fight. Anything but that. We have the best combat sports athletes in the world," Feldman told us.

As for the smoothest part, David says ... "it's just relatable to everybody. Everybody in the world has either watched at some point or another or been in a bare-knuckle fight in their life. Everybody kind of knows what it is. So because of that, it helped us transition, I believe."

Feldman says they now have their eyes on several big boxing stars who they'd like to lure to BKFC. David believes bare-knuckle boxing is a true "middle ground" between boxing and MMA ... potentially setting up fights that'd draw massive fan interest.

Boxing star Adrien Broner is itching to show his critics he's far from washed ... telling TMZ Sports he's looking to knockout Bill Hutchinson later on Friday!!

The 34-4-1 welterweight hasn't stepped into the ring since 2021 ... but he says he's more than ready to put back on his gloves at the FITE event inside Casino Miami in Florida.

"It's been a crazy training camp," the 33-year-old said earlier this week. "I feel good. I'm ready. I can't wait to put on a show."

Many, however, don't believe Broner can return to the boxer he once was ... particularly because he's only taken one fight since he lost badly to Manny Pacquiao in Jan. 2019.

But, Broner says he isn't the least bit concerned about his detractors ... telling us they're all simply just like "ass****s."

"Everybody got one," he said. "If I didn't have critics or haters, then I wouldn't be doing something right, you know? I'd feel like, 'S***, why nobody hatin' on me?'"

AB's opponent, Hutchinson, is by no means a tomato can ... he's 20-2-4 with nine knockouts -- and will present a tough test for Broner. The fight is expected to begin around 10:30 PM ET.

Devin Haney's shining in both the boxing ring AND the dentist chair these days ... TMZ Sports has learned that after beating Vasiliy Lomachenko last month, the star-fighter copped some crazy diamonds for his teeth!!

We're told the undisputed lightweight champ reached out to famous jeweler JimmyBoi ahead of the May 20 Loma fight to have a grill made for him ... win, lose or draw.

Turns out, Haney was able to beat the Ukrainian fighter -- and then he was happily rewarded with the bling!!

The mouthpiece is fully iced-out ... we're told the set is filled with 17 carats of princess cut flawless clarity D color diamonds -- and also features 18k rose gold.

The 24-year-old was clearly pumped for it all -- showing it off in a recent selfie.