Boxing

Oscar De La Hoya is admitting to what many already knew ... he WAS boozed up during his appearance at the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight ... and now he's apologizing.

48-year-old Oscar was a babbling mess when he joined the announcer's table to commentate during one of the undercard fights at the April 17 event in Georgia ... leaving many wondering if something was wrong with the boxing legend.

In fact, Frank Mir -- who was fighting Steve Cunningham when Oscar joined the broadcast -- tweeted after the fight that he hopes Oscar's people get him professional help for his issues.

"I could be angry and I could laugh too but addiction is no joke, I know," Mir said ... "I sincerely hope that those around Oscar get him the help he needs."

As you may know, Oscar has publicly talked about his battles with substance abuse over the years ... and has sought treatment on several occasions.

But, Oscar is playing off the situation as no big deal ... saying he just got caught up in the party atmosphere at the event -- which included live performances from Snoop and Justin Bieber -- and simply drank too much.

"I started having a couple drinks. And then [the Triller producers] told me, ‘Why don’t you go and commentate?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, man! Okay, okay,'" Oscar said this week on the DAZN Boxing show.

"I got a little over carried away. And I apologize. But it’s all good. It’s all good."

Jake Paul's moved on from Ben Askren -- he's now threatening UFC legend Daniel Cormier!

"Daniel Cormier, I'll beat the f**k out of your fat ass too -- just like Stipe did," Jake said Tuesday on the "Impaulsive" podcast with his brother, Logan Paul.

"I swear to god, I'll beat the f**k out of Daniel Cormier."

So, why the beef? It started right after Jake knocked out Ben Askren .... Cormier tweeted that he felt Jake was disrespectful to ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley.

Jake responded by challenging Cormier to a fight.

Cormier later escalated things on the "DC & Helwani" podcast on Monday ... saying, "This dude would never fight me. I would kill him. Why would I ever fight someone like that?"

Jake responded on Tuesday ... saying he would be very interested in a Pay-Per-View boxing match against Cormier and strongly thinks he would KO him, just like he did to Ben Askren.

Don't hold your breath for a Jake Paul vs. Daniel Cornier fight -- but Jake vs. Tyron Woodley seems to be gaining momentum.

As Cornier explained, "I would like him to fight Tyron. I would like to see him fight somebody more real. Don’t fight Ben Askren at 190, bloated."

By the way, Jake also revealed the number of PPV buys for the Askren fight -- saying it's more than 1.3 MILLION!

How did Jake Paul celebrate his brutal butt whoopin' on Ben Askren??

VERSACE MANSION RAGER FOR THE AGES, BABY!!!

The undefeated YouTuber-turned-boxing superstar hosted his closest friends -- and really anyone else looking to party -- for a big shindig at Gianni Versace's famed former digs in Miami on Sunday night ... and it looked like a damn circus!!

The official afterparty was thrown by Michael Mak -- founder of Celebrity Sports Entertainment -- and there were some big time celebs in the house ... including Cuba Gooding Jr., Logan Paul, Larsa Pippen and Brandon Marshall.

There was a red carpet, an endless supply of booze, music and even the Problem Bot (Jake's robo mascot) made an appearance.

On top of that, there was a boxing ring set up inside the mansion -- we're guessing for party purposes, not fighting.

Jake even hopped on the mic at one point and started rapping along to Drake songs ... before performing one of his originals.

Of course, Jake's been on Cloud 9 since destroying the former MMA champ and Olympic wrestler in the ring at the Triller Fight Club in ATL on Saturday night ... and considering the fight only lasted 2 minutes, he didn't need much time to recover.

The 24-year-old rightfully enjoyed his big win with back-to-back nights of celebrating ... and there's no end in sight.

Ex-NBA star Nate Robinson raked in more than $2 MILLION for that horrific boxing performance against Jake Paul back in 2020 ... and there's a chance they could run it back!!

That's all according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith who says he spoke with a source "close to Nate" about what's going on behind the scenes ... and he dropped a ton of very interesting information.

Smith had mentioned Robinson's ill-fated Nov. 2020 match with Paul on Monday's "First Take" ... and when they came from commercial break, the extremely well-connected Stephen A. read a text message he received from a trusted Nate Robinson source. Here's what it said:

"Nate walked out the arena [on Nov. 28 and] realized he was not trained well. [He] apologized for not listening and collected a little over $2 million for that fiasco. He's fine."

"They are trying to get him to fight in a rematch, if you can believe that. Floyd 'Money' Mayweather wants to train him, if he agrees. Crazy but true."

The source said he advised Nate "not to do it" -- "but if he does, it needs to be for more money and he needs to train with a pro for a very long time."

Stephen A. and his First Take co-host Max Kellerman both strongly urged Nate to NOT take a rematch ... considering the punishment he took in the first fight.

We strongly agree.

Metta World Peace is genuinely impressed with Jake Paul's boxing career -- telling TMZ Sports the guy is "legit" and loves the fact he's chasing his dream.

The former NBA star -- who's a big boxing fan -- loved watching Paul knock out Ben Askren over the weekend ... and explained why it's the latest in an "incredible" journey for the 24-year-old YouTube star.

"I like Jake Paul, because I think anybody who has a dream should go after that dream," Metta told us outside of Toast in L.A.

"I think what's incredible about it is he's doing it! That's what's incredible about it, action!"

Metta says he had dreams of becoming a boxer when he was younger -- but never followed up.

So, the fact Jake is putting in the work and seeing results is very impressive to him.

And get this ... Metta tells TMZ Sports he's been getting calls from networks looking to book him in a major celebrity boxing event.

But, don't hold your breath -- Metta says he ain't interested.

"I don't feel like doing it ... It's just not something I'm into doing."

"Ain't no dollar amount," Metta added ... "I just don't want to do it."

Mike Tyson served as the "special ringside enforcer" at AEW's "Dynamite" on Wednesday ... and man, HE ENFORCED!

The boxing legend cracked Cash Wheeler right in the face with a hard right hand during a ringside encounter ... sending Wheeler crashing to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

It was awesome!!!

In fact, just listen to the sound of the contact -- yeesh!!

Here's the backstory ... Inner Circle's Chris Jericho was taking on The Pinnacle’s Dax Harwood in a heated 1-on-1 march -- and before the opening bell, Mike vowed to keep the peace by any means necessary.

Long story short, Cash Wheeler tried to interfere with the match to help his tag team partner Dax. At one point, he even grabbed a baseball bat in hopes of taking a swing at Jericho.

... and that's when Iron Mike came around the corner and gave him the ol' Michael Spinks treatment (Google it).

Ultimately, Jericho got the win -- and thanked Mike for having his back and included Mike as an auxiliary member of the Inner Circle.

TikTok star Bryce Hall has a truly adorable reason for wanting to beat the living hell out of YouTuber Austin McBroom in their upcoming boxing match ... saying if he comes out with a K.O., he's getting his mom a new house!!!

Of course, more Internet superstars are following Logan and Jake Paul's lead into the ring ... with 21-year-old Hall and McBroom, 28, headlining the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card on June 12.

Hall tells TMZ Sports he's SERIOUSLY cashing in on the event ... doubling down on his claim he's really going to make $5 million just to enter the ring.

On top of that, Hall -- who has 19.6 million followers on TikTok -- says he's going to get another $1 MILLION bonus if he's able to knock out the former college basketball player ... and that money would go to a great cause.

"That's like, my mom's house right there," Hall told us outside Toast in L.A. "I'm gonna buy my mom a house right after the fight. And, that knockout is my mom's house ... that's how much it means to me."

Hall shows us how serious he is by displaying some of his moves ... and even lets a random dude on the street punch him in the stomach!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger opened up his L.A. mansion to some combat sports legends -- Mike Tyson and Henry Cejudo -- and even let 'em swing around his legendary "Conan" sword!

Mike and Henry flew in on Tuesday to shoot an episode of Mike's "Hotboxin" podcast -- and Arnold couldn't have been a better host!

He played some chess with Mike. He let Cejudo flex with his famous bodybuilding statue.

And, after they left Arnold's home -- Mike and Henry decided to play a little golf at another location while Mike puffed away on a big ol' joint.

What a fun day!

Afterward, Cejudo -- one of the greatest UFC fighters ever -- thanked Arnold for welcoming him into his home.

"It’s an [honor] to be invited to the man’s house who’s cut from the same cloth as me," Cejudo posted.

"[Arnold], you are The American Dream."

There are pics of Mike Tyson and Arnold hanging out together from way back in the '80s -- but it's unclear if they were friends or just friendly ... considering they were both mega-stars back then and probably ran into each other at events.

Jake Paul's brutal knockout of ex-NBA star Nate Robinson is now being sold as an NFT -- and the asking price is $10 MILLION!!!

Triller, the company behind the fight, is also behind the sale of the 1-of-1 NFT -- but there's a pretty significant twist here.

In addition to owning the digital collectible from the Nov. 28, 2020 event -- the buyer will also get a custom 1-of-1 NFT featuring the last 30 seconds of the April 17 boxing match between Jake Paul and Ben Askren.

So, if the fight ends with a bang, that moment will be memorialized in a collectible non-fungible token.

The token is available through the new Triller NFT Marketplace -- which the company says is "based on peer-reviewed, audited Ethereum blockchain infrastructure."

NFTs are all the rage in digital collectibles at the moment -- with some tokens selling for more than $50 MILLION!!

If you're still not clear on what an NFT is -- think of it as a digital baseball card that's built on blockchain technology to ensure authenticity.

Just like a baseball card, people can buy, sell or trade NFTs -- but they don't own the copyright to the actual art itself.

Make sense? Okay great.

Athletes and entertainers from all over the world have been jumping on the NFT train -- Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Snoop and more have issued their own NFT collections, some have sold for a fortune.

"Listen, Conor McGregor is the biggest piece of s**t scumbag in the sport."

That's Kamaru Usman's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, going off about Conor McGregor after the UFC superstar accused Usman of stealing his signature catchphrases.

Here's the quick backstory ... Usman (the reigning UFC welterweight champ) is promoting his big UFC 261 fight with Jorge Masvidal and told ESPN, "It’s green panty night when you fight me."

It's a nod to Conor's famous "red panty night" comment he made at a press conference back in 2015 -- a line that's become one of Conor's most famous moments.

“I can make you rich,” McGregor told Rafael dos Anjos at the UFC 197 news conference -- explaining, "I change your bum life; you fight, it’s a celebration. When you sign to fight me, it’s a celebration. You ring back home, you ring your wife, ‘Baby, we’ve done it. We’re rich, baby. Conor McGregor made us rich, break out the red panties. We’re rich, baby.'"

So, when Conor saw Usman using a similar line (replacing red with green because of the color of the Nigerian flag), McGregor called him out on social media.

"Am I tripping or is this jackass always at this? Everything I say," Conor tweeted.

Well, Usman's manager saw the tweet and decided to respond -- aggressively.

"Kamaru Usman is a great father, great husband, he's not a jackass. If you have a problem with him, fight the man. But we know Conor doesn’t have the balls."

"He's not enough of a man to fight anything like Kamaru . He’s not enough of a man to even look him in his face."

Ali added, "The Internet creates a lot of heroes. Everybody can talk s**t. But realistically, if you put these two guys in a cage, in a street fight, in the trunk of a car, in a jail cell ,... you know who’s gonna be whose daddy."

"Kamaru Usman will be Conor's daddy every day of the week."

Abdelaziz also broke down why he's 100% convinced Usman will DESTROY Masvidal when they step into the octagon on April 24 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mike Tyson channeled his inner Hulk Hogan on Wednesday night -- ripping off his shirt and beating the hell out of a pro wrestler ... and it was awesome!!

It all went down on AEW's 'Dynamite' -- where Chris Jericho and his allies in the Inner Circle were getting attacked by the guys in The Pinnacle, led by pro wrestling star MJF.

All of the sudden, Mike Tyson appeared -- and unleashed the fury all over Shawn Spears ... throwing punches in bunches and even launching a ground and pound attack!

Eventually, Spears escaped and fled the ring -- and Tyson and Chris Jericho dapped it up while celebrating their new alliance.

Yeah, it's pro wrestling stuff ... but it's still super fun to watch!

Before the incident, 54-year-old Tyson was hanging out with Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer!

Fun Fact: The Jags are owned by Shad Khan -- whose son, Tony Khan, is the president and CEO of AEW!

Francis Ngannou's Hit List:

- Stipe Miocic ✅

- Jon Jones

- TYSON FURY ?!

That's exactly right ... the newly crowned UFC champ tells TMZ Sports he's DEAD SERIOUS about boxing Fury -- the man many pugilism experts believe is the greatest heavyweight alive.

Why boxing? Why Fury? Here's the deal.

Before UFC 260, Stipe told us he was very interested in boxing 32-year-old Fury or 31-year-old Anthony Joshua.

Welp, his title defense didn't go as planned (lost via 2nd rd. KO) ... so, while Francis is taking things from Miocic -- we asked if he wanted to take Stipe's place vs. the Gypsy King.

"Absolutely. I'm open to that. Remember boxing was my primary dream and I still have the fire, the dream inside me and I believe at some point, I'm gonna make a step."

Of course, UFC honcho Dana White is currently working on a massive fight between Jones and Ngannou ... and Fury is set to take on Joshua later this year -- so any boxing match between the 2 giants would have to be in the future.

We also asked Francis about 54-year-old Mike Tyson ... who is looking to find an opponent after talks with forever rival Evander Holyfield fell apart at the negotiating table.

And not even 6'4", 263 pound Francis Ngannou wants a piece of "Iron" Mike ... despite a 20 year age difference!

"I don't want to fight Mike Tyson but I would like to fight another heavyweight boxer as such as Tyson Fury."

Heads up, Lamar Odom ... this summer's boxing match with Aaron Carter might not be a cakewalk after all!!!

TMZ Sports has obtained new workout footage of the 'Aaron's Party' singer ... and it's clear as day, in about a month, Carter's improved his jabs immensely!!

Remember, AC agreed in February to fight Odom at a celeb exhibition match in Atlantic City in June ... and the first clips we got of the guy on the mitts weren't exactly impressive.

Carter -- who ya gotta at least admit was bustin' his ass HARD -- struggled with power behind the punches ... and when Odom released his own workout vid just a few days later, there was obviously some concern for Aaron.

But, check out the new clip ... Carter's throwing punches with more authority -- and it's apparent the guy is taking this fight SERIOUSLY.

We're told Carter is now training with mixed martial arts specialist Josh Polit at FIGHTR Boxing Club in Santa Monica with the hopes of getting himself right before fight night.

Manny Pacquiao is sick and tired of the violent attacks on the Asian community -- and he's calling out the coward perpetrators behind these awful crimes.

"Stop attacking Asians who can't defend themselves! FIGHT ME INSTEAD."

The 42-year-old boxing superstar continued, "We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!! #StopAsianHate."

Seems Pacquiao has finally seen enough after a 65-year-old Filipino-American woman was pummeled in broad daylight by a large man, in an horrific incident captured on video.

Besides being one of the top boxers in the world, Manny is also a Senator in the Philippines, where he was born and raised ... and clearly he felt compelled to issue a public statement after the wave of anti-Asian incidents making headlines around the world.

There has been a surge of hate crimes directed at Asian people in the U.S. over the past few months -- including a horrific incident in Atlanta where a gunman stormed multiple Asian-run spas and murdered 8 people.

Back in February, the Philippine Embassy in the U.S. issued a statement that advised Filipinos to use "utmost caution" due to the rise of anti-Asian attacks in America.