Boxing

Sylvester Stallone says Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier III is gonna be one helluva fight ... but says Conor will be at a MAJOR disadvantage when he steps back into the octagon.

"Poirier has the big-time advantage," Sly told us outside of Giuseppe Franco Hair Salon in Bev Hills.

So, why does Stallone feel that way?

"You got a really hungry, young guy (Poirier) and then you got a guy who's made a lot of money but he's also sorta hungry (McGregor)."

The two UFC stars are set to fight for the third time at UFC 264 on July 10.

Conor famously KO'd Dustin in the 1st round of their 1st fight back in 2014.

Dustin won the rematch with a 2nd round TKO at UFC 257 in January 2021.

Stallone says both guys are killers -- and have demonstrated the ability to end the fight quickly and violently ... which is why he won't make a definitive fight prediction.

"That one I swear you really flip a coin on. It's like who hits first."

Sorry, fight fans ... Chuck Liddell says there will be no upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul -- the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he'd HURT the YouTuber if a scrap ever went down.

Liddell told us out in L.A. that even though the two have beefed publicly over the past couple weeks ... it just makes no sense for Jake to box him, even at Chuck's current age.

"He's not good enough to fight me," the 51-year-old said of the 24-year-old.

"It just doesn't make sense for him. None of it makes sense for this guy. He's going to risk getting hurt like that?!"

If you're wondering why it's even being rumored ... it's 'cause the two went after each other on social media following Jake's huge win over Ben Askren.

A fan on Twitter asked Chuck to shut Jake up ... and Liddell responded, "I’m ready anytime for that clown."

Paul fired back a short time later, posting a pic of the two after the Askren fight and saying, "This guy Chuck Liddell begged me for a pic after my fight and now is talking s*** on Twitter."

Chad Johnson is taking his celeb fight SO seriously, he's getting in the ring with the Charlo twins to prep for the tilt ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guys are whoopin' his ass!!

The ex-NFL superstar -- who's set to square off with MMA fighter Brian Maxwell on the undercard of the Mayweather-Paul fight on June 6 -- broke it all down for us this week ... explaining he's sparring Jermell and Jermall Charlo to get ready for his match.

And, he says he's taking a beating from the boxing stars every time ... telling us of a recent sparring sesh, "I was f***ing swimming."

"Third round," Johnson added, "I was in the middle of the ocean with no life vest and I was f***ing drowning."

Not familiar with the Charlos? They're 2 of the best boxers in the world ... and have a combined 65 professional wins with only 1 (very controversial) loss.

But, the 43-year-old -- who said he's also training with some of the Charlos' sparring partners -- explained he's hopeful it'll all help when the lights come on against Maxwell in Miami next month.

"I've been training with the Charlo twins so I'm here now and it's funny I just finished sparring one of [their] sparring partners and it was fun," Johnson said. "It was a great experience."

"It was an experience where I was taken advantage of and it's a great thing. Obviously going in the ring with someone that does it at the highest level and learning the mistakes. I like it like that."

Johnson continued, "There was no other way to prepare for something of this magnitude. I had to come here. It's just -- there's no other way."

Johnson wouldn't guarantee a knockout over Maxwell -- even despite the training efforts -- but he did tell us it's going to be a show nonetheless.

They'll kill each other in the ring, but Gervonta Davis is rooting for Ryan Garcia outside of it.

26-year-old Gervonta and 22-year-old Ryan have been on a collision course for years -- they've both rocketed to the top of the boxing world ... and have talked TONS of crap to each other along the way.

Even Tank's mentor, Floyd Mayweather, knows the fight would be a huge deal -- and even tried to set it up back in 2019.

But, with Garcia currently taking a break to deal with mental health issues, Davis is NOT using the situation as an excuse to attack his rival.

In fact, Davis tells us he supports Garcia and hopes he gets healthy soon.

"Mental illness is global so I just wish him the best," Davis tells TMZ Sports.

Davis -- who's currently 24-0 as a pro -- is gearing up for his June 26 fight against WBA world super-lightweight champion Mario Barrios ... but says he's not ruling out a scrap with Garcia at some point down the line.

Lamar Odom says his boxing match with Aaron Carter will last shorter than a TikTok video ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna knock out the former pop star in the FIRST ROUND!!!

As we previously reported, the NBA champ has been CRUSHING it in the gym leading up to his June 12 bout with the "I Want Candy" crooner ... looking as polished as ever during training session vids.

We spoke with 41-year-old Odom ahead of the big fight in Atlantic City ... and he's basically saying folks won't wanna blink -- 'cause it'll be over in a flash.

"It's not gon' be a fight," Odom tells us. "It ain't gon' be a fight."

We asked if Odom will be able to handle AC in the first round ... and the dude is confident as hell he won't even need the full 1 minute and 30 seconds to get the win.

"Yeah. Probably, I would say the first minute."

Odom's had a lot going for him recently -- he just debuted his film, "Reborn," which details his use of psychedelic medicines to bounce back from addiction and anxiety.

Odom tells us how he's been recovering from his 2015 overdose ... saying, "Well you gotta put God first, your higher power first, before you do anything."

He adds his great friend Kobe Bryant is still inspiring him every day to strive for greatness ... adding "Family, my children. That's the reason why I'm living. It's just me sharing my 'Mamba Mentality' moment."

"That's the quest of being the best version of myself. In search of that."

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is predicting a 4th-round victory over Anderson Silva ... and he wants to follow it up with a rematch against Canelo Alvarez!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 35-year-old Chavez -- 52-5-1 as a pro boxer -- is taking on the MMA legend in Mexico on June 19 ... a fight Anderson believes he can win.

We spoke to Chavez Jr. who told us Silva’s delusional ... and he’s predicting a short and violent end to The Spider's foray into boxing.

“[The Silva matchup] has all the ingredients to be an exciting fight. I predict I can finish him after the 3rd or 4th round. That's when I get in the groove and start feeling myself in the ring.”

Julio then doubled down on the prognostication ... “Look, I predict that after the 4th round I’ll be able to knock him out. And, if he lasts longer than that, that's gonna be his fault because that's gonna be a beating.”

Julio -- son of boxing Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez -- admits he relied too heavily on his natural ability throughout his career.

But, Jr. says he is now laser-focused and looking to get back in the ring with the best fighters in the world.

“Of course I want to have [a Canelo rematch] on my mind. That’s what makes this fight such a big deal for me. It’s gonna give me the opportunity to get these rematches with Canelo or Danny Jacobs.”

Of course, Chavez Jr. previously fought Canelo back in May 2017 ... and lost via unanimous decision in a 12-round scrap.

Julio says he isn't just content with getting back in the ring with Alvarez ... he wants to -- and believes he can -- truly win the fight.

“I think that I do have the style to win the [Canelo] fight because I attack. I try to not give him too much space to move around because he’s a great boxer," Chavez Jr. says.

There are now two people on the planet who think Logan Paul will beat Floyd Mayweather next month -- Logan Paul ... and his friend Harry Jowsey.

In fact, the "Too Hot To Handle" hunk tells TMZ Sports he's SO confident in the YouTube superstar's chances ... he's dropping a MASSIVE bet on it!!

"I'm putting 10 grand on Logan. I'm putting 10 Gs on Logan!!!" the MTV star told us outside Alfred Coffee on Wednesday.

So ... why the hell would he put that kinda dough on an 0-1 Internet guy to beat the 50-0 greatest boxer of all time?? Jowsey's got his reasons.

"When I was talking to Logan about it, something in my heart says, 'this guy's got it,'" Jowsey says.

"Logan's gonna knock him out. This is it. Logan Paul is gonna knock out Floyd Mayweather within 5 rounds."

Jowsey says he knows it may seem crazy, but he's sticking to his gut feeling.

"Logan just keeps proving himself. He's a wizard. I don't know what's going on. If anyone can do it, I feel like it's gonna be him."

Oscar De La Hoya wants to settle his beef with Dana White once and for all ... with violence.

The boxing legend is pissed off at White -- claiming Dana blocked UFC legend Georges St-Pierre from participating in a boxing match with Oscar.

St-Pierre seemingly confirmed the move in a recent interview with CinemaBlend -- saying, "I understand that Dana didn't want me to fight."

He added, "However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. "

"However, to rather fight a boxing match under the rules that Triller put on against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya? For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favorite boxer of all time, behind 'Sugar' Ray Leonard."

Dana hasn't publicly commented on the matter -- but Oscar is fuming ... and Friday, he called out the UFC honcho on Twitter.

"[Dana White], Quit blocking [Georges St-Pierre's] chance to fight," Oscar said.

"How about we get into the ring first little B*#ch then after I kick your ass, I’ll fight a real man."

So far, no response from Dana.

The two have feuded publicly for years -- with things really escalating in 2017 when Oscar slammed White for his involvement in the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match.

Oscar put out a statement calling it a "circus" and said it would hurt the sport of boxing. Dana didn't appreciate that and blasted him as a lying, stupid "cokehead."

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

This is getting VERY interesting ...

Matt Barnes wants to settle his feud with Kwame Brown once and for all ... saying he's had enough of the Internet smack talk and wants to meet in person -- AND HE'S READY TO THROW HANDS!!!

Barnes is clapping back after the 2001 #1 overall pick has gone on a tirade this week ... saying he's caving in and giving Brown the attention he wanted.

"Kwame Brown, brother Brown, you've been ranting for about 5 days now," Barnes said Wednesday. "Your cry for help, your need for attention worked."

"I heard your Instagram following has grown over 30,000 the last handful of days since you had my d*** -- I mean, my name -- in your mouth."

Barnes gives Brown a personal invite to join his podcast to clear the air ... saying, "You got a story to tell obviously. You're hurt. Like I said, you can play it off with humor, but you're hurt and I get it. But, come on the show."

"Talk that s***, tell your story face-to-face."

But, Barnes is prepared to do much more than talking -- saying he's down to scrap with Brown to squash the beef.

"If me and you gotta box before, during or after and shake hands to get this s*** done, you know I'm always with the s***."

Remember, Brown went for Barnes' jugular earlier this week, saying, "The only joke you got is about basketball, I got a joke about your life, you punk bitch" ... referencing Barnes' infamous incident with Derek Fisher in 2015.

He also referred to Barnes as "Becky with the good hair" among other insults.

Now, it appears the two guys can settle things with their hands ... that is, if Brown is down for it.

Bryce Hall hasn't even thrown down in his first official boxing match yet ... but he's already planning #2 -- explaining Wednesday he wants a scrap with KSI badly!!!

The TikTok superstar -- who's all set for a celeb fight with YouTuber Austin McBroom next month -- said on "TMZ Live" he's got a beef brewing with KSI that he wants to settle in the ring next.

"KSI -- the one that beat [Logan Paul] -- was talking crazy about me," the 21-year-old said. "So, I mean, I'm down to do him next."

As for how the feud between the two social media stars started ... it's unclear, but they've exchanged verbal jabs repeatedly on Twitter over the last few weeks.

In fact, KSI trolled Hall after his wild brawl with McBroom in West Hollywood on Tuesday ... showing a picture of Bryce and asking, "You good?"

The fight would be an interesting one -- KSI is considered one the best boxers from the social media world -- but, of course, Hall's gotta get through McBroom first.

Austin McBroom says Bryce Hall fights DIRTY ... the YouTube superstar tells TMZ Sports during his brawl with the TikToker on Tuesday, Hall tried to break his ankle!!!

McBroom explained the situation while hoppin' out of his flashy Lambo at Boa Steakhouse in L.A. hours after the melee ... accusing Hall of trying to get out of their June 12 boxing match by injuring him earlier in the day.

"At the end, he was like trying to twist my ankle," the 28-year-old said of Hall. "Like maybe he was trying, like, to cause me not to fight him anymore."

McBroom continued, "It was kind of weird. He was trying to break my ankle or twist my ankle so I couldn't fight him."

The fracas was insane ... as the two were attempting to promote their fight in front of cameras and a small crowd at Fred Segal in West Hollywood, they went after each other.

Hall sprang at McBroom, and they got in a shoving match that went straight to the ground.

And, at one point, things got so violent -- some dude was even cracked over the head with a bottle!!!

McBroom said he lost his chain the scuffle ... and claims he suffered a gnarly scratch on his neck during the incident as well.

All of it, he added, has now motivated him even more to try to destroy Bryce during their headlining fight on the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card in Miami next month.

Charles Oliveira vs. Khabib?!

That's the fight many MMA fans are clamoring for ... believing the new UFC lightweight champ's style matches up favorably with the retired 29-0 superstar from Dagestan.

But, don't prematurely hand Khabib his 1st loss ... 'cause UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- who's friends with 32-year-old Nurmagomedov -- says he doesn't believe Khabib's any closer to returning to the Octagon after witnessing 31-year-old "Do Bronx's" impressive performance at UFC 262.

"I think Khabib did watch the fight. Was he intrigued? 'Yes, I wanna get back in there.' Probably not," Usman tells us.

"I mean, he's a man that's happy. He's happy with his life. He's happy with the direction that it's going and yeah, I think he's retired."

Of course, Khabib and Dana White met on multiple occasions over the last year ... but the former lightweight champ ultimately decided he was never going to fight again.

So, Charles vs. Khabib isn't happening ... BUT (hypothetically) does Oliveira have the necessary tools to beat the unbeatable fighter?!? Kamaru says no.

"More power to Charles Olivera. I'm impressed by him and I'm a fan for what he's able to do with his career but I just think there's levels to the game and I think Khabib is a different level."

Now, don't get it twisted ... Usman believes CO is a great fighter who went through hell to win the belt.

Bryce Hall and Austin McBroom couldn't wait 'til their fight date to get their hands on each other -- the two social media stars got in an all-out brawl Tuesday ... and it was violent.

Hall, one of the most popular characters on TikTok, and McBroom, a YouTube megastar, were promoting their June 12 celeb boxing match ... when suddenly fireworks ignited.

McBroom and Hall were trading jabs at Fred Segal in West Hollywood ... when Bryce got up and charged at Austin.

The two grabbed and shoved each other -- taking their violence to the floor ... and then damn-near everyone in the building hopped in to separate the guys.

At one point, someone even smashed a bottle over another dude's head!!!

Eventually, the guys all separated and the skirmish dispersed ... but it's clear -- these two HATE each other!!

In fact, after the brawl ... we got McBroom outside of the venue -- and he was PISSED at Hall for how the scrap went down.

"He out here trying to wrestle," McBroom said. "We got a fight June 12 -- he's wrestling me!"

"If he does that bulls*** on June 12, he's getting his ass knocked out. That's what's happening."

As for if the tussle was fake, McBroom told us point-blank, "None of this s*** was staged. This s*** is real. He's getting knocked the f*** out."

As we previously reported, 21-year-old Hall has promised to knock out McBroom during their headlining fight on the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card next month ... with Hall explaining to TMZ Sports he's going to use the K.O. bonus money to buy his mom a new house.

Ryan Leaf says his battle with prescription drugs all began back in 2004 ... when he was booed and jeered so loudly at a big boxing event, it sent him into a deep, downward spiral.

The former San Diego Chargers quarterback opened up about his struggles with addiction on Rex Chapman's "Charges with Rex Chapman" podcast this week ... explaining in detail the horrible night that hooked him on Rx pills.

Leaf says he was at a fight in Las Vegas (he claims it was a Mike Tyson tilt, though it seems he has his boxers mixed up because Tyson didn't fight in Vegas in '04) ... when the PA announcer began rattling off the list of celebs in attendance.

"They announced Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Charles Barkley, Dr. Dre," said Leaf, who was 27 years old at the time and had just retired from the NFL.

"The audience cheered and clapped. And, then the MC there at the MGM Grand announced my name and like the whole auditorium just booed and hissed."

Leaf continued, "My addict brain heard not only are you a terrible football player but you are an awful human being."

Ryan says that negative reception had a huge impact on him ... and when he was offered the prescription pain killer Vicodin to mix in with his booze later in the evening, he jumped at the opportunity.

And, that's when he says his fight began.

"This would be the first time I abused it and ... I didn't feel that judgment, I didn't feel that fear, I didn't feel that less than," Leaf said. "I didn't feel anything."

"I didn't feel better but it turns out I was just searching for that feeling of not feeling any of the feelings that I had been feeling for so long. I just wanted to numb out. And, that night changed."

Leaf says he went on to fight an addiction with the prescription pills for the next EIGHT years ... as he says he was "chasing that initial high from that night."

The champ is home -- and the party is underway!!!

Charles Oliveira returned to Brazil on Monday after an amazing knockout victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 on Saturday night ... and the people are going crazy!!!

Oliveira rode on top of a fire truck as he returned to his favela in Brazil -- where crowds of people were cheering for the 31-year-old UFC lightweight champ ... and literally dancing in the streets!

Oliveira has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 -- and went through some hard times over the years ... leading some to wonder if he would ever reach his potential.

Well, he did just that on Saturday -- overcoming adversity to floor Chandler in the 2nd round of the championship fight.

Oliveira has been glued to the belt ever since -- even sleeping with it on Saturday night ... and can ya blame him?!!

Now, he's back home to continue the celebration -- and it's clear he's made his country proud!!!

Charles' coach Diego Lima posted footage of the welcome party -- and said, "Brazil is celebrating, the Favela is celebrating, @charlesdobronxs number 1 in the world, CONGRATULATIONS bro!"

Lima added, "Thank you for bringing this happiness to our country, thank you for showing that everything is possible for those who believe, you shocked the world once again, and it's just the beginning of a legacy!!!!"