Boxing

It's finally happening -- Oscar De La Hoya is making his highly anticipated return to the boxing ring in September ... and he's going up against MMA star Vitor Belfort in an exhibition match!!

Of course, 48-year-old ODLH announced his return back in March ... saying he was ready to take a fight on July 3.

The date was pushed back a few months as Oscar searched for an opponent ... and now he's finally got one -- the 44-year-old former UFC champion!!

We all know what Oscar can do in the ring -- he won belts in six divisions and was one of the biggest superstars in the sport before retiring in 2008.

Belfort on the other hand, has one boxing match under his belt -- a quick TKO over Josemario Neves in 2006.

The Triller event is set to go down on September 11 with Las Vegas as the target location. The venue and undercard are set to be announced at a later date, according to reports.

Oscar's been teasing a comeback for years -- he even said he wanted to fight UFC honcho Dana White at one point -- training nonstop to get back in fighting shape.

Brandon Moreno is the 1st Mexico-born UFC champ ... and the newly crowned flyweight king just received a heartfelt message from Mexico's arguably greatest athlete ever -- and it's impossible for this to not make you feel good.

TMZ Sports recently talked to 58-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (he's fighting this weekend) ... and we asked the former boxing superstar if he had a message for Moreno following his historic victory.

We played the message for the 27-year-old, Assassin Baby ... and it was awesome.

Chavez's message ... "A lot of blessings, and remember that the difficult part is not to get where he is at, but to endure. That’s the tough part. Blessings and God bless."

Moreno's reaction ... "Man, that is crazy. That definitely crazy, you know? He’s an example for me. Actually, it’s not just for me, I think for every single Mexican, for the fans of boxing, for the fans of combat sports around the world."

Brandon continued ... "Julio Cesar Chavez is a legend. A living legend in Mexico and that makes the message for me so special, and I’m very grateful to hear that."

We also talked to Brandon about who he wants next ... and whether a trilogy fight with Deiveson Figueiredo -- who BM submitted in the 3rd round at UFC 263 -- could be in the works.

"[Deiveson's] always a possibility, you know? He’s the former champ, he looks impressive in his last performance, but I don’t know, man," Moreno says.

"I don’t know what to think, but to be honest I think the fight was very dominant by myself."

1/2 of the most bizarre sports moment of the day is giving his side of the whole ordeal ... with Tyson Fury telling TMZ Sports Deontay Wilder was straight-up SHOOK during their 6-minute long faceoff on Tuesday.

The 2 boxing superstars just had their press conference in Los Angeles ahead of their July 24 bout ... and while the whole thing was pretty bonkers, the wildest moment had to be their insane faceoff.

There were barely any words exchanged, but the 2 men refused to look away from each other ... even when event organizers tried to get them to turn towards the camera.

Finally, Wilder -- who never took his headphones off or spoke a word throughout the entire event -- threw on his shades and bolted from the stage, leaving Fury all alone.

We spoke with the Gypsy King shortly after the lengthy faceoff ... and he tells us he was living rent-free in Wilder's head.

"Good faceoff and I felt like he was nervous and intense," Fury tells us. "He needed rescuing and he did get rescued. His coach coming in pulled him away just at the right time."

Of course, Fury won by 7th round TKO in February 2020 ... with their first fight ending in a split draw.

Since Deontay didn't hear anything during the presser, we asked Fury if he had a message for him ...  just in case the Bronze Bomber is watching.

"Train hard, Deontay, 'cause I'm gonna beat you down like I did last time!"

Noooooo!!!!!

Boxing superstar Teofimo Lopez -- one of the best fighters in the world -- has tested positive for COVID, forcing promoters to postpone this weekend's championship fight.

The undefeated 23-year-old -- the unified lightweight world champ -- was supposed to take on George Kambosos in Miami on June 19.

But, Lopez tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday morning -- and to make things worse, he's symptomatic.

As a result, the fight -- along with the entire card -- is being pushed to August 14 to allow Lopez to recover.

The event -- part of the Triller Fight Club series -- was set to feature some sick musical performances during the event ... headlined by Meek Mill.

Myke Towers and Reggaeton star Lunay were also booked to perform as part of the Triller Live Concert Series.

As for the entertainment portion of the evening, no word on that -- we're working on details.

Teofimo Lopez is 16-0 -- and coming off an incredible victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko, who (at the time) was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

28-year-old George Kambosos Jr. is also undefeated (19-0) -- and believes a victory over Lopez would rocket him into boxing superstardom.

He's not wrong!

Austin McBroom was true to his name ... he cleaned the floor with Bryce Hall Saturday night, but it's unclear if the loser will have to ante up a million bucks.

The event -- YouTubers vs. TikTokers -- is further proof these social media boxing matches are becoming the most popular events in combat sports ... like it or not.

Austin dominated the fight from the get-go ... pummeling the TikToker from one end of the ring to the other. Bryce was beaten to a pulp in round 3 ... at one point the ref stopped the action with an 8 count to see if Bryce could continue, and he did ... for about 10 more seconds before a fierce combination to the body was enough for the ref, who stopped the fight.

So, this was a TKO, not a knockout, and therein lies the problem. The deal was that the loser would pay the winner $1 mil if he got knocked out. TECHNICALLY, Bryce did not, so the money thing is unclear.

Bryce says he pocketed $5 mil for the fight ... unclear what Austin got, but we're assuming it's in that vicinity.

The night was super entertaining ... Check out how TikToker Vinnie Hacker celebrated after his knockout win against Deji.

Most people thought this would be just a social media event with crappy boxing, but the action was actually good and it was really entertaining.

WWE Superstar-turned-AEW talent scout Mark Henry says we might not have seen the end of Braun Strowman ... telling TMZ Sports he's hoping to bring the former champion to his company!!!

Of course, Strowman was recently let go by Vince McMahon's organization ... after spending the past 8 years as one of wrestling's biggest stars.

Now that Henry is an analyst, coach, scout and mentor with All Elite Wrestling, we had to ask if he's planning to bring his buddy on board.

"Super high on my list," Henry tells us. "It's not an all Mark Henry decision, but there's already interest on both sides."

"Hopefully by the time he's allowed to wrestle in August, I think the middle of August, then we could have a serious conversation about contractual things of that nature but right now there's interest on both sides. I love that dude."

Henry and Strowman -- real name Adam Scherr -- go WAY back to their strongman days ... and Mark played a huge role in getting him into the wrestling game.

Now, there's a good chance at a reunion once Scherr's contract is up.

"I talked to him, I mentored him but I tell him all the time, I can't talk business," Henry added. "When your contract expires, you call and let me know and then we'll have a talk."

If Scherr does make the switch, he'll have to go by a different name ... 'cause WWE holds the rights to the "Braun Strowman" -- but it's a small sacrifice for fans who wanna see him back out there.

There's even more awesome news ... we had to ask if we could see 50-year-old Henry enter the squared circle with AEW ... and he's hoping to make it happen!

"I got a lot left in the tank," he says. "I said this before, man. Once I turn 50 ... I said I wanna wrestle again so I can say I wrestled in 4 decades."

"Not many wrestlers get to that, not many. Especially at a high level. I wanna be able to get there and hopefully by October I'll be at 100%."

Henry says he has a bit of work to do to get back into fighting shape ... but it's clear he's spent a lot of time pondering the idea.

"I want it to be very skillful and I want it to be well thought out."

Lamar Odom is a champion once again -- the ex-NBA superstar just KNOCKED OUT Aaron Carter in their Celebrity Boxing match!!!

Carter came out SWINGING ... hitting Odom with as many punches as his body could handle ... but it was clear from the jump -- Odom was in control.

The 6'10" Odom and 6'0" Carter duked it out for 2 rounds at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City ... but the Lakers champion was gonna have no issue handing the former pop star in the ring.

As we previously reported, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told us he was gonna let the dudes fight ... and that's exactly what happened -- LO and AC were throwing punches left and right.

But, ultimately, Carter didn't have the same luck he had against Shaq ... 'cause it was Odom's hand that was raised at the end of the night.

Odom finished Carter in the second round ... but it was all love -- both guys hugged it out after Aaron went down midway through the second round.

The whole event was a party -- boxer Paulie Malignaggi, Ice-T and Coco were all on the mic to provide fun commentary ... and the other fights on the card provided were a bunch of fun, too!!

Odom told us before the fight ... he was planning to put Carter to sleep ... and while he didn't make that happen, he still came through with the dub.

Floyd Mayweather says his Las Vegas home was burglarized and a bunch of valuable property was taken ... and now the boxing superstar is pleading for help, offering at least $100,000 for info leading to the arrest of the burglars.

Mayweather -- who recently told us he expected to rake in $50 to $100 million for the Logan Paul fight -- just announced one of his Sin City houses was broken into.

”One’s home is there a sanctuary, place of peace, relaxation and comfort. When someone violates that sanctuary, it is disturbing and hurtful," Mayweather wrote on social media.

"One of my homes was burglarized in Las Vegas. They stole many valuable handbags and other belongings of substantial value. I am offering at least $100,000 reward for information that leads to the return of my belongings."

Floyd continued ... "The level of disrespect and greed it takes for someone to do this is unfathomable. Thank you to anyone who comes forward with any information. God bless.”

It's unclear exactly what was taken or when the alleged burglary went down ... but we're told Floyd only recently returned to Vegas after spending a few days in Miami following his fight.

Mayweather has dropped insane amounts of cash on some of the most coveted handbags -- included incredibly rare Birkin bags -- over the years.

No big layoff for Claressa Shields -- the boxing champ turned MMA sensation says the plan is to get back in the cage in 2 to 3 months!!

The 26-year-old is coming off a stunning victory in her MMA debut on Thursday -- pummeling Brittney Elkin so brutally at PFL 4, the ref stopped the fight.

Shields is still FIRED UP about the win and tells TMZ Sports ... a TON of her famous friends have been blowing up her phone to send love -- from Halle Berry to Ray Lewis, Dwight Howard and more!

But, Claressa isn't spending too much time celebrating -- she'll be back in the gym to start training for her next MMA fight in just a few weeks!!

"I have another MMA fight I believe in August or September … and [after that] we're saving the end of the year for boxing."

Why so much activity?

"I'm young and I'm hungry," Shields says ... noting she's busted her ass in boxing but never got the paychecks she believes she deserves.

Shields strongly believes the path to becoming rich is through MMA -- and says, "I believe that I'll be a millionaire sooner than we think."

The end goal isn't just money ... Shields says the goal is to become champion in both sports -- and she's convinced it'll happen in due time.

Look, Shields knows her performance could have been better -- especially when it comes to her ground game, but she's dedicated to working on her weaknesses in the gym and wants to become a well-rounded fighter.

"We got a long way to go, but I'm happy to start [my career with a win] and take care of business."

"I hope this reaches Logan Paul. You looked good [Sunday] night! You looked really in control and you look like you could do some things in this sport."

That's Shawn Porter -- former 2x welterweight world champion -- cosigning Logan's career as a pugilist ... telling the YouTube star to KEEP BOXING!!

TMZ Sports talked to 33-year-old Porter about Paul following his 8-round exhibition fight vs. Floyd Mayweather last weekend ... and the boxing star had a message for Maverick.

"You have a built-in audience! You can make this money fighting this completion, build yourself up and then when the time is right, you say, 'Yo I'm ready for a world championship title' and I think by then, everybody that has rocked with him to this point will continue to rock with him."

Porter continued ... "He'll pull fans from the boxing arena and boom, you can't be mad at dude after that! You can't be mad at the money-making after that!"

Speaking of money, Logan previously told us he expected to make at least $20 million for the Mayweather fight.

That pissed off some star fighters (see Francis Ngannou) ... so we asked Shawn if he was upset inferior fighters were making BANK.

"You can't be mad at the hustle! I cannot knock the hustle! I'm happy for them dudes, I'm happy for them to get the money the way they've been getting it."

Austin McBroom says his celeb fight with Bryce Hall ain't gonna last too long ... telling TMZ Sports he's guaranteeing a knockout within the first two rounds!!!

"He won't last past the first round," the YouTube star said of his TikTok rival. "He'd be lucky to get to the second round. If he gets to the second round, it'll end right there."

The two social media titans are finally set to throw down in Miami this weekend after months of trash talk ... and McBroom seemed as confident as ever Friday that he'd score the win.

In fact, Austin seemed downright concerned for Hall ... telling us he's worried he might legitimately HURT Bryce on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

"He's nervous," McBroom said of Hall. "He's a nervous one. He's out there getting jitters face-to-face. He was out there shaking a little bit."

"So, I just hope he's ready man. 'Cause in this sport, you can get seriously hurt. And, I would hate to hurt the kid."

As for Bryce, he insisted he ain't feeling any butterflies ahead of the big boxing match ... and told us he's actually received some key advice from Logan and Jake Paul about managing all that.

Oh, and he threw a fat jab McBroom's way.

Pro wrestling star Max Caster ... CAN RAP!!!

The AEW superstar -- who considers himself the greatest wrestler alive -- just dropped some very impressive bars ... all based on recent TMZ Sports stories and it's great!!

From LeBron James to Logan Paul ... even Buff Bagwell -- Caster wrapped up our week, by rapping up our week!

There's more ... Caster -- half of AEW's #2 ranked tag team The Acclaimed -- also talks about his wrestling future to the comparisons to John Cena.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn not only HATED the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul fight ... but says it seriously damaged the sport -- and now he's sounding off!!

"Absolutely f**king horrendous," Hearn told iFL TV, "I'm allowed to give my opinion. It was absolute dog s**t."

Hearn famously runs Matchroom Boxing -- and reps some of the biggest names in the sport including Anthony Joshua, Devin Haney, Gennady Golovkin and more.

And, while some industry bigwigs applauded Logan vs. Floyd for drawing attention to the sport and possibly bringing in new younger fans ... Hearn thinks it was an atrocity.

"It was just sad, it was sad. None of it ever made sense."

Hearn says he doesn't blame Floyd -- applauding the guy for making a fortune for an easy night's work -- but thinks the event left a bad taste in the fan's mouths.

Hearn says part of the blame is on the promoters and other industry professionals who aren't producing great fighters and great events.

"If we don’t make good fights, you’re going to see more and more of this," Hearn explained.

Max Kellerman -- one of the leading experts in boxing -- says he's genuinely intrigued by the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight.

... and if Jake can knock out the former UFC star, he'll be legitimately impressed.

"That's an interesting fight. It's an interesting event," the ESPN star told us out in NYC.

24-year-old Jake and 39-year-old Woodley are set to throw down in August -- in what will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge of Paul's short career.

So far, Paul has knocked out two pro athletes -- Nate Robinson and Ben Askren -- but hasn't faced an opponent known for being a true striker.

... until now.

Woodley fought his way to the top of the UFC's welterweight division in 2016 -- knocking out Robbie Lawler to win the belt.

But, he's lost his last 4 fights -- leading some to believe he's washed.

"I don't care how faded Woodley is … if Jake Paul knocks out Tyron Woodley, he did something," Kellerman explained.

"Woodley can strike. So, we're not gonna confuse it with a title fight in boxing ... but okay, I'll be impressed."

Jake has promised to KO Woodley in 2 rounds. Woodley's response? "HAHAHHAHA."

We'll see who's right ...

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... he hopes Floyd Mayweather finally hangs up the gloves after his exhibition with Logan Paul.

... but as for Logan Paul fighting in the UFC one day, Dana ain't exactly saying no!

INTERESTING!!!

First, Floyd ...

"I would love to see Floyd retire," White tells us ... "He's had an incredible career and to do these type of fights, it's silly."

Now, to Logan ... who has repeatedly said he would kill for a shot to fight in the UFC since he has a legitimate wrestling background and feels he could actually compete in the Octagon.

So, Dana ... would you ever sign Logan Paul to a UFC deal?

"I don't know man ... I don't know."

"Here's the thing, not to say that I haven't taken a guy in that's been 0-0 into the UFC and done those types of fights before ... I don't know."

White is obviously referencing CM Punk, the former WWE superstar who got 2 fights in the UFC despite no prior professional MMA experience. Punk lost both of his fights in a lopsided fashion.

But, White respects Logan's work ethic and athletic ability -- as well as his marketing power ... and says there will always be a market for famous people to get in the ring.

"Imagine if Kim Kardashian wanted to fight Amanda Nunes ... how big do you think that fight would be?!"

"What do you think Kim Kardashian would make if she fought Amanda Nunes ... probably more than anybody's ever made, ever!"

There's more ... we also talked about that STACKED card for UFC 263 this weekend featuring the Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori and the return of Nate Diaz!

Mike Tyson says he was shockingly impressed with Logan Paul's performance against Floyd Mayweather on Sunday ... and thinks he's actually ready to take on a pro fighter in a sanctioned bout!!

In fact, Mike has a fighter in mind -- 37-year-old Swedish pro boxer Badou Jack, a former 2 division champ with victories over guys like Marcus Browne, Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal, and most recently, Dervin Colina.

Jack is a legit contender who is still pursuing titles ... and Mike thinks he'd be a good test for LP ... if he's serious about continuing his boxing career.

"I'm trying to get Logan Paul to fight Badou Jack," the champ said on IG Live with former boxer Zab Judah on Monday.

"I wanna see what he says about that."

Jack "The Ripper" is a beast -- he's 6'2" with a 30-3-3 record (14 wins by knockout) ... and previously held the WBC super-middleweight title.

So he's WAY more experienced than the YouTuber-turned-fighter ... but Tyson says that's the type of fighter Paul needs to be into ... and Judah agrees.

"Yeah, that's a real fight now. He fights Badou Jack, Logan Paul is gonna be in a big fight," Judah says.

"That's a whole different fight. You fight that guy, Badou is gonna give you a fight. Badou coming to fight! That's all Badou do is fight!"