Boxing

Professional boxer Paul Bamba -- who recently became the first fighter to sign with Ne-Yo's management company -- has died, the singer announced Friday. He was just 35 years old.

"It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of beloved son, brother, friend and boxing champion Paul Bamba, whose light and love touched countless lives," Ne-Yo and the Bamba family said in a joint statement.

Bamba held a 19-3 record over the course of his career ... and most recently defeated Rogelio Medina Luna in New Jersey this past Saturday to be named the WBA Gold Cruiserweight world champion.

Jake Paul might be the best brother of all time ... 'cause El Gallo hooked Logan up with an extravagant Christmas present this year -- an Audemars Piguet watch!!

The WWE Superstar shared the kind gesture on his Instagram page this week ... showing off what appears to be a Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph timepiece, which comes with an eye-popping, tens-of-thousands-of-dollar price tag.

The Paul Bros enjoyed their holiday on the lake with all their loved ones ... and the new mom and dad even took a second to do a cold plunge together -- with Logan and Nina wearing nothing but Santa hats and skivvies for the occasion.

Floyd Mayweather is adding yet another jewel to his already impressive real estate portfolio ... TMZ Sports has learned he's entered into an agreement to buy a prominent New York City building for over $20 MILLION.

We're told The Best Ever is snatching up a corner unit on 6th Avenue (and 47th Street) in Manhattan ... a place where he used to go on lavish shopping sprees.

The property, located at 1196 6th Ave., comes with offices, a diamond exchange ... and even a large, income generating billboard.

Le'Veon Bell is so confident in his newfound skills in the boxing ring ... he's ready for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk -- and he tells TMZ Sports he's sure he can beat the heavyweight champ!

Bell called out the 37-year-old just after his impressive win over Tyson Fury on Saturday night -- explaining to us that he truly thinks he can take the belt away from the Ukrainian pugilist.

"If I ever get the opportunity to share the ring with him," the former All-Pro running back said, "that'd be that time where preparation meets opportunity and I'd get to show everybody what the hell I've been working on, bro."

Conor McGregor's return to the UFC Octagon has been put on the backburner ... as the combat sports legend says he's got some other business to handle first -- a boxing exhibition with Logan Paul.

Notorious dropped the bombshell news early Tuesday morning ... denying rumors he's slated to take on featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in Dana White's organization.

Instead, he says he's got his sights set on the WWE Superstar ... and it sounds like they're far along in negotiations, as McGregor claimed he's in "preliminary agreements" with the extremely wealthy Ambani family to take a boxing match with the Maverick in India.

Viral ring girl Sydney Thomas -- who stole the show after her appearance at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight last month -- clocked in for another shift on Thursday ... throwing on a tiny outfit to work weigh-ins for an upcoming boxing event.

Thomas showed off her blue, sparkly ensemble prior to taking the stage for the Most Valuable Prospects 10 card going down in Orlando ... and she seemed thrilled to return to work.

"back in uniform," Thomas said on Instagram ... while also sharing a snap from the festivities.

Paige VanZant's certainly on the naughty list this year ... dressing up as sexy Santa Claus alongside several other models -- with just the tiniest bikinis covering their bodies.

The OnlyFans star shared several photos ... red holiday hats and lipstick matching their bikinis as they pose by the pool.

The group of ladies spread some holiday cheer while laying out spread-eagle on several beach chairs posing seductively.

Floyd Mayweather's visit to London was derailed by an angry mob of anti-Israel protesters this week ... when the large group confronted the boxing legend outside a jewelry store.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage from the scene ... showing TBE and his Money Team bombarded by a crowd in Hatton Garden.

A rep for Mayweather tells us the confrontation was sparked by his support for Israel ... which has been documented by his many charitable efforts for the Israel Defense Forces and those affected by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight really was a global phenomenon ... as the two boxers were among the most-Googled athletes on the planet over the past year.

The massive tech company just released its search stats from 2024 ... and when it comes to sports, Mike and Jake's names were right near the top.

Mike came in at No. 2 worldwide ... while El Gallo landed at No. 5.

Jake Paul claims Tommy Fury turned down a LOT of money to meet in the ring again ... saying TNT "ran away from" an $8 million offer to set up a rematch.

El Gallo's brother, Logan, recently went on his "Impaulsive" podcast and accused Tommy of ducking another bout with Jake ... and after Fury got wind of it all, he fired back with a video of his own on Tuesday.

"I just wanted to come on here and say that no one is running from that fight," Tommy said. "I beat you once already and handed you your first loss. The minute you stepped in and fought a real boxer, you lost fair and square."

Roy Jones Jr. wants to do what Mike Tyson couldn't ... test Jake Paul's chin in the boxing ring!

That's exactly what the 55-year-old legend told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... weeks after the former champion called the fight Jake and Mike fight for Netflix -- watched by over 100 million people.

"I don't think Mike checked his chin at all," RJJ said. "So, I wouldn't mind having a shot to see if I could get to his chin, to test his chin."

Gervonta "Tank" Davis might be serious about retiring from boxing in 2025 ... 'cause the undefeated fighter tells TMZ Sports he already has his post-fighting plans figured out.

We caught up with the 30-0 boxer after his press conference with Lamont Roach -- a 25-1 fighter he's set to face on March 1 at the Barclays Center in New York -- in which he mentioned his days in the ring are numbered.

Naturally, we had to follow up on that proclamation ... and it sounds like Tank's got it all mapped out.

If you thought Jake Paul was done taking on much older opponents, think again ... 'cause his next opponent was born long before the United States of freakin' America was founded -- a 392-year-old shark!!

El Gallo made the silly declaration on social media on Thursday ... joining in on the running joke about his knack for fighting people who have been around a lot longer than him.

In case you missed it, one X user shared a post about an alleged ancient shark that's been chilling in the Arctic Ocean since 1627 ... and everyone had the same response -- Jake Paul's got a new nemesis.

Jake Paul's meteoric rise in boxing is showing no signs of slowing down ... 'cause just weeks after his massive showdown with Mike Tyson, the Problem Child is being added as a playable character in "Undisputed Boxing!"

The video game makers made the announcement Thursday morning, saying Paul would be added to the project as part of "The Problem DLC Pack" on December 12, alongside other fighters like James "Buster" Douglas, Otto Wallin and Marco Barrera.

While his in-game beard is a little darker than his real-life facial hair, the developers seemingly nailed the rest of his character design!

Bryce Hall is returning to the ring ... and he's fighting MMA star turned boxer, Kevin Ferguson Jr. -- son of the street fighting legend, Kimbo Slice!

TMZ Sports has learned the 25-year-old TikTok star turned fighter will throw down with the former Bellator MMA star at BKFC's KnuckleMania V event next month at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens -- both former UFC stars -- will be the main event.

"Baby Slice" last fought in April 2023 with Misfits Boxing ... losing via second-round TKO to Okemka Jibunor.

Mexican boxer Israel Vazquez -- a former three-time world champion in the super bantamweight division -- has passed away at 46 years old after a battle with cancer.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed the news in a social media post ... stating the fighter is "finally resting in peace" a month after his diagnosis was made public.

"May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times," Sulaiman said on X.