Boxing

Gervonta Davis needed a wheelchair to get around at the Super Bowl on Sunday after recently suffering an ankle injury ... but the star boxer tells TMZ Sports he expects to be healthy for his huge upcoming fight.

Unclear when the 28-year-old was injured and how significant the ailment is -- but Davis said when leaving the Big Game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. that he's "all right."

He added of the injury, "S*** happen all the time. S*** be happening."

The timing obviously isn't great for Davis. He's in talks for a super-fight with rival Ryan Garcia, and the two have reportedly agreed to an April 15 date for the much-anticipated bout. If the agreement is ultimately signed, it'd mean Tank would have only two months to get healthy in time for the scrap.

Francis Ngannou needs a new promoter after parting ways with Dana White and the UFC ... and Jake Paul could be his guy, 'cause the Problem Child tells us he's talked to The Predator about signing with Most Valuable Promotions!

26-year-old Paul joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where MB asked if he'd talked with 36-year-old Ngannou, and it turns out he has.

"We have talked," Jake said, "The Most Valuable Promotions team, we talked to Francis, and we think we can do a great job for him. We share the same vision on a lot of things. Hopefully, Francis sees this as well but regardless, we're always gonna be there to support him."

Paul went on to say he's "working on something" in MMA, before adding, "Francis is a great guy and I think there's a lot of opportunities for us together."

Aside from being a 6-0 boxer himself, Jake runs MVP ... where he's signed undisputed champion Amanda Serrano, arguably the baddest female boxer in the world. With Paul's guidance, Serrano was part of the biggest female boxing match in history when she took on fellow champ and star, Katie Taylor.

Jake also signed 19-year-old, 8-0 boxer Ashton Sylve in 2022 ... who Paul calls the "next big star," as well as 12-0 female boxer, Shadasia Green.

Paul has a huge fight coming up on February 26 in Saudi Arabia, against his bitter rival, 23-year-old undefeated boxer Tommy Fury, and Jake says he's added to his repertoire, and he's ready to show he's better than ever.

"[Training camp was] good, man, it's really really good. I've reached new levels, implemented new skills into this camp, and I'm excited to put those on display against a professional boxer from a legendary bloodline and a legendary family."

Of course, heavyweight champ Tyson Fury is the half-brother of Tommy.

Paul and Fury were previously supposed to fight on two occasions, but Tommy pulled out (first for an injury, second for travel issues). Earlier this week, Fury failed to show up for a promotional media event, which frankly pissed Jake off.

"It's typical Tommy behavior. It's unfortunate because he's really just harming the event, harming the fans, and it's unprofessional, and I'm a bit sick of dealing with him on the business side of things," Paul said.

"But two weeks from now no one's ever gonna have to hear his name again."

For what it's worth, Jake says he believes Tommy will show up for the fight this time around, telling us ... "He's going to be there."

Paul also broke down 8-0 Fury, and was even (somewhat) complementary.

"He's a good fighter. He's fast. He has good range, good combinations, all of these things. But he doesn't have power. He doesn't have what it takes to stop me from coming at him and defeating him."

Tommy seems to see things differently and told us earlier this week he was going to send Jake home in an ambulance.

But, Paul says Fury's "emulating his brother", but with one distinction ... "[Tyson] actually does it and backs it up."

"I'm [Tommy's] first real opponent and it's gonna be a rude, rude awakening for him when he gets in the ring, under those lights, and someone like me is coming at him, punching him up and down nonstop. He's not gonna like this sport."

As for who he wants to fight after Fury (there's no rematch clause per Jake), Paul has a few ideas.

Jake Paul is fed up with Tommy Fury -- calling out his opponent for missing another pre-fight event this week ... saying TNT is being straight-up disrespectful to the fight game at this point.

Fury was not slated to attend Wednesday's press conference in Saudi Arabia ... claiming the event could wait until he made it to town on Feb. 16.

Paul was asked about Tommy's absence minutes ago ... and he unleashed on the guy.

"I'm used to his behavior at this point," the Problem Child said. "He's unprofessional, he's a flake, he's not a serious businessman, and he's not a serious fighter."

"He's gonna have to pay for all the times he pulled out," he continued. "All the business people he screwed over. It's disrespectful. There are some of the biggest names in boxing, some of the biggest promoters in the world, some of the most influential people in the world, one of the greatest countries in the world, and he doesn't want to show up 'cause a 'private matter' -- cool. We all have private matters."

Paul also goes on to call Fury's excuses BS -- because he initially said he didn't have to prepare for the fight, but then walked back the claim and said he needed more time to train.

"It's typical Fury stuff," Paul said.

Jake also claims Tyron Woodley hit him up recently ... and admitted this is an easier fight for Paul than himself and Anderson Silva.

Floyd Mayweather just outdid himself (and everyone else, too), dropping $1 MILLION on a BIG ass iced-out, white gold chain that weighs nearly 6 pounds!!

45-year-old Mayweather linked up with Johnny Dang -- celeb jeweler and grill king -- and while the boxing legend has a birthday coming up, we're told he was just in the mood to treat himself,

And, did he ever ... with the biggest necklace in the world (as far as JD knows).

The chain, which weighs 2.6 kilos (or 5.7 lbs.), is made of white gold and has 8,500 diamonds -- a whopping 300 ct.'s -- and costs 7 figures!

On the clasp of the Cuban link chain, in diamonds, are the letters "TMT" ... for "The Money Team".

It's not the first time Mayweather has bought ridiculously expensive pieces from Dang ... but it's absolutely the biggest chain he's ever bought.

Of course, Floyd retired from fighting professionally years ago ... but TBE's still putting on exhibition fights across the globe. In fact, Mayweather's boxing Aaron Chalmers at the O2 in London on February 25 ... and you can bet he'll go home with another big check.

IndyCar star Conor Daly will be repping Floyd Mayweather's Money Team Racing when he hits the NASCAR pavement later this month -- joining the boxing legend's squad in hopes of qualifying for the Daytona 500.

TMT Racing announced the big news Tuesday morning ... saying Daly will be behind the wheel for their #50 car when he competes for one of the four open spots in the race.

Floyd spoke about Conor's return to TMT ... saying, "The Money Team Racing shocked the world by making the Daytona 500 last year and I believe in this team and know we will prepare a great car for this year's race."

On top of Daytona, Daly will suit up for TMT in up to six more NASCAR events this year, while competing full-time in the IndyCar series.

"Like a fighter who's always ready to face the best, Conor has the courage to buckle into this beast without any practice and put that car into the field," Floyd continued. "Conor is like a hungry fighter and my kind of guy. I sure wouldn’t bet against him."

Jake Paul sharpened his trash-talking tools this week ... but it wasn't with his next boxing opponent, Tommy Fury -- the Problem Child traded verbal jabs with sports personality Bomani Jones in a heated interview.

The YouTuber-turned-pro boxer joined Jones' "Game Theory" this week ... and things went from 0 to 100 real quick.

In a clip from the HBO show, Bomani asked how the undefeated boxer would react if he ever loses a fight ... and Jake made it clear he has zero intention of ever having to cross that bridge.

"I don't plan on losing," Paul said. "I don't train to lose. I feel like that's probably your mindset. A lot of people like to project their mindsets onto me."

Jones interjects and says that's not the case -- he was just genuinely curious to hear whether Paul would still be as interested in boxing if he takes his first L.

That's when Jake gave the host a piece of his mind.

"I'mma be honest, bro, I don't know who the f*** you are. My PR team set up this interview."

Former boxing champ Kell Brook said Thursday he "messed up" ... apologizing to his family and fans after a video showed him appearing to snort white powder at a recent party.

The clip, obtained by The Sun and posted last month, seemed to show Kell at a Sheffield residence leaning over a glass coffee table and putting a line of the substance through a straw and up his nose.

In the footage, Brook -- wearing a Joe Louis t-shirt -- can be heard saying "nice" ... before celebrating with some shadow boxing.

Initially, his manager, Terry Thompson, told The Sun it was "a joke" -- but Brook issued a mea culpa over it all on Thursday on his social media pages.

"I messed up," the 36-year-old said. "I hold my hands up and want to apologize to my family, gym, friends, and fans."

"It's no secret that I struggle with mental health and I'm finding retirement hard."

The British boxer, who won the IBF welterweight title in 2014, added, "I'm actively seeking the help I need to get me on the right path. And again apologize for the hurt and disappointment I've caused."

The 40-3 boxer retired in May 2022 -- a few months after knocking out Amir Khan in the 6th round at the AO Arena in Manchester England.

Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring in less than 4 weeks, and that means it's time for the 50-0 legend to sharpen his tools ... so TBE linked up with social media influencer Jarvis, threw on a pair of gloves, and punched him in the face for a few rounds!

Mayweather is taking on 35-year-old fighter Aaron "The Joker" Chalmers on February 25 at the famed O2 Arena in London ... his 6th exhibition fight.

Of course, Floyd retired from fighting professionally in 2017 ... but has crisscrossed the world, putting on exhibitions from Dubai to Japan. Mayweather last fought KSI's brother, Deji, in November 2022.

In an effort to prepare for his latest fight against the 5-2 MMA fighter, Money grabbed one of his influencer friends, Jarvis (formerly known as FaZe Jarvis) ... and the men sparred a few rounds.

Mayweather, arguably the greatest boxer ever, got the best of Jarvis ... and the after-sparring photo is all the proof you need.

As for the upcoming bout, we're told Mayweather has struck a deal with The Zeus Network ... who will exclusively stream the fight.

Floyd sent us a statement, and it was short, sweet and ominous.

"I'm coming to London to give The Joker some Royal pain."

Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague are officially parents ... the pro boxer and English reality star/social media influencer had their first child together -- an adorable baby girl!!

The lovebirds posted a pic of the newest addition to their family on Instagram, born on Monday, January 23.

In the pic, Tommy, younger brother of Tyson Fury, is holding their daughter with Molly by his side. And, the expressions on their faces say it all.

Tommy and Molly have been dating since 2019 ... after meeting on the reality show "Love Island."

TF and Hague announced in September they were expecting ... and after months of excitement and anticipation, their bundle of joy finally arrived.

"A dream come true," Tommy captioned a pic of him touching Molly-Mae's pregnant belly when they announced they were expecting.

It's been an eventful past few days for Tommy ... on Friday, he and Jake Paul finalized their boxing match for February 26 in Saudi Arabia after their two previous fights were canceled.

But, Jake may have spoiled Tommy's surprise before he shared it ... saying, "Tommy has no excuses now. Baby’s born. Money’s massive. Immigration is not an issue.'"

Francis Ngannou says he's been in contact with Tyson Fury's camp, and while the Gypsy King's next boxing match will likely be against fellow heavyweight champ, Oleksandr Usyk, the former UFC champ says they could fight mid-year!

"I've talked to somebody. Some of [Fury's] advisors, but they're working on a fight with Usyk in April. So, until then, he will not be free, but I'm trying to see if we can have an agreement before that fight," Ngannou told TMZ Sports from Cameroon.

"That will also give me some time to prepare for a boxing fight. I have no problem with that timeline. I hope will be sometime in June, July, which is doable. Let's see. I think it's too early to make a conclusion. It's too early to say anything about it but it's definitely something that we're looking into."

Of course, Fury and Ngannou haven't been shy about expressing their desire to box -- under somewhat amended rules (think boxing with a hint of MMA) -- and the combat sports stars even came face-to-face in the ring last year after Fury beat boxing star Dillian Whyte.

Francis believes fans want the fight ... even more so than the long-anticipated Fury vs. Anthony Joshua matchup.

"We've been talking about this fight the past two years. I think at this point, the people are waiting for this fight and talking about this fight more than the Joshua fight," Ngannou said while noting Fury-Joshua is still a huge draw.

Tragic news in the boxing world ... Donovan Garcia -- a decorated teenage boxer out of Colorado -- has died after suffering significant injuries in a car crash, his family revealed this week.

He was just 15 years old.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by the promising young pugilist's family, he was involved in a "major car accident" on Jan. 11.

The fighter was rushed to the hospital where he battled to recover ... but, sadly, his family said he passed away days later.

"Donovan fought his biggest battle and went 7 rounds, but he was tired," the family said. "His family wants everyone to know that he is at peace and they are at peace with God's will."

Garcia earned several major awards throughout his young career -- according to his social media page, he garnered Silver Gloves State Champion honors as well Junior Olympics State Champion accolades ... and more.

His family wrote in an obituary that he "was loved by the boxing community and many more."

"Boxing was his passion & he won many championships including 2019 golden gloves," the family said. "Donovan has a heart of gold and put everyone before himself."

The GoFundMe page has already raised over $5,000. Its goal is $15K.

Boxing reporter Elie Seckbach first reported the news.

George Foreman says a woman accusing him of sexual abuse 45 years ago -- when she was a minor -- is intentionally dragging his name through the mud and flat-out lying ... so, now he's going after her in court.

Foreman filed his countersuit Monday against the accuser, Gwen H., who had initially sued the ex-boxer last summer. TMZ Sports broke the story ... she, and another woman, claimed Foreman groomed, and eventually sexually abused them, when they were still underage.

In his docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Foreman acknowledges that he can't sue Gwen for the allegations she wrote in her lawsuit ... but he says she stepped outside that protection when she held a news conference 3 months later.

During that news conference, she detailed her allegations, saying ... "He asked me to remove my clothes, and if I didn't then my father would be fired, so I complied."

According to his lawsuit, Foreman claims Gwen's allegations -- repeated in the news conference -- are "entirely fabricated" and she has "zero corroborating evidence in the form of documents, photographs, letters, or witnesses to support Gwen's false claims against Foreman."

He adds, Gwen is "hoping that the passage of time will excuse her complete lack of evidence."

Additionally, Foreman cites something he told us back in July 2022 -- even before Gwen sued him -- which is that she had allegedly demanded more than $12 million from him in order to stop her from going public with what he calls "her bogus claims."

Foreman says he's suffered "anxiety, sleeplessness, worry, shock and humiliation" since Gwen's news conference ... and he's suing her for unspecified damages.

Luke Rockhold has two hands and he wants to use them to punch Jake Paul.

Hard.

TMZ Sports ran into the 38-year-old (retired, for now, at least) former UFC champion at LAX on Friday ... and asked him about the Problem Child's foray into MMA.

"Stop trying to fight little dudes. F***ing [155] pounders. You're a middleweight. If you want to fight a middleweight, I got hands. We can do anything we want. I really don't care. I'd beat that guy in my sleep."

As we previously reported, 26-year-old Paul recently signed a multi-fight, multi-year deal with PFL ... and wasted no time by calling out Nate Diaz for a boxing and MMA fight.

Diaz hasn't yet accepted the challenge ... and if he doesn't, Rockhold is more than ready to step in.

"I got some freedom to do some things and as you can see, I like throwing hands these days," Luke said, adding, "fight people your own f***ing weight. Straight up. And champions, a real champion, a real contender. A real someone who can put you on your ass. not old guys, 55-year-olds, or lightweights. You can't even get above a welterweight, dog, So, step up."

Of course, Jake's 6-0 as a professional boxer ... with wins over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva.

Paul also recently started training in jiu-jitsu ... and was an amateur wrestler through high school.

Luke and Jake have some history. Paul was critical of Rockhold after his last UFC fight in August, when he lost a decision to Paulo Costa.

Jake tweeted, calling Luke's performance "dog s**t", saying it was an "embarrassment for the sport."

Boxing star Austin Trout is fighting UFC legend Diego Sanchez in a bare-knuckle boxing match next month -- one of multiple BKFC fights the former champ plans to take -- while still pursuing another title in the squared circle.

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Trout, the former WBA light middleweight title holder, ahead of his February 17 bare-knuckle fight with 41-year-old Sanchez ... and asked him if this was something he planned to do more than once.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much trying to pursue a world title in the boxing world. But, there's no reason I can't be a champion in both. I hope it can be a lasting relationship because I like what they're doing in the BKFC," Austin told us.

Trout has a professional boxing record of 36-5-1 ... while fighting some of the best fighters in the world, including Canelo Alvarez, who Austin took on the full 12 rounds with back in 2013.

Of course, Diego is a UFC Hall of Famer who beat everyone from Nick Diaz to Clay Guida ... over his illustrious career.

Naturally, you'd think Trout, a world-class boxer, would have the advantage over a guy whose best weapon was wrestling -- and that may be true -- but it's not how Trout is approaching the fight.

"I'm not gonna think that way. I have to make sure I prepare for the best Diego can give me, and if he makes it an ugly fight, real rough and tough, it's gonna be a long night for me," Austin said.

"So, not only do I have to be able to neutralize that, but I also need to be able to whoop his ass if he decides to come inside and square up with me. We gotta make him pay in every aspect."

We also talked to Diego and asked him how he planned to hang with an elite boxer.

"BKFC is not boxing. For all those people out there hating on me saying, 'Oh, what's BKFC thinking? Diego in there with Austin Trout?'"

"C'mon guys, boxing is different. MMA is different. BKFC is definitely different. Austin has been picking his own opponents for the past couple of years. I was fighting nothing but beasts at the end of my UFC career."

Despite the strong words, it's clear Diego and Austin, who have known each other for years, have absolutely no bad blood between them.

Anderson Silva wants everyone to stop talking nonsense ASAP ... telling TMZ Sports he did NOT take a dive against Jake Paul last year -- the Problem Child simply beat him fair and square.

Several talking heads in the combat sports community have refused to believe the 26-year-old YouTube superstar beat a legend like Silva back in October ... claiming he faked getting knocked down so Paul would end up with his hand raised.

But, Spider is shutting down all that talk ... saying people need to respect what Paul can do in the boxing ring.

"The people don't give credit to Jake," Silva told us at LAX. "Jake is a very young guy, he's very determined and training hard every day."

Silva says the loss is actually a good thing ... because he can take what he did wrong and improve on it in the future.

"I didn't have the strategy correct and I lost the fight and that's amazing because I continue to learn, continue to accept the new technique with my coach, and that's great."

Silva even has a message for his former opponent ... saying, "Jake, continue to do your job, bro. You're doing amazing. I love you!"

Despite offering an ultimatum early Sunday morning, Ryan Garcia's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya says he is now "optimistic" his superstar fighter and Gervonta "Tank" Davis WILL indeed fight ... and soon!

TMZ Sports talked to the boxing great at an event promoting an upcoming fight between Alexis Rocha and Anthony Young at the YouTube Theatre on Jan. 28 ... when we asked ODLH about arguably the biggest fighting in the sport, Tank vs. Ryan.

"I have a meeting literally in 2 hours with Ryan Garcia and I should look at my email right now. I should have the contract for the fight so I'm looking forward to putting that together and hopefully announcing soon," Oscar told us.

"I'm actually very optimistic now that this fight will happen April 15th. It's the biggest that could be made."

Of course, 24-year-old Garcia (23-0, 19 KO's) and 28-year-old Davis (28-0, 26 KO's), huge stars with different personalities, have been rivals for years ... and have talked about fighting for just as long.

The fight appeared close ... that is until De La Hoya threw a bit of cold water on the fight this weekend, saying he planned to move past the fight if he didn't receive a contract.

But, those concerns have clearly faded.

"Nobody is backing out. The contract is coming. I'll tell you one thing, Ryan Garcia wants to knock him out so bad. He's calling it in two rounds. I actually believe it but then again, I think about Tank Davis who is a beast. He is an animal! He's a great fighter."

"Both guys are in their prime. Both guys are undefeated. It's gonna be a great fight, and you know what, in two hours we're gonna make it happen."

FYI, we shot this clip about three hours ago ... so, lets gooooooo!!!