Fights

The woman Kareem Hunt slammed down and kicked was initially gung-ho to press charges against the then-NFL superstar, but she's since gone silent ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we first reported, the woman repeatedly told Cleveland PD officers who responded to the scene she wanted to press charges. In the bodycam video we posted, she asked to see the surveillance footage, and also asked the police to look at it.

She said she wanted Hunt prosecuted for the alleged assault and/or for stealing her phone's SIM card. In the attack video, you clearly see someone walk off with her phone. She says it was eventually returned but, apparently, without the SIM card.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the woman never took her demand for charges to the city Prosecutor's Office and hasn't cooperated with the Prosecutor -- and that might be why the case has gone nowhere.

We're told police viewed the incident as an alleged misdemeanor assault, because, to the best of their knowledge, the woman hadn't suffered any serious injury. She would need to present evidence of serious injury for the incident to upgraded to a felony.

It's a fact that prosecutors can charge suspects even without the alleged victim's testimony. However, our sources say that rarely happens in Cleveland ... unless it's a felony or a domestic violence case.

So, the question is ... WHY has she gone silent? We've reached out to her several times, but no reply.

Hunt was asked point blank Sunday morning, during his ESPN interview, if he'd had any contact with her and he denied it ... adding he "barely knew her."

We're told she has 18 months to press charges, so there's still time.

10:41 AM PT -- The NFL just put out a statement saying its investigation continues and "it will include a review of the new information that was made public on Friday -- which was not available to the NFL previously -- as well as further conversations with all parties involved in the incident."

It's interesting ... the league's saying it will have "further conversations" with everyone involved but Kareem straight-up said the NFL never spoke to him.

Kareem Hunt says the NFL's investigation of his alleged assault on a woman never included speaking to him about it ... and he says he thinks he deserves to play again in the league.

The ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back made his first public comments about the story TMZ Sports broke -- the video of Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her. Hunt told ESPN's Lisa Salters, he'd never seen the video until we published it ... and repeatedly claimed he's "not that type of person."

He said all the usual apology phrases -- "I regret the entire thing," and claimed he was going to get treatment for anger management. He has not yet. Mind you, the incident happened back in February.

As for what led up to his violent attack that night in the Cleveland hotel/residence where he lives ... Hunt would only say, "Honestly, it was just a long night. To be exact, it don't really matter ... I was in the wrong."

He claims he'd only met the woman once before and, "Honestly, I wanted her just to leave, but it's no excuse." Hunt says after seeing the video, "I thought of myself as being ... that's not me. I was raised better than that."

The biggest shocker was his claim the NFL never questioned him. Our NFL sources say the league opened an investigation back in February -- after the incident was first reported. It's shocking the league's investigation would NOT include speaking directly to Hunt.

As we first reported, we're told the league made multiple attempts to see the video we posted -- but the hotel/apartment building said it would only release it to law enforcement, and Cleveland PD also refused to give it to the league.

Ray Rice says Kareem Hunt's attack on a woman shouldn't be the moment that defines his life -- and now the ex-NFL running is offering to work with Hunt as he works through his issues.

Rice spoke with NFL.com and acknowledged the "obvious" similarities between Hunt's incident and Ray's 2014 elevator attack ... and feels he's in a position to teach Hunt how to learn from this situation and better himself.

"Peer-to-peer, I would definitely try to help him figure out, 'How can we start dealing with the underlying problems in your life?'" Rice said.

"Because he has a long life to live, this will be a defining moment, but it shouldn't be the moment that defines you. For me, I just see you have a long life to live and that doesn't mean just playing football -- you need to just live one day at a time."

Rice was asked if he could've given a message to Hunt BEFORE the hotel attack, what would have said to the running back.

"First, I would look at the situation and say, 'How did I even get in that moment?' Because whatever what was done in that moment, something transpired before it even got there."

Ice Cube's gotta say it was NOT a good day when Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury's heavyweight championship fight ended in a split decision draw -- in fact, Cube's straight up pissed.

We got him storming out of L.A.'s Staples Center moments after the boxers fought to a 12 round tie, and he called the outcome "bulls**t" because he thinks Wilder was robbed.

True enough, Wilder did knock down Fury twice -- including in the 12th -- but he got up both times.

Just like the match ... opinions are split. We also talked to boxer Andre Berto leaving the bout and he thought the result was fair, and he's looking forward to a rematch.

Michael Rappaport, on the other hand, wanted more from Deontay.

If you think Khabib has NO CHANCE to beat Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match, one of the biggest underdogs in sports history is here to tell you ... YOU'RE WRONG ... and he's proof.

We talked to James "Buster" Douglas in NYC, the man who stepped into the ring back in 1990 as a 42-1 underdog to Mike Tyson, and WON ... and he told us not to count out Khabib.

"Anybody got a chance, anything can happen."

We know what you're thinking, Buster was a boxer and Khabib is primarily a wrestler, but BD doesn't care, he thinks Khabib's combat sports pedigree make him a threat.

"He's an athlete."

BTW -- the fight between Khabib & Floyd is still just talk, but both sides have said they're interested and willing to do it for the right price.

Mayweather is getting older and Khabib did drop Conor with a big right ... so maybe Buster's right.

Manny Pacquiao says fans are still pissed off about the Floyd Mayweather fight leaving a bad taste in their mouths ... and there's only one way to fix it.

Rematch.

TMZ Sports spoke with Pac-Man about his plans after his big fight with Adrien Broner in January ... and Manny's calling out the retired boxing superstar to give the fans what they want.

Although it's been well over 3 years since their first fight in 2015 ... Manny says he's constantly getting asked about Mayweather's doings ... and wants to finally put it all to rest.

The woman who was attacked by Kareem Hunt repeatedly begged cops at the scene to view the hotel surveillance footage of the incident because she wanted to press charges ... but the officers told her it wasn't that simple.

You can see in police body cam footage obtained by TMZ Sports ... the woman was adamant she wanted to press charges against Hunt for the attack and allegedly stealing the SIM card from her phone.

She thought the best way to prove her allegations was for cops to go to the front desk of the hotel and ask the manager to show them the surveillance video.

But, cops told the woman they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

The woman was disappointed but sounded serious about pursuing a case against Hunt anyway.

The responding officers eventually went upstairs and interviewed Hunt -- but he was never arrested and charges were never filed against him.

We know the hotel eventually turned over the surveillance video to investigators -- but we're not sure why prosecutors opted against filing a case considering what the video shows.

To hell with your "science" ... Deontay Wilder gets freaky with his fiancee whenever he wants -- even BEFORE huge fights ... so says his girlfriend herself.

Of course ... TONS of fighters abstain from shagging before big bouts -- 'cause they believe using up the testosterone in the bedroom leads to poor performance in the ring.

Hell, 'memba when Mick from the "Rocky" movies famously said, "Women weaken legs"??

Well ... when we got Telli Swift -- Deontay's GF -- out in L.A. ... she said the boxing superstar doesn't buy any of that -- and will bone before the Tyson Fury fight if he wants!!

"Deontay does what Deontay wants to do. If he wants to have sex, I'm gonna give him sex!"

Telli says Deontay's banged her right before plenty of fights ... and, in fact, tells us the longest he's abstained from the sheet shufflin' before a fight was just 3 days.

Unclear how long it'll ultimately be for Wilder before he scraps with Fury tonight ... but we know one thing for sure -- Telli's all in for the post-game sex!!

The strongest man on the planet and the baddest dude on "Game Of Thrones" says there's no way in hell he could fight Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury ... 'cause The Mountain says they'd END him!

We got Hafthor Julius Bjornsson -- aka Thor, the 2018 World's Strongest Man -- out at LAX when he told us if he fought the heavyweights ... it'd be lights out for him.

"Right now they are the best, and there's no way a guy like myself that doesn't train in the sport can just go in there and beat them."

The tale of the tape is pretty interesting -- The Mountain comes in at 6 feet 9 and over 400 pounds. Wilder tips the scales at 6'7", 212 -- and Fury comes in at 6'9", 257.

Despite the massive weight difference ... Hafthor ain't even giving himself a chance to last 1 punch -- let alone 1 round.

"If I were to be punched by a guy like Fury or those guys in the face, I would probably get knocked out the first hit."

Remember, Bjornsson did spar with Conor McGregor -- and dominated the Irishman -- but it's clear he knows his limits.

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson says he's "really f*cking upset" with Kareem Hunt -- saying the young NFL star should have learned lessons from the terrible mistakes LJ made.

Remember, Johnson -- who was a great running back for the Chiefs back in the day -- had several issues with violence toward women during his NFL career ... and has openly talked about how he regrets the choices he made.

So, when he saw the TMZ Sports video showing Hunt attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February ... Johnson lashed out.

"I thought I made my mistakes painfully clear!!!! I thought I was a perfect example of what NOT to do!!!!"

"I thought by speaking aloud about my pitfalls that players after me could see these situations before they’d happen. REALLY F*CKING UPSET KAREEM."

Back in 2003 -- the same year LJ was a 1st-round pick in the NFL Draft -- Johnson was arrested for waving a gun at his then-girlfriend.

He was arrested again in 2005 and 2008 for allegedly getting violent with women and in 2012 he was convicted in a case where he strangled a woman in a Vegas hotel.

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich says she feels like she HAS to fight Paige VanZant after suffering serious injuries in an alleged domestic violence incident ... saying she NEEDS to send a positive message to other D.V. victims.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Ostovich was hospitalized with a broken orbital bone and other injuries after a violent Nov. 18 incident with her husband, Arnold Berdon, who is also an MMA fighter.

The injuries forced the UFC star to back out of her fight with PVZ ... but speaking publicly with a black eye for the first time since the incident -- Ostovich says the fight's back on 'cause she feels like she HAS to do it.

"I felt that it was extremely important to me to follow through with it and not only for me but for my daughter and other people that might be going through similar situations,” Ostovich told KHON2 in Hawaii.

"I want to take a stand against domestic violence and show others that it’s okay to come out and speak about it and not be quieted."

Ostovich continued, "I’m extremely grateful and blessed for my support system. My family, who has done so much for me and has kept me together and kept me strong. I feel like I have to do this."

"This is something that can’t be taken away from me. I want to use this big worldwide UFC platform to show people that don’t let anyone or anything come between you and your dreams and your career.”

For her part, VanZant tweeted earlier this week, "Yes we are going to war with each other in the cage, but I stand by her side with her ongoing battle at home. Let’s put on a fight and show these people how strong we are. #GirlPower #UFC."

Charlie Sheen and his ex-fiancee Brett Rossi are no longer squaring off -- legally speaking, anyway -- because her lawsuit against him has been dismissed.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Brett's lawsuit -- in which she alleges Charlie bullied her to get an abortion because of his HIV status -- has been dismissed with prejudice. Translation ... all signs point to a settlement. It's unclear if money changed hands or how much.

TMZ broke the story ... Brett sued Charlie back in December 2015 claiming he told her he didn't want her to have his baby because he didn't want her "to give birth to a retarded child" after knocking her up in March 2014. She says she gave in to the pressure and got the abortion.

Deontay Wilder is being called out for hypocrisy by a heavyweight contender who loved Wilder's passionate rant about racism, but HATED the fact Wilder visited President Trump.

After Wilder told Tyson Fury that black people have been fighting in this country for 400 years -- he went off on a radio host who asked him to explain the comment.

Wilder exploded with a passionate rant about how black people have been oppressed and mistreated in the U.S. -- and he was offended that the radio host pushed him on the topic.

But, undefeated boxing star Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller has a problem with Wilder ... claiming he undermined his own message by meeting with President Trump back in May.

Wilder had visited Trump's White House with Sylvester Stallone and others as part of the group paying homage to Jack Johnson ... after President Trump pardoned the late boxer for a 1913 conviction many believe was racially motivated.

Miller -- a legit Top 5 heavyweight contender who's lined up to fight either Wilder or Anthony Joshua this year -- says Wilder got used by Trump to curry favor with African Americans ... and it's a stain on his public image.

"LeBron James, Steph Curry, a lot of other guys didn't want to go up to the White House because they knew what Trump was doing was just using black athletes as a shade to hopefully get black voters to get on his good side."

Miller sees this as Deontay talking out of both sides of his mouth and, although he loved Thursday's rant, he's got a message for Deontay when it comes to racial issues.

"We have to have the same energy all the time."

Halle Berry just stepped into the gym with the most dangerous woman alive -- UFC star Cris Cyborg!

The two hooked up at Cyborg's gym in Huntington Beach, CA on Thursday for a training session -- and anyone who's ever worked out with Cris before knows she doesn't mess around!

So, why are they training together? Halle is starring in "John Wick 3" and she's been doing heavy MMA training for the role ... so it's possible she was working with Cris to prep for a fight scene.

Or maybe she just caught the MMA bug after all of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu work she's been putting in for the part.

Either way, Halle had a great time -- saying, "From the red carpet to the ring - so inspired by your tenacity, Cris Cyborg - can't thank you enough for your hospitality."

Cyborg is an aspiring action movie star too -- she starred in "Fight Valley" back in 2016 and was tapped for the sequel.

Evander Holyfield says Tenshin Nasukawa is in deep trouble -- because Floyd Mayweather is gonna "beat the daylights" out of the Japanese fighter when they box on New Year's Eve.

The Real Deal touched down Thursday night in Los Angeles -- where he'll be attending the big Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight title fight on Saturday at Staples Center.

Holyfield -- one of the greatest heavyweights of all time -- says he thinks Deontay could put Fury to sleep with that deadly right hand ... and he's excited for what could be one of the most action-packed events of the year.

As for Mayweather, Evander acknowledges that Tenshin's age -- he's only 20 years old -- could give him an edge during the 3-round exhibition fight ... but when it comes to doing it, Floyd's gonna put a hurtin' on him.

"You playing [Floyd's] game, so he's supposed to win," Evander told us ... "He's not gonna fight anybody that can beat him!"

George Foreman doesn't know who's gonna win the MASSIVE heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury on Saturday, but he does know one thing ...

BOTH men woulda kicked the ass of a young George Foreman.

We talked to George, a two-time heavyweight champ and the oldest man to ever win the crown, and he told us he thinks both Wilder and Fury would have been a little too much for him to handle.

"I don't think I could've been able to get a good shot on Tyson Fury at all. He's too elusive."

Big George saw a whole different set of problems with Wilder.

"With Deontay Wilder, I'd have to protect myself so much I'd been in danger from round 1 to the final round."

As a matter of fact, Foreman thinks so highly of the two fighters he says their matchup on Saturday is going to be an EPIC brawl for the ages.

"I can say that, when it does take place, it'll be the world's greatest heavyweight matchup. For the world. Not America. A world championship boxing match. And, there's nothing better you can put together. Not today."

So here's the thing ... we love George, and fully admit he's forgotten more about boxing than we'll ever know. But, we're not so sure about this take. Dude was a BEAST, and beat an UNDEFEATED Joe Frazier.

But, honestly ... we're still afraid of him, so we didn't wanna argue.