Fights

Anthony Joshua is in for a south of the border surprise come Saturday night ... because his opponent, Andy Ruiz, says he's gonna put DEM FREAKIN' HANDS ON AJ, all for the pride of Mexico.

Ruiz was a late add to the fight following Jarrell Miller's positive drug test, so most people aren't giving the new challenger too much of a shot against the undefeated heavyweight king Joshua.

We spoke to Ruiz and he told us he knows he's being taken lightly, and that's his biggest weapon.

"Anthony Joshua, I'm pretty sure he's underestimating me, man. I've been working really hard for this opportunity, now that I have it, I can't let it go."

There's another reason Andy says he won't and can't lose this fight ... because he's doing it for the people of Mexico!

"There's never been a Mexican heavyweight champion. That's what we're gonna accomplish. I wanna be a legend, I wanna be in the world books of records. That's what we're gonna do, baby, bring the titles back to Mexico."

Before you scoff too hard, Ruiz is 32-1 with his only defeat coming in a title shot against Joseph Parker back in 2016, so he's no slouch.

BEHOLD ... the great DAME JUDI DENCH ... talking boxing, baby!!!

The legend of stage and screen is also a huge fan of pugilism -- and now that her countryman, Anthony Joshua, is defending his belts this weekend against Andy Ruiz, Ms. Dench had a few words to prepare him for battle!

"To say that I shall be cheering, I'll be cheering anyway, but we'll keep everything crossed! And, my goodness me, we can't wait to see you!"

And, that's not all ... a bunch of other UK superstars came together to root on Joshua -- including Ed Sheeran, golfer Rory McIlroy, soccer stud Harry Kane, "Fleabag" star Olivia Colman and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

The fight's all going on DAZN on Saturday -- live from Madison Square Garden.

It's Joshua's first fight in the United States -- which is a big deal considering his ongoing negotiations with Deontay Wilder.

Buffalo Bills rookie LB Tyrel Dodson was pulled out of a nightclub and arrested Sunday after his GF told cops he roughed her up during a violent altercation hours earlier ... TMZ Sports has learned.

For the record, Dodson (an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M) DENIES the allegations -- and insinuated to police that HE was the real victim by showing cops a red mark on his face.

Here's the deal according to police docs ... 20-year-old Dodson and his GF got into an argument on May 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after he allegedly vomited on the carpet inside her bedroom after drinking too much.

Tyrel's GF alleges the 6' 2", 240-lb football player got physical with her when she confronted him about the vomit ... allegedly grabbing her "forcefully" and "shoving her against the wall."

Tyrel's GF says she slapped him in the face ... and says Dodson responded by slapping her back.

She says she fled from the scene ... but when she returned, Tyrel was still there -- so she locked herself inside her bathroom and told him to leave the premises.

That's when she says Tyrel busted through the door ... causing the door to smack her in the head, leaving her with a small welt.

She says the argument then spilled out into the kitchen, where things escalated further ... with Dodson shoving her to the ground after a scuffle over her cell phone.

Dodson's GF eventually left the apartment ... but when she returned -- she says Tyrel had taken her keys, $500 from her purse and an additional $8,000 to $15,000 in cash from a safe under her bed.

When cops reached Tyrel by phone ... he denied ever getting physical with his GF -- stating the argument "was verbal only" -- and added he only took about $1,000 from her because it was "money they both shared."

Cops didn't appear to believe him -- 'cause they say they found probable cause to arrest him on several charges including domestic violence -- and when they found out later in the evening he was at Mint Nightclub, they went in to get him.

After Dodson was removed from the club, he again denied attacking his GF and showed cops a red mark on his face ... though he never outright accused her of assault.

Tyrel was booked on three charges -- 1 domestic violence count, 1 charge of disorderly conduct and one charge of damage to property -- all misdemeanors.

Tyrel -- who played in 33 games for the Aggies in his three years at College Station -- was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent just a few weeks ago.

We reached out to the Bills and a team spokesperson tells us, "We are aware of the incident involving Tyrel Dodson last weekend. We have been looking further into the matter and will continue to gather information as the legal process continues."

There's something about watching UFC legend Michael Bisping punching his hands through a fat guy's doughy belly that's just captivating ...

This little fight session went down on the set of Cinemax series "Warrior" in Cape Town, South Africa -- where Bisping has a role as a smack-talking violent badass (what a stretch, right?)

In this particular scene, Bisping squared up with Kazakhstani stunt man Erden Telemisov -- but when the cameras stopped rolling, the two guys decided to have a little play fight of their own.

Bisping talked trash and then threw a flurry right into Erden's gut -- and watch the blubber fly!!!

Make sure to stick around for the slo-mo zoomed in shot ... which is just as fascinating!

Rashad Evans routinely dealt ass whoopin's to MMA legends like Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz -- but who's the absolute toughest dude he fought?

Jon "Bones" Jones.

And, it ain't even close ... "Suga" Rashad -- the latest member of the UFC's 2019 Hall of Fame class -- tells TMZ Sports.

"Without a doubt, Jon Jones. When it comes down to it, I think that Jon Jones is the best in history."

"When he's inside the cage, he's dynamic. He's got some skill. But, I would say technically speaking, he's probably the best fighter."

Evans is a legend and he faced some of the greatest MMA fighters ever ... but he says there was something different about Jones -- who beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 145 in 2012.

"When you fight guys that good, you feel like after the fight is over, there's another level that I need to get to. You don't feel like, 'aw man, I had a bad day.' You just feel, 'man, I need to get to another level to be able to beat this guy.'"

So, Jones it the best fighter ... but who hit Rashad the hardest? The guy who landed the bomb will surprise you.

Swae Lee says he empathizes with Meek Mill because he too has experienced the firm grip of the Cosmopolitan Hotel -- which he says has a bad rap in hip-hop.

The Rae Sremmurd rapper made his point to us while leaving the Avenue Lounge Tuesday night in Hollywood, where he said he felt Meek "100%" in regards to the Philly MC planning to sue the Cosmo for allegedly barring him due to the color of his skin.

Remember, Meek and his entourage were met at the front door by security over the weekend and wouldn't let him in and threatened him with arrest if he got out of his vehicle.

The Cosmo has officially said Meek was booted because of a capacity issue at a club on site, but that doesn't square with the hotel's hired muscle who told Meek he was being denied because of a "prior incident." Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, calls BS and says this is pure racism and says Meek will sue.

Swae tells us he's also had a bad experience with the Vegas establishment, and when we pressed him on what exactly happened ... he says their staff was super aggro with him for no reason.

Jenelle Evans has lost custody of her kids, largely because her husband, David Eason, has created an abusive environment at home ... and this video seems to be evidence of that.

We're told the video was shot sometime this year at the family's North Carolina home. You hear a baby in the background as David launches, saying, "You could die right now for all I give a f***. You're a f***ing piece of s**t. You're the biggest f***ing piece of s*** I know."

You then see him flip off the camera operator and walk away.

From all we know, hardly anyone was allowed in the family home, and it appears Jenelle is behind the camera and the comments are directed at her.

As we reported, the judge in the custody case has stripped Jenelle and David of custody for the time being, after concluding David and Jenelle have put the kids at risk.

We're told one of the things that came out during the hearing was that 4-year-old Kaiser was terrified to go to David and Jenelle's home because he was terrified of David and had been mistreated by him.

One source said squarely, "It's all David's fault."

Jenelle has steadfastly stood behind David, and now they must attend parenting classes, counseling and weekly drug testing before there's any hope of them regaining custody.

The video is a glimpse into what appears to be a very turbulent home life.

Meek Mill's claim the Cosmopolitan Hotel keeps a blacklist of black rappers is BS ... according to sources connected to the hotel.

Meek's attorney, Joe Tacopina, made a bombshell allegation against the resort -- claiming he has knowledge of a list that specifically makes black rappers persona non grata, and he believes that's precisely why his client was ordered to leave the hotel without even getting out of his vehicle, or face arrest.

Our Cosmo sources insist the hotel has always been more than accommodating with celebs, including black rappers, and the VIP staff goes out of its way to make sure everyone is comfortable.

Meek clearly wasn't comfortable when he was confronted by security Saturday and told to get the hell out or else. The hotel told us they turned him away because the Marquee Dayclub was filled to capacity, but it doesn't jibe with Cosmo security telling Meek he was not welcome because of a "prior incident."

Security would not be specific about any such prior incident, but a Cosmo source claimed Meek got in a fight with security a while ago. Tacopina says it's utter BS.

The Cosmo has maintained it has "zero tolerance for discrimination."

Word of advice for people who wanna show up at Logan Paul's house unannounced to try and pick a fight -- DON'T -- that is, unless you wanna get knocked the hell out.

Here's what went down-- Logan claims an Ivan Drago look-alike (YouTuber ViktorCrazy) posted up outside his L.A. mansion for HOURS on Sunday to get Paul to take an impromptu boxing match.

A hungover Paul -- who just so happens to have a full-sized boxing ring in his backyard -- took on the challenge ... only after each guy signed off on all the paperwork -- "if you die, you die" (get it?).

Both dudes touched mitts ... and shortly after, Paul sent him to the canvas with a couple vicious shots. Somehow, Fake Drago lasted through the 1st ... but LP knocked him out with a left hook in the 2nd round.

After the match, Paul -- who insists the whole thing was not fake -- put his sights on his original nemesis in his victory speech ... and then called out any other influencer who wants smoke.

"KSI, I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you, KSI!!" Paul says, "Any YouTuber who thinks they wanna step up after I beat KSI's ass, better start training now, son. It's going to be lethal. I'mma be ruthless!!"

Of course, the first Logan Paul vs. KSI superfight ended in a draw in Manchester last August ... and the 2nd fight was supposed to happen this month.

Logan's kept himself busy by getting in slapping matches with massive dudes ... but here's hoping we still get that rematch.

There's no clear-cut evidence Blac Chyna was wielding a knife when she allegedly threatened her hairdresser.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... no witnesses have come forward backing the hairdresser's claim Chyna went after her with a blade. Nor does the surveillance footage we obtained from that night show a knife.

It's possible the alleged knife appeared off-camera -- but, again, zippo from witnesses.

TMZ broke the story ... BC and her hairdresser got into a heated argument earlier this month at Chyna's San Fernando Valley home. The hairdresser filed a police report, and BC appeared as a named suspect for assault with a deadly weapon.

For her part, Blac Chyna insists she's the victim, not the aggressor ... and claims her Rolls-Royce was damaged when the hairdresser started hurling soda cans during the altercation.

Chyna might be S-O-L too ... our sources say there's no way of proving the damage to her car came from soda cans being thrown.

Fact is ... neither woman's got evidence to help 'em prove a case.

7:55 AM PT -- Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, tells TMZ, "The racist hole that they [Cosmopolitan] have dug for themselves has just gotten deeper. Yesterday, when this incident unfolded, the chief security guard could not articulate a reason why Meek was denied entry and threatened with arrest. They've now come up with some fabricated claim through an anonymous source that Meek was involved in a fight on their property."

Tacopina goes on ... "Meek Mill was never involved in a fight on their property, ever and I challenge the Cosmopolitan to produce a video of such altercation or a contemporaneous incident report. The legal case against the Cosmopolitan just got stronger."

Meek Mill was not racially profiled when he was denied entrance at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas -- he was ordered to leave because of a past incident ... so claims a Cosmo source.

TMZ broke the story ... Meek rolled up to the hotel Saturday and was ordered to stay in his car and drive away ... or else he'd be arrested.

Meek's celebrity lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told TMZ, Meek is part of a long list of African-American rappers who were blacklisted from certain Vegas hotels. Tacopina has threatened the hotel with a lawsuit unless it apologizes, and STAT.

Cosmopolitan officially had nothing to say about the incident and did not issue an apology, but the Cosmo source says there was a prior incident where Meek was at the hotel and "fought with security guards." The source claims Meek became persona non grata for that reason.

Tacopina told TMZ, "We have learned that the Cosmopolitan maintains a list of African American recording artists who should be denied access for no other reason than their culture and skin color."

DaBaby has a message for folks who want to keep testing him -- STOP ... or you will get your ass kicked. He ain't lying ... two dudes in two weekends kinda proves his point.

The NC rapper posted a video Sunday after what appeared to be another vicious beating he was involved in -- either directly or indirectly -- down in Charlotte the day before. It sounds like a warning shot of sorts to would-be future hecklers who wanna harass him.

People should take note ... DaBaby isn't afraid to engage, whether cops are called or not.

On Saturday, an edited clip made its way around the Internet in which a guy spots DaBaby inside a Louis Vuitton store at SouthPark mall ... with him proceeding to heckle the rapper from afar. The video then cuts to DaBaby's POV, with him inching closer and closer to the fan.

Eventually, a brawl erupts on camera. It appears three people are involved in the scuffle ... but as the edited video cuts to the next shot, you see the heckler on the ground bleeding from his nose and his pants around his ankles. DaBaby takes credit for the beating.

It's unclear if DaBaby actually handled the dude himself -- we doubt it, he's got a security team after all -- but it doesn't really matter. Point is, DaBaby and co. WILL attack.

Remember last weekend -- a guy was beaten to a pulp after insisting on a pic with DaBaby ... which led to his security team stepping in and pounding the dude's face in ... leaving him in a coma afterward and on the verge of death, according to his ma.

George Foreman says he loves, admires, respects and reveres Muhammad Ali ... but still wishes he'd have KICKED HIS ASS when they fought in the Rumble in the Jungle back in '74.

The whole world knows Ali knocked Foreman out in Zaire, one of the biggest, most improbable, and inspiring upsets in sports history.

It's easy to argue that victory was ESSENTIAL for Ali's legacy and that Foreman played a pivotal role in history by LOSING. Sooooo, is there even a little, tiny part of Foreman that's happy he lost? HELL NO.

"I'm so happy, especially about that right eye that was swollen for two weeks. Not to mention I hit my head on the canvas. Who could be happy about something like that?"

Foreman said all of that with his trademark smile, but you can clearly see he derives NO JOY in being the biggest victory in Ali's insanely remarkable career, but still gave props where props are due.

"Muhammad beat me ... he flat-out, outsmarted me and beat me."

Isaiah Rider's wife was involved in a fight with another mom at a youth basketball tournament in Arizona ... with Isaiah allegedly threatening to get his gun from his car, this according to the police report.

48-year-old Rider -- who spent 9 seasons in the NBA -- is the head coach of the SkyRiders basketball team, which was playing a tourney at the Inspire Court gym in Mesa, AZ on May 17.

Cops responded to the tournament over reports of parents fighting -- and when they got there, they spoke with Isaiah's wife, Vanessa ... who said she had been attacked by another woman for "no viable reason."

Vanessa Rider also claimed her 9-year-old son was physically assaulted by an older boy and injured during the altercation.

When cops arrived, they found the other woman ... but she told a completely different story.

The woman claims her son's team had defeated the SkyRiders so Vanessa was bitter -- with Vanessa calling her a "bitch" and trying to swing at her.

The woman claims she fought back to "protect herself" and admits she connected with Vanessa.

That's when the woman claims Isaiah got involved -- jumping over bleachers and calling for his friends to help break up the situation.

Isaiah allegedly started asking, "Who hit my son?" -- and then "told his friends to get his gun out of his car."

We spoke with Vanessa who is adamant that someone else in the gym had threatened to pull a gun first -- and Isaiah reacted in an effort to protect his family.

The woman claims Isaiah left the building but never came back with his gun. Vanessa confirms to TMZ Sports her husband NEVER actually pulled a weapon.

Cops ultimately determined the women were involved in "mutual combat" -- but since they couldn't determine who started the fight, no one was arrested.

Sorry, Oscar De La Hoya ... you will NOT be making money off Kevin Hart's boxing career -- 'cause the actor says there's no way in HELL he's stepping in the ring for real!!!

If ya missed it ... Hart took on poker star Antonio Esfandiari in a fun exhibition match a few weeks ago, and De La Hoya told us he was fired up about the chance to be Hart's boxing promoter.

At the time, Oscar said, "If he wants a promoter, Kevin, give me a call. I can put you on the big stage here in Vegas live on DAZN."

When we got Hart out in NYC this week ... we had to ask about Oscar's offer -- and Hart couldn't shut down The Golden Boy faster!!!

"Boxing? I'm 40 years old!" Hart said .. "I can't box at this age."

It's a big bummer ... considering there was already HUGE interest in Hart's sparring sesh with Esfandiari -- big stars like Jonah Hill and Don Cheadle had ringside seats.

If Conor McGregor is serious about a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, all he needs to do is call ... this according to Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe.

Ellerbe runs Floyd's boxing business and has had his hands in some of the biggest events in the company's history ... including the McGregor and Pacquiao fights.

So, now that Conor has publicly stated he wants a second crack at Floyd, we asked Leonard if Mayweather would be down.

"Conor McGregor knows he's always welcome to that ass whooping," Ellerbe tells TMZ Sports.

"If Conor wants some of that smoke again, he knows what he's gotta do."

Long story short ... Ellerbe says Conor just needs to pick up the phone and call and they can get the ball rolling.

Even though Ellerbe says he hasn't spoken to Floyd about the fight, he's CERTAIN the 50-0 legend would dust off the gloves for another 9-figure payday.

But, Ellerbe says Floyd doesn't NEED the money ... noting he's heavily invested in real estate -- he owns several buildings in Times Square -- and he's set for life.