Fights

Jermell and Jermall Charlo vs Jake and Logan Paul?!

Not happening, according to Jermell, who tells TMZ Sports the Paul bros ain't on the Charlo bros level right now, but, absolutely no shade here ... 'cause the light-middleweight champ says he's actually a big fan of what they're doing in the sport.

"I f**k with the Paul Brothers."

"I like what they're doing. Let them keep boxing and keep going. They're gaining experience in boxing right now. They're doing what they're supposed to do. They're doing what legacy makers are doing and that's why I feel like the Paul Brothers, they're gonna keep on doing what they doing and making big money in boxing and making money on YouTube."

In fact, Jermell says other fighters could -- and should -- learn from Jake and Logan.

"Boxers need to learn from that s**t, bro."

Of course, the Paul bros, and particularly Jake, have taken the boxing world by storm. Jake is 5-0 professionally.

Jake has beaten fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, before taking on 2x Slam Dunk champ and all-around incredible athlete, Nate Robinson. Paul flatlined the 5'8" hooper on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. undercard ... and that's when his popularity exploded.

The Problem Child then beat former MMA champ Ben Askren ... putting the wrestling legend on the canvas.

Then, it was time for his biggest test by far ... MMA legend and future UFC Hall of Famer, Tyron Woodley, whom Jake beat twice, culminating in one of the most brutal knockouts of the year.

As for Logan ... he fought KSI twice. The first fight was a draw, and Paul lost the rematch (LP received an unusually harsh penalty during the fight which affected the result).

So, pretty impressive. But, Jermell and Jermall are two of the top boxers in the world right now. We talked about Jermell's titles ... and he isn't the only one in the fam with belts. Jermall is a former two-weight class world champion.

Speaking of brothers ... we asked Jermell if he'd ever fight his twin, Jermall. The short answer? Nope.

But, what about for a lot of money? Nope.

"I don't care about no money like that. I got enough money man, life is great. Never put my hands on my brother," Jermell told us.

There's more.

We also talked to Jermell -- who is fighting undefeated boxer Brian Castano Saturday night on Showtime -- about Canelo Alvarez's recent loss to Dmitry Bivol, and what it means for the Mexican boxing legend's legacy.

Jan Blachowicz says he forgot to bring his "legendary Polish power" with him last time he stepped foot in the Octagon ... something he says will NOT happen when he fights UFC star Aleksandar Rakic Saturday in Las Vegas, telling TMZ Sports he's gunning for a knockout.

We talked to the 39-year-old former light heavyweight champ -- now the #1 ranked contender -- just days before his scrap with 30-year-old Rakic, the #3 ranked fighter. A win could earn either fighter a title shot, and Jan knows it.

"I'm very hungry, you know, because I lost something I love. I lost my treasure and I want to get this belt back," Blachowicz said ... "I need to. I want to defeat Aleksandar and be the next contender for the title. First of all, Saturday, Aleksandar, his chin and that's it."

Of course, Jan was defeated by now champ Glover Teixeira via rear-naked choke at UFC 267 in October 2021. It was a difficult pill to swallow for Jan, who never really got going in the fight.

But, the man known for his knockout-inducing power is ready to show he still packs a punch in the cage.

"I see my punches they are clean, they are powerful that I knock him out. This is what I see, this is what I want to do. I want to knock him out. I want to punch him with all my legendary Polish power out on him. This time I won't forget my legendary Polish power."

Jan knows Aleksandar -- who has only lost one time since 2012 -- is a very tough opponent.

"He tough guy, young guy, powerful with dynamic style, powerful kicks, good wrestling, good control on ground, so it's gonna be tough fight. I'm ready for tough fight."

Now, as you'd expect, Rakic has a different vision of how the fight will play out.

The 14-2 star says he plans to beat Jan, and then fight the winner of Glover and Jiri Prochazka ... who are set to fight on June 11 at UFC 275.

If Floyd Mayweather or Oscar De La Hoya are looking for exhibitions down the road ... former boxing star Fernando Vargas tells TMZ Sports he's down to get back in the ring with both!

Of course, it's been 15 years since the 44-year-old fighter has been in the ring ... but with ex-champs like Mayweather, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. making comebacks for big money -- we had to ask if Vargas has got any interest.

And, he said yes ... emphatically.

"I'm ready," Vargas said. "My phone is open."

The 26-5 boxer said Floyd would be his ideal opponent ... but rekindling an old rivalry with De La Hoya would also intrigue him.

"Floyd knows my number," Vargas said. "Even if it's not Mayweather, it can be Oscar. Exhibition with me and Oscar. Let's go. I'm ready. Let's go, Oscar. We can make it happen!"

But, before Vargas can even set that up, he'll watch his three sons, Fernando Jr., Amado and Emiliano square up in their own bouts on the undercard of Triller's Fight Club on Saturday.

Emiliano -- the youngest of the three -- will be making his boxing debut ... while his brother, Vargas Jr., is 5-0 (5 KOs). Amado, meanwhile, is 3-0 (2 KOs).

"I know they came from me so they got their DNA from their father," Vargas said. "So, it's a blessing to be able to be here and to see them do what they love."

Vargas -- who trains his kids -- expects a win from each of them ... saying, "All of 'em by knockout. I know they got it, so we're definitely excited."

Two wrestlers in an overseas pro wrestling org. beat the hell out of each other so badly during a match -- they both left the ring soaked in blood ... and now, cops say they are investigating it all.

The gruesome tilt went down on April 29 in an event put on by the Colliery Championship Wrestling org. at the New Seaham Conservative Club in the U.K.

Competitors, Ronnie Thatcher and Blizzard, were headlining the card as the main event ... and roughly 80 people, including children, had seats to the show.

But, as the two were going at it in the ring, they suddenly got ultra-violent with each other -- unexpectedly turning the fight into a "death match."

They brought out weapons, glass, and even a weed whacker -- and straight-up mauled each other so badly they were bleeding from nearly every limb on their bodies.

In fact, one video shows Blizzard slamming Ronnie straight through a piece of wood so badly, that it exploded everywhere.

After the match, the CCW faced heavy scrutiny for the gore ... and an event organizer, James Brass, apologized for it all.

"Things can sometimes not go to plan," Brass said. "Obviously there was a little bit more that went down. I spoke to the two guys afterward. We had discussions and obviously, that will not be happening again."

But, local police clearly feel an apology ain't enough ... 'cause in a statement to media outlets, cops said they are investigating it all.

Floyd Mayweather's much-anticipated boxing match in Dubai this weekend has been called off ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us ... the exhibition fight -- which was supposed to pit Mayweather against his former sparring partner Don Moore on Saturday on the Burj Al Arab hotel helipad -- will no longer go down following the death of United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Government officials, according to WAM, the official UAE news agency, have suspended "work in ministries, departments, federal and local institutions, and the private sector" for the next three days due to the Sheikh Khalifa's passing ... and, according to our sources, that means the Floyd fight cannot happen this weekend.

We are told, though, the two boxers could attempt to reschedule the match for sometime next week.

Floyd has yet to comment on the fight's cancelation ... though he did mourn Sheikh Khalifa's death in an Instagram post early Friday morning.

"Sending my condolences to the entire UAE," he said. "RIP Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed."

Mayweather and Moore have both been in Dubai the past few days promoting the fight ... with Moore saying he was legitimately gunning to beat the 50-0 boxing legend.

Wowwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!

Pro wrestler Darby Allin tore down the house Wednesday night at AEW Dynamite when he pulled off a death-defying stunt ... jumping off the top of a ladder and crashing into 8 steel chairs -- and Jeff Hardy, too!!

It all went down at UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Long Island, NY, when Allin (with Sting) was in action against Jeff (with his brother Matt) in a first-round, anything goes match in the Owen Hart Men's Foundation tourney.

Hardy and Allin were exchanging blows all match, but things picked up when the "KING of the extreme" set up a ladder in the middle of the ring ... with obvious plans on using it.

Allin, who introduced multiple chairs into the match that he pulled from underneath the ring, flipped the script on Jeff ... hitting him with his signature Swanton Bomb finisher off the top of the ladder ... through the chairs.

In the insane clip, it appears Allin was paying homage to 44-year-old Hardy, 'cause he even mimicked the hand movements Jeff does before performing his Swanton Bomb move.

The spot in the match was sick ... and the AEW fans in attendance lost it, especially since they're not used to seeing Jeff on the receiving end of crazy stunts in the squared circle.

When you throw an event called "Mayhem at Lake George" ... well, you gotta expect some mayhem and this year's get-together was true to its name.

Video has surfaced from the event in Volusia County, Florida, in which a massive fight breaks out ... aquatic style.

It got really bad ... one guy was seriously injured. He was taken to shore and flown to a hospital. We don't know his condition.

No surprise ... alcohol was involved, and apparently lots of it. The Sheriff said, “People are just out there to have a good time, but like anything else, when you have a huge concentration of people like this and you have alcohol involved, you do have some incidents."

It's pretty wild ... you see a guy punch another dude in the face and another guy is tackled into the water ... before things erupt into pure chaos.

There were arrests ... 5 of them. The offenses were predictable ... disorderly conduct and boating under the influence. There were also nearly 40 boating citations.

Mike Tyson can breathe a sigh of relief -- the boxing legend will NOT face criminal charges stemming from his airplane beatdown, TMZ Sports has learned.

The San Mateo County District Attorney said Monday morning because of "the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson" no charges will be filed against the legendary fighter.

It's a big deal for Iron Mike -- because he had been facing the possibility of multiple criminal charges after he punched a man repeatedly in the face at SFO on a JetBlue plane on April 20.

Reps for Tyson had alleged the man threw a water bottle at him and annoyed him repeatedly prior to the attack. An attorney for the man, meanwhile, had argued no bottle was thrown -- and blamed the incident on his client being "overly excited."

Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County D.A., tells us ultimately neither Tyson nor the man wanted to go to court over it all. Wagstaffe added that they believed there were more serious cases his office should be prosecuting regardless.

"We thank San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County Sheriff, and all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent, and professional work," said Tyson's attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli.

Manny Pacquiao's presidential bid is over ... the boxing legend officially conceded the race in the Philippines to his opponent, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he announced on Tuesday in an official statement.

"I know how to accept defeat," Pacquiao said. "But I hope that even though I lost this race, my countrymen, especially the poor, still win in this scenario."

According to Rappler, a Philippine news website, the boxer-turned-politician was losing the election by a sizeable margin ... with the outlet reporting that Pacquiao had over 3.6 million votes, while Marcos Jr. had more than 31 million votes.

In his concession announcement, 43-year-old Pacquiao said he was praying for the success of the upcoming administration ... and hoping the lives of impoverished people improve.

The 62-8-2 fighter initially announced back in September 2021 his bid to be the next President of the Philippines after accepting the PDP-Laban party's nomination.

Pacquiao, who spent time in the Senate, centered his presidential campaign around tackling poverty and corruption -- something he believed was a pervasive issue in the government.

In March, Pacquiao warned the citizens of the Philippines that the possibility of Martial Law could be enacted if Marcos was elected as president, according to Rappler.

Roy Jones Jr. tells TMZ Sports he doesn't believe Canelo Alvarez's loss to Dmitry Bivol will affect his star power one bit ... saying the guy is "still the biggest ticket in boxing" outside of the heavyweights.

Canelo suffered just his second-ever loss on Saturday night after moving up in weight to fight Bivol ... dropping the contest via a unanimous decision.

Some believe the L could hurt Canelo going forward ... but, when we spoke to Jones Jr. about the result on Monday, he said he doesn't expect it to impact the 31-year-old at all.

In fact, Jones Jr. said the 57-2-1 fighter's elite legacy is still in-tact ... and no matter who he fights next, his name will still draw plenty of eyeballs.

"[He's] the biggest ticket in boxing outside of the heavyweight division right now," Jones Jr. said.

Jones Jr.'s advice for Canelo now is simple -- fight Gennady Golovkin for a third time, and then go from there.

"Fight Triple G first because that's one that people will pay big money to see," Jones Jr. said. "It's one that'll generate interest and you could do it as a middleweight."

No word yet on what Canelo's plans are next ... but when we spoke to Bivol on Monday, the boxer sure seemed like he wasn't in any race to give a rematch to Canelo.

Bivol told us his goal by fighting Canelo was to gain notoriety ... and then pursue more belts elsewhere.

Christopher Koch -- New Era Cap's CEO -- is accused of trying to run over his girlfriend's ex-husband in a crazy dispute outside of a Buffalo restaurant on Saturday night.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn spelled out the allegations against Koch on Monday ... saying the incident began after Koch's GF's ex got into a dispute with Koch in a parking lot.

According to Flynn, at one point during the argument, the man got out of his car ... while Koch remained inside his. A short time later, Flynn said the man alleged Koch then drove his car at him and attempted to hit him with it.

The D.A. says the man was able to jump out of the way, but still suffered a hand injury in the altercation. Flynn said Koch's car continued into the man's vehicle, causing damage to its passenger side.

Koch was charged with one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and was arraigned in Buffalo City Court on Monday morning.

If he's convicted on the charge, Flynn said Koch could be facing up to seven years behind bars.

Koch is due back in court on May 25.

MMA light heavyweight Joel Bauman might be the most honest person on the planet -- the fighter made a jaw-dropping revelation in an interview this weekend ... blaming a recent loss on herpes and NFTs.

"King Bau" was inside the cage after a win at Fury FC 61 on Sunday ... when he opened up about a fight that didn't go his way earlier this year.

"Last fight I was tired, I was exhausted," he told the reporter.

Bauman said an NFT project he has been working on was to blame for the exhaustion ... and claimed he pulled 30 all-nighters before his fight against Josh Fremd, which he lost via submission.

But it's what Bauman said after that had people turning their heads.

"I had herpes before that fight, two outbreaks in the span of a week," Bauman said.

Worth noting -- Bauman seemed genuine with his words ... and it didn't come across like he was trying to be funny. Regardless of his intent, the clip of his interview quickly made rounds on social media.

Don't worry, though -- Bauman seemed fully recovered against Reese Forest at Bert Ogden Arena in Texas, winning via TKO.

It's been less than a week since the Dave Chappelle bum-rush at the Hollywood Bowl, and another comic's already headlined the venue, apparently without incident ... John Mulaney.

The beloved comedian took the stage Saturday night with a couple of openers where Dave was attacked by a guy just a few short days ago -- and, according to reports, everything went swimmingly ... which might have to do with the beefed-up security on high alert.

THR's got a pretty description of the guards on hand and the vibe in general -- they say everyone had to go through the metal detectors and have their bag checked, per usual.

The difference now ... a wood panel that used to line the very front row and the stage was replaced by a fence -- and not just that, but apparently 10 security officers lined the stage from down below in addition to other guards that were in the second level and off to the sides too.

It might sound more intense than it actually was though -- while there weren't any phones allowed from the crowd, somebody did get a video of John exiting the stage to thunderous applause ... giving us a great view of the front of the stage, and the fence looks wimpy.

John even acknowledged it in his set -- poking fun at HB security and the Chappelle incident in general ... reportedly saying, "we have great security. This fence is so jumpable it’s crazy."

Another reference to the stage crasher ... John challenged the crowd (jokingly, of course) by saying, "No one’s going to do anything. You don’t have the balls." He went on to riff about how great rushing the stage would be for whatever cause someone was all about.

His two openers, Earthquake and Seaton Smith, also referenced Isaiah Lee ... but kept it mild, it seems. In the end, it appears everyone had a good time -- and no one got hurt.

Blac Chyna is under criminal investigation for battery ... and the alleged victim claims BC damaged her phone and kicked her in the stomach.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... Blac Chyna is named as the suspect in a battery report filed Friday, and cops are investigating.

The alleged victim, Sequoya King, tells TMZ ... she and Chyna got into a verbal dispute which turned physical.

King says the alleged incident went down early Friday morning at a bar in Los Angeles ... where King says Chyna took her phone out of her hand and slammed it to the ground, damaging it. She also claims BC kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall down.

King says the incident began after Chyna got upset because she believed she was being recorded by people in the bar. King says BC accused her of using her phone to record, an allegation she denied.

According to King ... they got into an argument and Chyna took her phone from her hand, smashed it down on the ground and charged at her, kicking her in the stomach. King says Chyna's friends pulled her away and got her into a car.

The battery allegations against Chyna come on the heels of her losing a $100 million defamation suit against the Kardashians, in a trial that focused on the alleged violence BC inflicted on Rob.

Remember ... we caught up with Chyna the day after she lost her suit, and she seemed in good spirits, saying her time in court was fun.

We reached out to Chyna's legal team ... so far no word back.

Tony Ferguson is NOT fighting for his UFC life this weekend -- despite losing his last three fights -- with UFC boss Dana White telling TMZ Sports "El Cucuy" is still an elite level fighter in the world's top MMA promotion.

"[Tony's] still the number 7 ranked guy in the world," White said. "Still in the top 10. Still in the top 15. Still one of the most elite fighters in the world. If you look at who he's fought, he's fought everybody. So, I wouldn't say he's fighting for his UFC life."

38-year-old Ferguson -- the #7 ranked UFC lightweight -- is taking on #5 ranked Michael Chandler at UFC 274 Saturday night in Phoenix.

FYI, Tony's lost his last three fights ... the first to Justin Gaethje by TKO at UFC 249 in May 2020. Next was Charles Oliveira ... who, like Justin, thoroughly beat Tony at UFC 256 in December 2020. His last defeat was against Beneil Dariush ... who beat Tony by unanimous decision at UFC 262 in May 2021.

Prior to the losing streak ... TF put together an impressive win streak, scoring 12 straight against everyone from "Cowboy" Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, Rafael dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza.

But, sure, the last three are losses ... but losses to top guys. Oliveira went on to be the champion, and Gaethje is the #1 ranked contender. Dariush is ranked #4.

And, that's why White says Tony is still a high-level fighter.

The days of pursuing a belt may be passed -- or maybe not -- but the dude can still fight in a locked cage.

We also talked to Dana about the other fights on the card ... including two of Ferguson's last opponents fighting each other, Gaethje and Oliveira.

"Charles Oliveira has a 91% finish rate, and Gaethje has an 87% finish rate," White says, believing someone's likely going to sleep.

Fights go down Saturday night ... the fireworks are coming! 💥💥💥💥

Michael Chandler was seconds away from UFC gold, and despite now being ranked 5th in the lightweight division, the UFC star still believes he's the best fighter at 155 pounds, and because of that, he tells TMZ Sports he deserves a title shot after he beats Tony Ferguson.

But, if he doesn't get that ... Michael's got a Plan B -- Conor McGregor!

"There's not an MMA fan, combat sports fan, TMZ Sports fan, that doesn't want to see me fight Charles Oliveira again or Justin Gaethje again," Chandler says.

"And, if the UFC does have a momentary lapse of judgment and gives the title shot to someone else, Conor's gotta beat somebody when he comes back to make himself into relevant status. So, Conor or some big fights. We'll see!"

Of course, 36-year-old Chandler has lost two fights in a row ... but that doesn't nearly begin to tell the story.

At UFC 262 in May, Michael was on the verge of defeating Oliveira with the UFC belt on the line ... dropping do Bronx with a left hook in the first round. Unfortunately for MC, Charles survived the last two minutes of the round.

Then, in the second, Oliveira hurt Chandler ... and ultimately ended the fight via TKO from strikes.

You could argue Chandler was one punch from being the champ.

Then, MC squared off against Gaethje -- now the #1 ranked contender -- at UFC 269 in November 2021 ... a fight that was guaranteed to be amazing.

The fight -- one of the greatest ever -- somehow surpassed expectations ... and although most fans and experts declared no one the loser, Chandler's record says different.

Two losses ... against two beasts, in incredibly close fights. So, a title shot is certainly not out of the equation.

If that's not the direction Dana White and the UFC go, Michael's down to welcome McGregor back to the Octagon.

Conor hasn't fought since July 2021 when he snapped his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight. Dana previously told us he expected "The Notorious" to make his Octagon return sometime toward the end of 2022.

Whether it's McGregor or another top fighter, Michael tells us he still believes he's destined for greatness ... not to simply have come close.

"The number one weapon that you can have is not the X's and the O's and the punches and the kicks or the wrestling -- it's self-confidence. I believe in the calling on my life, I believe I got into this sport in 2009 not just to be good, but to be great, not to be great but to be extraordinary and do some extraordinary things. I think UFC gold is still very much in my future."

First things first, Michael has to beat "El Cucuy" at UFC 274 Saturday night. Then, we'll see ... Gaethje? Oliveira? McGregor? Someone else?