Fights

KISS THE BABY!!

Ex-NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco has signed a deal to fight in an exhibition boxing match on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul undercard  -- the very first fight of his career.

In other words, Chad is making his boxing debut at 43 YEARS OLD!

The former Cincinnati Bengals WR has been training his ass off in boxing gyms for years -- but never really expressed serious interest in taking a fight.

But, Chad says he was approached by Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe recently ... and offered a spot on the undercard for the big June 6 event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Chad says he immediately asked his family for their thoughts -- and when they gave their blessing, Ochocinco told Ellerbe he would do it!

Ochocinco -- formally known as Chad Johnson -- broke the news on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast.

So far, no opponent has been locked in -- but we're hearing promoters are looking to match Chad up against another former non-boxing athlete.

The obvious choice would be ex-NFL wideout Brandon Marshall, who's been putting in serious work in the boxing gym for years ... and has openly talked about wanting a big-time fight.

In fact, Brandon spent some time training with Evander Holyfield who compared Marshall to heavyweight knockout artist Deontay Wilder.

As for Chad, he's already got a new nickname -- calling himself, "Sweet Feet Johnson!"

The highest selling combat sports events ever by (reported) pay-per-view buys ... Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao (4.6 million), Floyd vs. Conor McGregor (4.1 million) AND ... Jake Paul vs. Kamaru Usman?!

That's what "The Nigerian Nightmares" manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes will happen IF a fight between his client and YouTuber turned boxing star Jake Paul can be hashed out ... as long as UFC honcho and master promoter, Dana White is involved.

"Dana White has to have the microphone, he has to be the promoter," Ali says, later continuing ... "[Dana's] gonna get the UFC monster machine behind it and it's gonna sell I think, this fight did 3, 4 million Pay-Per-View buys, right, but on UFC's platform."

Of course, Jake -- 3-0 in the ring -- and the UFC welterweight champ went back-and-forth with the trash talk earlier this week ... with both guys saying they want to fight.

To put the PPV #'s into perspective, Paul vs. Ben Askren reportedly sold 1.5 million PPV's (a total some have questioned) at $50 a pop. But if the figures are accurate ... just do the math.

So sure, Jake would get the bag ... but Ali says the fight would be more a slaughtering than a boxing match.

"Listen to me, I don't think Jake Paul has enough medical insurance, coverage, to even talk, not even to fight Kamaru Usman," Ali says.

Wrestling legends Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash (Diesel) were WWF Tag Team champs in the mid-'90s ... but initially got linked up together 'cause Nash's WCW character reminded the "Heartbreak Kid" of ... Andrew Dice Clay!!

Yes, Michaels was a HUGE fan of the "Diceman" ... and that's why he tells TMZ Sports that's what instantly attracted him to Nash's "Vinnie Vegas" character -- and ultimately gave birth to "Two Dudes with Attitudes."

"I had seen him on WCW as Vinnie Vegas. I can remember at that time coming off believing that Andrew Dice Clay was the funniest, and he sorta had an aspect of that in Vinnie Vegas," Michaels' says.

"Seeing it, and then, of course, quite some time later talking to Rick Steiner about it, and him mentioning [Kevin] and wanting to have a bodyguard for me."

Shawn was down, so Nash's "Diesel" character became his bodyguard. Together, they were 2x WWF Tag Team champions ... in addition to having a ton of success individually.

Michaels was a 2x Intercontinental champ ... while Diesel was Heavyweight champ and Intercontinental champ.

"There certainly were times we brought out the best in one another from an in the ring standpoint, and taking ourselves to a new level," Shawn says ... "Maybe less so personally. We were kinda troublemakers. But, to look back on it now, I'm very fond."

It's been decades since the men teamed up in the squared circle ... but the duo will be featured in an upcoming doc called "WWE Untold: Dudes With Attitudes" -- airing May 2 on Peacock.

"I needed to make a change because I was tired of the way I was living."

That's 31-year-old former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz opening up about depression that literally brought him to his knees ... after losing his belts to Anthony Joshua.

TMZ Sports talked to Ruiz days before he makes his return to the squared circle on May 1 ... where "The Destroyer" will take on Chris Arreola.

When Ruiz starts letting his hands fly ... he'll look a little bit different than the last time we saw him in the ring with Joshua -- 'cause the 6'2" boxing star has lost nearly 60 pounds!!

"I think the weight loss is gonna be good and gonna be an advantage for me," Ruiz tells us.

"I think I'm gonna be a little faster, I'm gonna be able to slip more punches, bob and weave and things that we've been practicing in the gym and you know, I'm still not where I wanna be at but I'm still way better than I was before."

Of course, Ruiz SHOCKED the world and KO'd AJ in June 2019 ... one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history.

But, the December 2019 rematch didn't go nearly as well for Ruiz ... who stepped into the ring weighing 284 pounds, and looking out of shape in a unanimous decision loss.

After the fight, Andy says he was depressed and knew he had to change his life ... and that started with the drastic weight loss.

"There was just this one day that I was just depressed with myself and I was weighting 310 lbs. I thought losing weight would be the big issue and learning discipline, because I lacked discipline in my whole professional career," Ruiz says.

Andy continued ... "Like I said, I was depressed, I had got on my knees, I started praying and started telling God for a new change, a new mentality, and the next day I woke up and I woke up like a brand new man and that's when I messaged Canelo and told him if he could open the doors for me, and here we are now."

If the new, improved Ruiz beats Arreola (and he's a massive favorite) ... Andy could potentially face Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte or even Joshua for a third time.

Chris Weidman's shattered leg will NOT stop the former UFC champion from returning to the Octagon ... so says "The All-American's" training partner, friend, and family member, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

TMZ Sports talked to Wonderboy -- who was in Chris' corner when his leg snapped during his fight with Uriah Hall -- and we asked whether the 36-year-old fighter will ever fight again in the UFC.

Stephen -- whose brother is married to Chris' sister -- didn't hesitate when he answered.

"I know for a fact he will come back," Thompson says.

"[Chris'] style of fighting, if that ever happened to me it would be different because I rely a lot on my kicking. He could never throw a kick again and still dominate in the UFC in his division."

Wonderboy continued ... "He’s not known for his kicking, he’s known for his striking, his wrestling, so that’s the thing that makes this not very worrisome. Yeah, it’s terrible that it happened, and I pray that he heals up fast, and I know he will, but he doesn’t ever have to throw a kick again and still win fights."

Before he can fight again, Weidman -- who had a titanium rod surgically put into his tibia -- has 6 to 12 months of rehab before he can even start training ... so we asked Stephen how Chris was dealing with the traumatic injury.

"Well, to be honest with you, he’s in good spirits. He keeps a very small circle around him of family and friends, and they’re being positive, and to be honest with you he’s great. He’s great."

Awesome news!

Logan Paul has exactly ZERO chance of beating Floyd Mayweather when they clash on June 6, so says Max Kellerman ... but he still thinks the event could be GREAT for boxing.

Kellerman is one of the top experts in the world when it comes to the sweet science -- he's like a walking encyclopedia. And, while some people are crapping on the fight as a mockery to the sport, Max says there's a silver lining.

"It's a good introduction for a lot of people to combat sports," the ESPN star explains ... saying it reminds him of when the UFC burst onto the scene.

"A lot of boxing industry [people] felt threatened by UFC back in the day. I always felt, not only did I like the UFC, but that boxing should also welcome it, not feel threatened by it because they were exposing a new generation of fans to combat sports."

"So, you say, 'Hey, you like combat sports? Come over here and check us out' and Logan Paul is doing the same thing with Floyd Mayweather now."

As for his fight prediction -- "No, Logan Paul doesn't have a chance to beat Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring but he's gonna try. Good for him."

GOOD NEWS! Chris Weidman's "bone through the skin" injury is healing up nicely ... and he's got video of the injury site to prove it!

The UFC star finally removed the bandages from his right leg on Wednesday -- just days after that catastrophic injury at UFC 261 ... and you can clearly see the spot where the bone ripped through the back of his calf.

"I undressed my injury," Weidman said in a Wednesday update ... "The cut on the back of the calf is from when I stepped down in octagon, and bone went through calf muscle and skin."

Weidman was discharged from the hospital in Jacksonville earlier this week and is continuing his recovery at home in South Carolina, where remains in good spirits.

"I know there are many worried about me, including family friends and fans. I will be good. I love you all."

As we previously reported, 36-year-old Weidman suffered the injury while throwing a routine leg kick in the opening seconds of his Saturday night match against Uriah Hall.

Surgeons used a metal rod to stabilize the leg -- and Chris posted photos of the X-rays.

NBA player Sterling Brown was COMPLETELY covered in blood when cops found him after he was attacked at a Miami strip club ... new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

In the footage from the scene, which was captured on an officer's body cam in the early morning hours of April 19, you can see Brown was constantly pressing his shirt hard against a gnarly wound on his head to try to stop the bleeding.

Video shows Brown -- who just minutes prior had been reportedly hit in the head with a liquor bottle -- was clearly annoyed with the situation ... consistently being short with cops and brushing off officers who tried to ask him questions about the incident.

Brown repeatedly asked first responders for an ambulance ... and when he got close to one of the officer's cameras, you can see blood was oozing so heavily from his head, it gushed all the way down to the bottom of his stomach.

Eventually, medical personnel arrived ... but things clearly didn't go smoothly as they tried to tend to the Houston Rockets guard.

Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter Jr., had made his way to the scene ... and for some reason, he became argumentative with cops in the area.

Police redacted the audio -- they said in a document it's currently being reviewed as part of an open internal investigation -- but it's obvious the two NBA players were very upset.

You can see in the clip, Porter Jr. was animated ... waving his arms and making gestures toward one of the officers.

Eventually, things calmed down enough for medical personnel to bandage up Brown ... and he was ultimately stitched up at a local hospital.

The NBA said Wednesday it's completed its investigation into the incident ... and hit Porter Jr. with a $50,000 fine for violating the league's Health and Safety Protocols, which prohibits players from attending "indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments."

What's interesting -- despite visiting the club with KPJ, Brown is NOT expected to receive a fine, according to Marc Stein.

The report adds the league's investigation into the incident is officially closed unless further information surfaces that would require the probe to be re-opened.

Bombshell revelation from Canelo Alvarez ... the boxing superstar says his brother was kidnapped in Mexico in 2018 -- and he was the one who was forced to negotiate with the scumbags for 3 DAYS to bring him home.

The 30-year-old broke it all down on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" during an interview that will air in its entirety this weekend ... explaining just days before his '18 fight against Rocky Fielding, he got some terrifying news.

Canelo says shortly after he landed in New York for the fight, he was told one of his older brothers had been abducted.

And, in the days and hours leading up to the tilt with Fielding, Canelo says he had to make the deals to ensure his bro's safe return.

"Over the phone, I negotiated all the -- I negotiated everything for his release," Canelo told Bensinger in Spanish.

"For three days, I negotiated with those a**holes so they would let him go. Three days!"

Fortunately, Canelo says his brother was returned safely ... and Alvarez was still able to go out and dominate Fielding, scoring a 3rd round TKO.

Canelo did not reveal the terms of the deal they made with his brother's captures.

But, there's more ... Canelo believes crooked cops in Mexico may have played a role in the kidnapping -- and says the entire thing has him concerned about his and his family's safety in his home country.

In fact, Alvarez was very critical of Mexican leaders when talking with Bensinger ... saying the government and law enforcement are doing a "very bad" job.

He added, "This is why I'm not here in Mexico much anymore, because it's not safe."

Canelo says he wishes his home country would create more strict laws and punishments to help make the place safer for all.

Evander is out, LENNOX IS IN!!

Mike Tyson tells TMZ Sports ... his next boxing opponent is all lined up and it's a rematch with former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis!!

"I'm gonna fight Lennox Lewis," Tyson told us Tuesday night on the way out of Catch in L.A. ... "September."

YES!!!

Mike is 54 years old. Lennox is 55.

Remember, Tyson was in talks to rematch Evander Holyfield on May 29 in Miami but the deal fell apart in March because the two sides couldn't agree on money.

So, Tyson's camp continued the search for a big-name opponent -- and according to Mike, Lennox is in!

The two have fought before -- Lewis famously KO'd Tyson in the 8th round when they clashed in June 2002.

In the buildup to the fight, Tyson making some wild threats ... famously saying he wanted to "eat" Lennox's children!

We spoke with Lennox back in February about the possibility of fighting Tyson and he told us he was open to it ... but only "if the public wanted it."

Well, clearly enough people made it clear they'd love to see Lennox get back in the ring!

FYI, Lewis is one of the greatest heavyweight fighters ever -- he finished his pro career in 2003 with a 41-2-1 record ... defeating legends like Vitali Klitschko, Evander Holyfield, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, Frank Bruno and, of course, Mike Tyson.

Tyson was 50-6 in his pro career -- but looked AWESOME in his exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in Nov. 2020.

"As many as you guys know, I've struggled with depression and anxiety for some time."

That's undefeated boxing superstar Ryan Garcia bravely choosing to talk about the reason he withdrew from his July 9 fight against Javier Fortuna ... revealing he's in need of a mental health break.

Over the weekend, the undefeated 22-year-old posted the fight news on IG -- saying he wanted to focus on managing his "health and wellbeing" ... but didn't really expand on what that meant.

"I have decided to take some time off to focus on becoming a stronger version of myself," Garcia has posted.

But on Tuesday, Garcia expanded on his health situation -- saying he's often "pushed through" some difficult moments ... but feels it's important to slow down and get some professional help.

"I pushed thru so many times but I need some time off and I'm choosing to finally get some help with my mental health," Garcia said.

Garcia is currently in Hawaii with his girlfriend, Drea Celina, and their 4-month-old daughter ... and from the looks of things, they're focusing on health and relaxation.

Kamaru Usman vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov?!!? How awesome would that be?!

Kamaru says it would "absolutely" be the biggest fight in UFC history -- but the champ isn't holding his breath that it'll happen.

Remember, Khabib (29-0) announced his retirement back in October 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje -- but later told Dana White he would consider a comeback if one of the top fighters showed him something "spectacular."

Well, enter Usman ... who's been destroying the best fighters in the UFC's welterweight division including wins over Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns and more.

The question -- is Khabib impressed enough to consider a comeback against the reigning welterweight champ?! Usman isn't counting on it.

"I’ve lost faith in this one," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "I think you have more of a chance at making Kamaru Usman and Georges St Pierre happen before Kamaru Usman and Khabib."

We also asked about a possible matchup with Nick Diaz down the line ... and Usman seems interested!

Floyd Mayweather is zeroing in on a date and location to fight Logan Paul -- and multiple sources tell us the target is Sunday, June 6 in Miami.

We're told the date is not set in stone -- but Floyd's camp is really pushing for the Sunday date.

So, why not shoot for Saturday night like most major Pay-Per-View boxing events?

We're told the hope of having a bunch of live fans at the venue for the fight is playing a key role.

One source tells us the Sunday date works better with the intended venue in Miami -- a venue that would be able to hold a large crowd, which is very important to Floyd.

Floyd and Logan Paul were originally scheduled to fight on February 20th -- but the event was postponed due to "COVID and other things."

Since then, there have been questions about if the fight was ever going to happen -- but we're told Floyd is 100% in and can't wait to get it on.

The fight would technically be considered an exhibition -- which means it would not count on either fighters' professional record.

26-year-old Logan is 0-1 record as a pro -- but he's full of confidence ... especially after his brother Jake Paul obliterated MMA star Ben Askren.

Plus, the Paul brothers have proven to be legitimate PPV draws -- which we're certain is appealing to Floyd.

44-year-old Mayweather is 50-0 and widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time with wins over legends like Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao.

And we all remember what he did to Conor McGregor ...

Welp, this is a way to bruise Conor McGregor's ego ...

Kamaru Usman tells TMZ Sports he's more interested in "beating the s**t" out of Jake Paul than taking on Conor ... explaining he's been looking for an excuse to punish one of these "Internet guys."

Usman is fresh off of a VIOLENT performance against Jorge Masvidal -- where he basically sent Gamebred to the shadow realm with one of the most devastating knockout punches in UFC history.

Before that, Usman went on a run dominating the best the UFC's welterweight division had to offer ... from Gilbert Burns to Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley and more.

So, in the immortal words of Bill Goldberg ... WHO'S NEXT!?

Usman says he's down to fight TWO more times before the end of the year -- but admits there's no one in his division that's tickling his fancy at the moment.

Sure, he's been trading Twitter trash talk with Conor McGregor -- but Usman says when push comes to shove, Conor doesn't want the smoke.

"He's fought once in the last year and a half and that didn’t end well for him," Usman says.

"Imagine what I would do to him. I would take his life in there."

Which brings us to Jake Paul ...

"If these guys don't show me anything, maybe I'll put out one of these guys who think 'I can box' and beat the sh*t out of them."

Kamaru even referenced the back and forth between Daniel Cormier and Jake Paul in the stands at UFC 261 ... and begged DC to stand down so he could teach the guy a lesson.

"DC, sit down, let me take care of that for you," Usman said.

Usman says he's sick and tired of Paul dissing legends like Cormier -- and believes it would be his duty to beat some respect into him.

Hey, Jake's looking for a fight too ... so, never say never.

Jeff Lowe claims Carole and Howard Baskin are spying on him with drones, and when he went to confront them, a fight allegedly broke out with his neighbors and the cops had to respond.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Lowes called cops Tuesday morning to report a disturbance at their property in Thackerville, and when deputies showed up they discovered Jeff had gotten in a fight with a neighbor -- not Carole and Howard.

Jeff says it all started when his son saw a drone flying over the zoo, and when he went to investigate he claims he saw Carole, Howard and his neighbors, a couple, hanging with a film crew.

The way Jeff tells it ... the Baskins and his neighbors took off when they saw him, and when he tried to stop a car leaving the neighbors' property -- thinking Carole might be inside -- the neighbors' son got out and they tussled.

Our law enforcement sources say Carole was in the area, but was not on Jeff's property and she broke no laws.

Howard tells TMZ ... they were flying a drone in the area to monitor conditions at the zoo, and he says the initial drone footage shows a significant amount of what appears to be stress-related or "stereotypic" pacing among the animals.

Carole's husband says they had a film crew there to record what they were doing, and the Baskins were visiting with Lowe's neighbors for a different reason altogether.

Jeff claims it was the neighbor's son who started the fight, throwing coffee at his car and pushing him. However, Howard claims Jeff started the fight with the neighbor's son ... he says Jeff attacked unexpectedly and dragged the guy to the ground.

The incident is far from over ... our law enforcement sources say the police report will be sent to the local District Attorney, who will determine whether Jeff or the man he was fighting will be charged.

Trey Songz will not face criminal charges for his violent altercation with cops at an NFL playoff game ... TMZ has learned.

The Prosecutor's Office for Jackson County, MO tells us they have decided to decline filing charges against the singer, citing insufficient evidence.

We broke the story ... Trey was arrested back in January at a Kansas City Chiefs home playoff game, with video showing what looked like a violent dust-up with a police officer.

The incident started when Songz allegedly refused to wear a mask inside Arrowhead Stadium, despite coronavirus protocols in place at the game.

As we told you, Trey was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest -- both misdemeanors -- and for assaulting a police officer, a low-grade felony.

The footage police released appeared to show Trey throwing the first punch during his interaction with police, but his camp claimed the officer had it out for him before the brawl. In any event, no charges are being filed in the case.