Sports

Jake Paul done with boxing after Anthony Joshua?! Hell no.

The Problem Child says he's targeting late 2026 or early 2027 for his return to the ring ... as he continues to heal from the brutal jaw injury he suffered against Anthony Joshua.

"I'm finally feeling healthy again," Paul told Babcock this week. "The jaw is definitely recovering."

Jake says he isn't there just yet -- he still has to undergo tests and see doctors before he's cleared -- but he's getting close, and he has a rough return date in mind.

Golf star Sergio Garcia is breaking his silence after smashing his driver at the Masters on Sunday ... saying actions like that have no place in the sport -- especially at Augusta.

Garcia -- who won a green jacket in 2017 -- went to social media to share his regret ... writing, "I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday at The Masters tournament."

"I respect and value everything that The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club is to Golf. I regret the way I acted and it has no place in our game. It doesn't reflect the respect and appreciation I have for The Masters, the patrons, tournament officials and golf fans around the world."

J. Cole is reflecting on his impressively brief Chinese basketball experience ... explaining his time with the Nanjing Monkey Kings was cut short due to visa issues.

The rapper and part-time hooper played just eight minutes of action in one game for the pro team ... but the initial plan was to make three appearances before the paperwork hiccup got in the way.

Cole said he waited in Hong Kong to get cleared to play in mainland China ... a process he didn't predict would take so long.

Devastating health update from Dick Vitale ... the college hoops legend revealed he's been diagnosed with cancer in his lung and liver cavity -- but Dickie V says he'll again kick the disease's ass!

Vitale, 86, shared the bad news Monday afternoon through ESPN public relations.

"Today, my oncologist, Dr. Brown, informed me that my biopsy results confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in my lung and liver cavity. I will be starting immunotherapy shortly and I plan on winning this battle."

Dianna Russini might've been sidelined by her bosses, but it's quite literally "business as usual" in Foxborough for Mike Vrabel, according to the Patriots, who say the head coach is hard at work prepping for the NFL Draft.

Pats EVP of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf, met with the media in New England, and was asked about Vrabel's participation as the scandal involving him and The Athletic reporter continues to be the most talked about story in sports and media.

"[Mike is] very involved. Business as usual," Wolf said. "He's been in there with us probably this round of meetings a little bit more than last year."

Rueben Bain Jr. was the driver in a fatal accident in 2024, according to a new report ... as the University of Miami star prepares for the NFL Draft, where he's a near lock first-round draft pick.

Bain, now 21, was driving a 2021 Land Rover SUV with three other passengers -- Canes teammates Nyjalik Kelly and Wesley Bissainthe, and a 22-year-old woman, Destiny Betts, on March 17, 2024.

Around 4 AM, Rueben rear-ended another vehicle, according to The Read Optional, sending his SUV careening into multiple concrete barriers.

MMA is in its comeback era ... but you can cross Michael Bisping off the list of fighters making huge returns in 2026 ... he tells TMZ Sports, while he can still whoop a ton of ass, he's staying retired.

That is, unless several Brinks trunks back into his driveway.

We caught up with The Count at LAX this week ... and asked with big names like Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano stepping back in the cage, could he be following suit??

Like father, like son could ring extra true in the May family ... 'cause fresh off winning a national championship with Michigan, Charlie tells TMZ Sports he's exploring a career in coaching -- just like his pops/coach Dusty!!

We caught up with the senior guard as he worked a celebratory shift with fellow hooper Nimari Burnett at Raising Cane's in Ann Arbor on Thursday ... and asked him what's next after the Wolverines cut down the nets against UConn earlier this week.

He explained his playing days are over ... and now he's going back to school in more than one way -- he'll be a graduate assistant at Georgia as he doubles up on his degrees.

TNA Rebellion is gonna be Cleveland to the max -- not only is hometown kid Nick Nemeth taking the ring, he's got Browns legend Bernie freakin' Kosar in his corner!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Nemeth -- FKA Dolph Ziggler in WWE -- ahead of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's big Pay-Per-View event in northeast Ohio on April 11 ... and he said it's wild to know one of his childhood heroes will be right by his side for the big night.

Kosar is currently recovering well after undergoing a liver transplant ... and Nemeth said this is a great way to acknowledge the former superstar quarterback coming out on top in his recent health battle.

Dianna Russini has been put on ice ... her employer, The Athletic, is doing a deep dive into the cozy pics of Mike Vrabel and the reporter, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

It's an about-face for the NY Times-owned outlet, which initially vehemently came to the defense of Russini, calling the pics "misleading" and saying they lacked "essential context."

But, sources tell us based on new information, the outlet is conducting a thorough investigation ... and with it, they've decided to shelf Russini as the process plays out.

The situation was described to us like this ... "[Dianna's] coverage is being reviewed. That process is expected to take time. She will not be reporting in the interim."

Browning Nagle, star QB at Louisville and second round NFL Draft pick, has tragically died after a battle with colon cancer. He was 57 years old.

Nagle burst onto the scene as a star at Louisville in 1989 ... throwing 32 touchdowns and 4,653 passing yards in his two seasons as a starter.

In 1991, he was named the MVP of the Fiesta Bowl after leading his Cardinals squad to a victory over Alabama.

Jayson Tatum, less than a year after rupturing his Achilles, returned to the location of the worst moment in his pro career ... and while his Celtics lost to the Knicks, the superstar hooper left the historic arena on his two feet -- a win in itself.

Tatum's Celtics faced the Knicks on Thursday night, losing a tightly contested game, 112-106 ... but arguably, the bigger issue was getting Jayson through the game healthy, mentally, and physically.

"Absolutely," JT responded when asked if he was relieved to get the game behind him.

It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me. I was nervous and anxious to come back here," Tatum said.

Cardi B’s got some 'splaining to do about the paternity of her youngest child, at least according to Offset, who was clearly wondering if it was his or Stefon Diggs' ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained a court order issued in Cardi and Offset’s divorce case on February 25, 2026 ... and in it, the judge denied the ex-Migos rapper's request for a DNA test on the baby, but the paternity request he wanted for another child of Cardi's was granted.

The dates of birth of the children are redacted in the order, but one is described as a "newborn," so that's gotta be Stefon's kid, who was born in November. The last child Offset and Cardi had together was born in 2024.

"Platinum" Mike Perry says he's ready to unleash a whole lot of violence on Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports the star from Stockton will leave the cage leaking when the MMA fighters meet in just over a month!

"I'm looking to go in and give the people the bloody people's fight, the people's main event show that they're looking for, the real BMF-style altercation and meet Nate in the middle and, you know, spread some blood," Perry, 34, told Babcock this week.

Of course, Perry and Diaz are fighting on the Jake Paul-promoted, Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano headlined event on May 16 in Los Angeles ... and despite a bunch of big stars and big fights, fans are arguably most excited for Mike and Nate's scrap.

Rickey Thenarse, a former Nebraska football player who had a cup of coffee in the NFL, was shot in the stomach in South Los Angeles on Friday and rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, TMZ Sports has learned.

Thankfully, Thenarse received medical attention quickly ... and is expected to be okay.

It's unclear exactly what led up to the violent incident, but sources tell us Thenarse had been in the middle of a love triangle involving his girlfriend and the father of her child ... which seems to have come to a head last week.

According to law enforcement sources, two people -- a man and a woman -- were spotted fleeing the scene in a black SUV.

Jack Nicklaus is lucky he didn't hurt anybody with his Masters tee shot -- the Golden Bear's ceremonious start to the tournament didn't go as planned ... forcing spectators to duck for cover as his ball sailed over their heads and into the trees.

The 86-year-old kicked things off at Augusta by taking an honorary first swing on Thursday ... and he knew immediately it wasn't going to make his lengthy career highlight reel.

Nicklaus' tee shot bolted left instead of nailing the fairway ... but it's all good, considering he's not competing for his seventh green jacket in 2026.