TMZ Sports - Page 50

Don't call it a comeback, call it a payout -- LL Cool J's coming out swinging for Andy Ruiz Jr., saying if Anthony Joshua wants back the belts, he's gotta pay the guy who took 'em.

We got LL at LAX Friday, and the famous fight fan wasn't just riding the "Pay Ruiz" train ... he was the freakin' conductor!!! We asked him about the new WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champ demanding $50 MILLION, if the Joshua rematch is held on AJ's turf in the UK.

LL didn't hesitate, telling us ... "He should get more than that. Gotta get every dime you can get, baby!"

Cool J says people gotta stop looking at Ruiz as the relatively unknown guy he was before he shocked the world by upsetting Joshua last weekend in Madison Square Garden.

As LL put it, "He got the belts now and this is the price."

He added you also have to take into account the kinda beating boxers take every time they step in the ring. He gave a shout out to Canadian boxer Adonis Stevenson, who was left in critical condition with a brain injury last year.

That's why LL says, Ruiz is "supposed to charge. They work hard, they risk their lives."

As for who would win the rematch -- LL isn't willing to lay a bet just yet -- but when it comes to a possible Ruiz-Deontay Wilder bout? He's 100% on that one.

Game recognize game ... which might be why Lindsey Vonn says Serena Williams bumping another player from a French Open interview podium is just the way it goes when you're the queen.

The G.O.A.T. of women's downhill skiing was leaving Craig's Friday night in WeHo when we asked if the women's tennis G.O.A.T. deserves the flak she got at the Open this week. If you missed it, Dominic Thiem was forced to move to a different post-match interview room, because Serena was in a hurry to do interviews and leave after Sofia Kenin upset her. Thiem was pissed.

But, Lindsey summed it up in 3 words ... "She's the queen."

We're pretty sure Dominic wouldn't see it that way ... he was pretty ticked after getting bumped.

Full disclosure: Lindsey and Serena are pals. LV was actually at the Open cheering on Serena at one of her earlier matches.

Common says NBA teams are RIGHT for moving away from the term "owner" -- telling TMZ Sports the title "never sat right with me."

We broke the story ... multiple NBA teams -- and even the NBA league office -- have replaced the title with words like "Managing Partner" and "Chairman" over feelings that "owner" is racially insensitive in a league where the majority of the players are black.

So, when we saw Common at Matsuhisa in L.A. on Thursday, we asked if he felt the change is a good thing ... or an unnecessary overreaction?

"I'm so pleased," Common told us ... "The term owner -- it didn't sit right with me."

"The history of what we have and we are as black people in this country ... it's just not really being considerate of the history."

Common says he was impressed with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver -- who referred to one team's majority investor as "Governor" instead of "owner."

He's also giving credit to Draymond Green for speaking out about the issue on LeBron's show "The Shop" in late 2018 ... when he explained why the term "owner" should go the way of the Dodo.

Oscar De La Hoya says Canelo Alvarez is gonna wait his sweet ass time before giving GGG a rematch ... but when it does happen, this fight is gonna end in a brutal knockout for Canelo.

The two men have fought twice, and let's face it, nothing's really been resolved. The first fight was an extremely controversial draw, and the second fight was an even more controversial win for Canelo.

GGG wants the 3rd act really badly ... but when we ran into Oscar recently he told us to tell Golovkin not to hold his breath.

"We'll make him wait. We'll see. He's the B fighter now. Canelo's the A fighter."

We, of course, asked what Oscar thought would happen in the next fight, whenever it does happen, and he couldn't have been clearer.

"I think Canelo will knock him out."

Maybe he would ... but will it matter if both men are in retirement homes by the time it happens?

We also talked to GGG -- who's fighting Steve Rolls Saturday night on DAZN -- and no surprise, he ain't into waiting for the trilogy fight.

OSCAR, MAKE THE FIGHT!!!

It's always great when Arianny Celeste throws on a bikini and hits the beach ... but the UFC star brought her equally hot friends along for a sexy shoot ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!!

The Octagon girl G.O.A.T. -- along with Dessie Mitcheson and Kayla Fitz -- hit up Malibu for some fun in the sand ... wearing matching blue bikinis and yellow earrings.

The shoot is part of the summer campaign for Celeste's Girlfriend Box business ... and who better than Arianny herself to show off the product!!!

Kevin Love knows firsthand how LeBron James can change a franchise -- and he's telling TMZ Sports why NBA fans would be dumb to count out the Lakers in the 2019-20 season.

The Cleveland Cavs star is back in L.A. where he went to college (UCLA) -- so, we had to ask if he was reuniting with his old teammate while he's in town.

Love says there are no plans to get a workout in with #23 -- but he's still a big fan of James ... explaining what the Lakers need to do in order to get back to relevancy next season.

We also spoke with Love about those ongoing trade rumors and if he ever gets bothered by the rumblings he could get shipped out CLE.

Love also talks about his friendship with current UCLA star Shareef O'Neal and why he could be the next big thing in basketball.

Anthony Joshua has zero recollection of the disastrous 3rd rd. of his Andy Ruiz fight ... where he was pummeled and knocked down twice -- this according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.

Joshua was a massive favorite in the fight against Ruiz ... but was stopped in the 7th round in one of the most shocking upsets in boxing history.

Hearn sat down on DAZN and opened up about the fight and revealed Joshua legit doesn't recall the beatdown he took in the 3rd round.

"He doesn't remember anything really from the 3rd round. In fact, he's taken a little positivity that he managed to go 4 rounds after that because he says, 'ya know, my senses weren't there."

Eddie also laid any speculation to rest that the 7th round stoppage was bad ... saying he not only agreed with it, but was relieved by the ref's decision.

"100% right stoppage. If you actually watch it back, we were watching it last night, and Anthony says 'yes,' and goes to walk forward, and the ref just nudges him and he goes back on the ropes, and then the ref stops it, and I'm actually glad he did cause Anthony would've kept going all night."

AJ's loss threw heavyweight division into a tailspin ... and Hearn has activated the mandatory rematch clause -- although no date has been set.

The New York Yankees contract that paid Mickey Mantle a shockingly low amount of money back in 1957 can be all yours ... if you've got a big pile of cash to buy it!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the deal that Mantle himself signed back in '57 is hitting the SCP Auctions block -- and is expected to fetch over $40,000.

It's interesting ... because Mantle -- who had just hit for the Triple Crown in 1956 with 52 home runs, 130 RBI and a .353 batting average (it was one of the greatest offensive seasons ever) -- was only scheduled to make $60k.

If that seems staggeringly low ... it's 'cause it is -- for a similar season in 2014, Giancarlo Stanton inked a 13-year, $325 MILLION deal ($25 mil a year)!!!

Of course, the Yanks got much more than they bargained for after Mantle signed on the dotted line ... he went on to win the MVP for a second consecutive season in 1957.

As for the contract itself, it's an awesome piece of history ... it's got The Mick's signature AND Hall of Famer Lee MacPhail's on it as well.

Bidding closes in two weeks ... good luck!!!

One of the biggest upsets in boxing history just went down when Andy Ruiz Jr. beat Anthony Joshua ... and Steve Rolls says he's about to follow suit ... telling TMZ Sports he's gonna beat GGG!!

Gennady Golovkin is coming off his first career loss at the hands of Canelo Alvarez ... and is a MASSIVE favorite in this weekend's fight at MSG ... but Rolls says he's gonna hand him a second-straight L.

"As soon as I got the call for this fight and I accepted this fight, had every intention in the world to do what happened last week in that fight this fight coming up," Rolls says.

Rolls is definitely no scrub -- he's undefeated at 19-0 and won the vacant USBA middleweight title in his last fight in December.

"I look forward to shocking the world once again ... I think it will be one of the greatest upsets in boxing history."

Joey Chestnut's celebration of National Doughnut Day is a bitter pastry to swallow, because like Anthony Joshua's upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. -- Joey's gone down like a bag of ... y'know.

The famous wiener-eating champ strolled into Friday's second annual World Hostess Donettes-Eating Championship in Austin as the reigning champ but walked away settling for second place.

The winner -- Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, MA -- did him 35 better for this year's belt.

Chestnut entered the competition ranked No. 1 in the world, but fell short in the 6-minute competition. In case you were wondering, the guys gorged themselves on powdered doughnuts.

BTW ... in total, the entire competition feasted on an astonishing 1,160 doughnuts. The good news for Joey is he still holds the record -- he inhaled 257 doughnuts during last year's test!!

They're gonna need a higher ceiling at the Dean Smith Center for next year ... 'cause Greg Anthony's basketball star son, Cole, put his dunking skills on display on Friday ... and the dude can fly!!!

He may be an ex-NBA player's son, but the North Carolina Tar Heels commit has already made a name for himself ... and if you're watching the video above, you know exactly why.

The 19-year-old was the McDonald's All-American game and Jordan Brand game MVP ... and was easily considered one of the best high school hoopers this past season.

Rener Gracie is MMA royalty -- a member of the legendary Gracie family which created Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

But, he's also a fashion designer -- and he tells TMZ Sports his business went CRAZY a few weeks ago when he made a deal on "Shark Tank."

Rener is the creator of Quikflip -- which started as a hoodie that transforms into a wearable backpack.

The 35-year-old martial artist was a hit on "Shark Tank" -- and ended up making a $500,000 deal with Lori Grenier.

Now, Rener says the exposure from the show has resulted in a MASSIVE sales increase -- and coupled with his new famous and powerful business partner, he's ready to take over.

After weeks of issuing "no comment" statements regarding Tyreek Hill's criminal child abuse investigation ... prosecutors are now saying there is NO ongoing probe into the Chiefs star.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced back on April 24 that after weeks of investigating child abuse accusations, he could not charge Hill or his fiance, Crystal Espinal, with a crime.

Then, after disturbing audio -- which appeared to show Hill and his fiance arguing over their son's injuries -- leaked a day later ... KCTV (which had been leading the Hill coverage) said the DA had re-opened its investigation.

Several attempts to confirm those reports with Howe and his office were met with, "We have no comment at this time," responses.

But now, Howe appears to be saying prosecutors NEVER reopened the probe, telling The Kansas City Star, "It is not an active investigation,” and adding that comments he made at his April 24 news conference "still hold true."

It's big news for Hill -- as the Kansas City Chiefs only decided to suspend Tyreek after reports said the criminal investigation had been reopened after the audio files leaked.

In fact, head coach Andy Reid himself appeared to be under the impression the investigation was reopened, telling that to reporters at a pre-draft press conference in April.

But, it appears that was never the case, with Hill's attorney, Trey Pettlon, telling the K.C. Star, "It’s my understanding the criminal investigation has been closed for quite some time now."

"And obviously there’s been some misinformation about that, but it is closed.”

As for Hill's future, he still has an active case ongoing with the Kansas Department for Children and Families ... and Roger Goodell says he is still waiting to interview the WR over the allegations.

Brian France -- the former CEO of NASCAR -- just pled guilty to misdemeanor drunk driving stemming from an August 2018 arrest in the Hamptons ... TMZ Sports has learned.

France, 56, was pulled over on August 5, 2018 in Sag Harbor, NY -- and during the stop, cops say he bombed a field sobriety test and later blew a .18 on the breathalyzer ... more than twice the legal limit.

According to the police report, cops say they also found oxycodone pain pills. To make matters worse, we're told France name-dropped President Trump during the arrest in an effort to skate on the charges.

Now, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says France has pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor DUI and in exchange, he got 100 hours of community service and must complete an alcohol education course before June 5, 2020.

If he completes the terms of his plea deal, prosecutors will allow France to withdraw his guilty plea and reduce the charge to a traffic violation.

France was originally charged with misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance, aggravated DWI and DWI, and was facing up to a year in jail for each charge.

France was the CEO of NASCAR at the time of the arrest -- a role he held for 15 years -- but took a leave of absence following the incident and later stepped down. Brian's uncle, Jim France, is currently serving as Chairman and CEO of NASCAR.

The late H. Wayne Huizenga's incredible Florida mansion has a new owner ... and the lucky buyer got it for a bargain -- $16.02 MILLION!!!

Huizenga -- who was worth more than $ 2.8 BILLION -- died in March 2018 at the age of 80. Besides owning the Miami Dolphins, Marlins and Florida Panthers, he also founded Blockbuster Video and Waste Management. Dude was RICH!!!

During his life, Huizenga bought up this amazing 20,653-square foot waterfront pad in Fort Lauderdale ... which boasts 10-bedrooms, a home gym, workshop, theater, billiards room and a kitchen with a pizza oven.

Oh, and there's also enough dock space to park your 135-ft mega-yacht ... right near the infinity pool which contains its own BELLTOWER!!!

Huizinga's estate previously listed the place for $27 million ... but they were clearly motivated to sell, and later put it up for auction where it sold on June 5th for a cool $16 MIL.

So, who's the highest bidder? Turns out the new owner is Charles E. West, Jr. -- the founder of Pet Supermarket.

Beyonce's publicist is calling for Bey's insanely faithful followers to fall back ... and stop harassing and threatening people like the wife of the Golden State Warriors owner.

Yvette Noel-Schure responded to the Beyhive's hateful Instagram bullying of Nicole Curran by reminding them of better times. Attempting to silence the buzz, she posted a #tbt photo of Bey and Jay-Z from their last tour, and then lectured them about spewing hate in their queen's name.

Yvette reminded the hive the On the Run II Tour "was a place of joy, unimaginable entertainment from two of the best performers in the world, and a place of love." Nice, calming touch.

Then she went in ... "I know your love runs deep but that love has to be given to every human. It will bring no joy to the person you love so much if you spew hate in her name. We love you."

As we reported ... the hounding of Nicole began after a TV camera showed her leaning over Beyonce to talk to Jay-Z. The moment went viral due to the perceived side-eye from Bey.

Curran tried to clear things up and pled for everyone to "help and support each other," but the Beyhive was so relentless she deactivated her Instagram account, saying the barrage of insults and cyberbullying also included death threats.

All this, Curran says, because she was asking Jay what he wanted to drink and leaned closer because she couldn't hear him.