TMZ Sports - Page 50

Joe Giudice is in the market for a fight, and he's willing to take on ANYONE.

That's right, the former 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star has signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman who tells TMZ ... Joe's slated to fight on October 24th in the Bahamas. The opponent has not yet been determined. Any takers?

The match will consist of three 1 minute, 30-second rounds. Back to Joe's opponent ... Damon tells us he's open to anyone. Be careful what you wish for, Joe.

In any event ... Joe's looking like he's ready to knock someone out. Dude looks JACKED. Check him out in this video ... with the picturesque Italy countryside as the backdrop.

As for what Joe would be paid ... we're told it'll all depend on how many people purchase the Pay-per-view. But, one thing's for sure ... training for an upcoming fight will be a nice distraction. As we reported ... Joe's in the middle of his own legal fight over his deportation case.

Keep your head up, Joe. And, your hands too.

Nassau County chiefs want their residents to kick each other's balls if they must, but don't you dare go touching them ... tennis balls, that is. Hey, no giggling!

That was pretty much how it sounded when County Executive Laura Curran gave a rundown on how Nassau was going to navigate reopening tennis courts there, and what the new regulations would be when handling one another's balls. Again ... tennis balls.

In fact, you can tell Curran was trying her hardest to get the word "tennis" in there each and every time she mentioned "balls," but eventually she slipped ... and let a free ball run loose in her spiel, saying folks can kick other people's balls (back over to the owner if they happen to roll on over, is what she meant), but there is to be no touching of said balls!

That got a nice chuckle from the crowd who was listening, and finally ... Curran herself cracked up as well. She said she was gonna blush and again made another balls reference that got another giggle from just about everyone. Who says we outgrow sophomoric humor?!

This is the greatest balls moment since the 'SNL' classic ... of course, we're talking about Alec Baldwin's famous "Schweddy Balls" skit, where then too, it was balls galore.

Hope Solo claims some gun-toting maniac shot one of her dogs Wednesday night -- but the good news, the pooch survived the attack.

It all went down North Carolina, where the former Team USA soccer superstar lives with her husband, ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

"Our magnificent dog Conan (brown, on the far left) is in critical condition after being shot last night," Hope says.

"It’s hard news to share, but harder to make sense of this heinous act."

"Jerramy and I are shocked and heartbroken, but we want to say thank you to Wilkes Veterinary Hospital and their staff for rushing Conan into emergency care, as well as their COVID-19 care practices."

We're reaching out to police to find out what the hell happened and if they've identified a suspect.

In the meantime, Hope is optimistic about Conan's chances -- saying, "We‘ve heard that there are developments in canine prosthetics and would love any information about getting Conan a new front leg!"

Get well, Conan!!!!

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver Jr. was arrested Saturday night for Driving While Intoxicated ... and to make things worse, cops say he was also illegally carrying a GUN in his truck.

22-year-old Oliver was stopped in Montgomery County, Texas at around 9 PM after someone called 911 and said the truck Oliver was driving was swerving dangerously close to a construction zone.

When Cops approached Oliver -- who was driving a Ford Super Duty pickup truck that was hauling a trailer with a dune buggy -- they say the NFL player had an open can of beer between his legs ... not a great start.

Then he allegedly bombed a field sobriety test -- which included standing on one foot.

During a subsequent search of Oliver's vehicle, cops say they found a pistol.

Oliver -- the 9th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft -- was arrested for DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Cops say he was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw to get his blood alcohol level before he was ultimately taken to jail.

We reached out to the NFL players rep for comment ... so far, no word back.

Oliver was a 3-time 1st team All American in college during his days at the University of Houston.

Greatness comes at a price, but Michael Jordan greatness? That's more like the cost of a house down payment -- just ask the person who now owns MJ's cleats.

The folks over at Heritage Auctions sold a pair of size 13.5 baseball cleats worn and signed by His Airness when he played for the Chicago White Sox's minor-league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. The total cost ... a whopping $93,000!!!

MJ signed the cleats in bold silver ink. Legend has it ... the shoes were a gift from Michael to a White Sox announcer. The shoes were then obtained at MLB pitcher Jeff Reardon's Leukemia Charity Golf Tournament in 1995. The shoes come with a handwritten note from Reardon acknowledging the cleats are authentic.

As for the shoes, MJ -- whose first love was actually baseball and not basketball -- wore them during his short-lived campaign to reach the Major Leagues in 1994. You can clearly see the Air Jordan Nike cleats have incredible wear, with dirt and scuffs throughout. The Nike logo inside the heel is nearly worn off.

As we've reported ... tons of MJ memorabilia has hit the auction block, from a game-worn Bulls jersey to a $15k check Jordan signed over to Donald Trump's Indiana casino.

Is UFC star Henry Cejudo -- a 33-year-old champion in his prime -- actually retiring?!

The answer is a big hell no ... if you listen to his friend and manager -- Ali Abdelaziz -- who tells TMZ Sports there's no way he can see Triple C hangin' up his gloves.

"Do I think Henry's gonna retire? Absolutely not. I don't think Henry's gonna retire."

Remember, Cejudo TKO'd Dominick Cruz -- considered the greatest bantamweight of all-time -- at the end of the 2nd round at UFC 249 last weekend. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Cejudo announced he was retiring from the sport.

But, Abdelaziz says a lot of fighters have the urge to walk away right after going to war in the Octagon ... but that quickly fades.

"Khabib, every time he fights, 'I think I'm done,'" Ali says ... "2 weeks later, 'Who you think I should fight next?' Because these guys are at their prime. Henry's coming into his prime. How you gonna retire in your prime?"

Matter of fact, Ali believes Cejudo will not only fight again ... but it'll happen sometime over the next 3-4 months.

"Henry has everybody on their knees right now. I don't think he's gonna retire. You're gonna see him fight by the summer."

Question is, who will Cejudo take on next?

Triple C and boxer Ryan Garcia recently beefed online, and T.J. Dillashaw -- who comes off his drug suspension early next year -- has been crystal clear in his desire to avenge his Jan. 2019 loss to Cejudo.

But, Ali says that ain't happening ... ever.

"Henry will never fight T.J. I don't think any clean athlete should ever fight T.J. Dillashaw. The man cheated for a long time."

Abdelaziz continued ... "If you cheated this long, you think you're gonna come back and get a title shot? It doesn't even make sense."

"Henry for sure will never fight him. I know that for sure. Cause he beat the man while he was on the juice. Why's he gonna fight him?

Mark Henry has a warning for ex-WWE wrestler Lio Rush ... stop defaming me, or my (Harvard educated) lawyers are going to file a lawsuit against your ass!!

Let's explain ... earlier this week, Rush -- who was recently released by WWE -- fired off a barrage of Tweets attacking the Hall of Famer.

Rush accused Henry of torpedoing black wrestlers' careers, writing ... "This is why African American talent on the biggest platform will continue to not have equal opportunity because people like you constantly tear your own people down. A damn shame honestly.”

TMZ Sports talked to an extremely upset Mark Henry ... who says Rush's comments are straight-up nonsense.

"If you go down to the performance center at NXT, probably 25 I think, people of color in the facility, probably about 80 plus percent of them I helped get them there. I mean, it's completely opposite."

So, if it ain't true, why'd Rush write what he did?

Mark tells us Lio's clout chasing ... using his name and fame to promote his music career.

"He knew that I get a lot of attention. I have a lot of followers and he released the album, or song, or something, and he wanted to use that to get some attention. Get some buzz," Henry says.

Mark's adamant if Rush would've just asked for help, he would've plugged his music -- no problem -- but what he did instead was wayyy out of bounds.

"If he would've called me, I would've done it anyway. We would've just worked it. I would of really talked it up, we would of made world news, but now he said something slanderous."

"And, you can't question my blackness. Like nobody can question my blackness, pull my black card. No, not allowed. Nobody."

Mark's so mad ... he tells us he's seriously considering filing a lawsuit.

"My lawyer went to Harvard. I don't know what kinda lawyers he's dealing with, but I got those Ivy League people around me, and they're pissed!"

But, there is one thing Lio Rush can do before he finds his ass in a courtroom ... say sorry, and really mean it.

Washington Redskins star Cody Latimer was hauled off to jail this weekend after cops say he was involved in assaulting someone and illegally using a firearm.

The wide receiver was arrested early Saturday morning just after midnight in Englewood, Colorado, where cops were summoned to an apartment complex Cody was at. It's unclear what led up to the arrest or why police were called -- but Cody was taken into custody.

He was booked on several charges ... assault in the second degree, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of a weapon, reckless endangerment and menacing. He was processed at the Douglas County Detention Facility -- and has reportedly already bailed out on a $25,000 bond.

The Redskins have responded to Latimer's arrest, saying ... "We are aware of the situation and have informed the NFL League Office. We will continue to gather more information and have no further comment at this time."

Cody's had a run-in with the law before in Colorado -- he was arrested in 2016 during a domestic disturbance call he made on his GF ... back when he was a Bronco. Later, it was revealed Cody was only taken in on an outstanding warrant for a failure to appear in court from a traffic ticket.

Russell Westbrook's got a special birthday message for his little man -- and it's another side of Russ we really don't see too often on the court.

The Rockets star point guard posted a sweet message Saturday to his only boy, Noah, wishing him a happy third birthday -- while also throwing up a bunch of photos and videos of the two of them doing some father-son bonding.

He writes, "Noah, I love you more than life itself and everyday It brings me so much joy to see that beautiful smile and to know you are my son. Thank you God for this unbelievable blessing. HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY MANMAN!!!!!!! Daddy loves you forever and ever and ever and ever......🎉🎉🎉🎂🎂🎂🎁🎁"

Noah is Russ' first kid between himself and wife Nina Earl. They had him in 2017, and a year later ... they welcomed twin girls. Russ might not get as much pub as some of the other NBA dads in the league -- a la Steph Curry and LeBron James -- but he's quite the family man, it seems.

Justin Gaethje loves how the tables have turned with Conor McGregor ... telling TMZ Sports it's the Irishman's turn to wait in line for a fight.

"I get to pick between Conor and [Khabib Nurmagomedov] right now," Gaethje says.

"I can pick whichever one I want. That’s a spot every single person in the sport, I don’t care what weight class you’re in, would love to be in the spot that I am in right now."

"Timing is everything. To have Conor on his knees begging for a fight, it’s a testament for the hard work and believing in my ability to show up and perform."

As we previously reported, Gaethje had been calling for a fight with Conor for YEARS -- but the guy wouldn't sign a contract.

Now, it's McGregor who's been trying to bait Justin ... and JG loves it.

Justin says right now he's laser-focused on fighting Khabib to "prove that I'm the best"... but he isn't ruling out a brawl with Conor after that.

"I could fight those two fights and retire", Gaethje says. "Monetarily, that's huge for me."

"So, yeah, it's a great spot to be in."

As for Khabib, Justin shares a manager with the Dagestani superstar -- and they're all very cordial.

Still, Gaethje has a message for Khabib -- "When we fight, it's going to be huge."

"It’s going to be the two best in the world figuring out who's the best on that night for 25 minutes.”

As for where the fight could take place, Justin says he's down to have the scrap anywhere on the planet ... "Sh*t, I'll fight him somewhere in the heart of Dagestan or Russia."

The L.A. County Coroner has just released the autopsy reports on the victims of the crash that took the lives of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, along with 6 other passengers and the pilot.

The documents reveal the obvious for the most part, so we're not going to go into detail. Suffice it to say, the helicopter slammed into a hillside at 184 MPH.

One thing that does stand out ... the autopsy report of the pilot, Ara Zobayan. Toxicology tests were performed and, according to the report, "Toxicological testing did not detect the presence of alcohol or drugs of abuse. Substances tested for include: benzodiazepines, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, opioids, phencyclidine, and amphetamines."

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar claims he did NOT pull out a gun and rob people at a Florida cookout this week ... and claims he's got 5 witnesses who will back up his story.

Dunbar's attorney Michael Grieco tells TMZ Sports ... 5 witnesses came to his office Friday morning and signed sworn affidavits insisting Dunbar was NOT involved in the May 13 incident.

"My client is innocent," Greico tells us ... "Never been arrested before. This is a man who's never been in handcuffs, never been in trouble. He didn't do anything wrong. He's completely innocent."

As we previously reported, Dunbar -- along with NY Giants player Deandre Baker -- are accused of taking more than $7,000 in cash and several pricey watches at gunpoint during a party gone wrong.

The Miramar Police Dept. says multiple witnesses saw both men ordering partygoers to turn over their valuables while Baker barked orders.

Officials say there were conflicting statements from witnesses as to whether Dunbar was also brandishing a gun.

Law enforcement says Baker ordered a 3rd man -- who was wearing a red mask -- to shoot someone at the party, but the masked man did not do it.

The police report suggests Baker was the shot caller -- and Dunbar was an accomplice.

But, Greico tells us his client is 100% innocent -- and he's accusing police of "celebrating" the fact they've got high profile suspects in their sights.

"They did a virtual touchdown dance on Twitter," Greico told us ... "They tagged the Giants and the Seahawks in a tweet. One of the most unprofessional things I've ever seen."

Greico is also upset officials are ordering his client to surrender in person -- which could put him at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked if his client would surrender, Greico told us he's trying to work with law enforcement to try and get them to withdraw the warrant ... but insists he's not helping his client hide from cops.

"I'm not holding him up anywhere."

Both Dunbar and Baker are facing multiple felony charges and if convicted, they both face serious prison time.

The most popular digital strip club -- all the rage during quarantine -- has celebs lining up, virtually, for the first night of Justin LaBoy and Justin Combs' new Demon Time format.

Here's the deal ... LaBoy is moving Demon Time -- the online stripper stage -- from IG Live to OnlyFans, and Friday's launch has a crazy celeb guest list.

Usher, Winnie Harlow, The Weeknd, YG, Trippie Redd, YBN Almighty Jay, Karrueche Tran, Nav, Will Packer and Luka Sabbat are all expected to be in the virtual house ... along with sports stars like Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Delon Wright and Caris LeVert!!!

Demon Time's been a huge hit on IG with celeb and normie fans, strippers who'd otherwise be out of work now ... and a little someone by the name of Beyonce!!!

Bey gave Demon Fans her stamp of approval on her remix of Megan Thee Stallion's hit, "Savage," so you already know it's gonna be lit!!!

In fact, it was a little too lit for IG Live ... which, we're told, had some issues with some of the sexier performances.

LaBoy's digital club won't have those issues with its new partner, OnlyFans. We're told the remodeled, if you will, Demon Time already has more than 2,000 subscribers on the new platform ... all ready for Friday night's premiere.