TMZ Sports - Page 50

KSI's fight with Logan Paul is set to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year ... but the British YouTuber says he's got even BIGGER plans in mind ... telling TMZ Sports he's dead set on going pro!!

We spoke with KSI -- who more than 19 MILLION subscribers on YouTube -- about the August 25 fight in Manchester, and he says he's not putting on an act ... his hatred for the Pauls is VERY real.

"I think his ego needs to be put right down." KSI says. "He thinks he's the sh*t and I'm about to f*ck him up and literally put him in his place."

"I want this year to be the worst year of his life, 100%. Pretty much, I want to squeeze every bit of relevancy from him and then move on to my bigger goal, which is to go pro."

We also asked KSI what he thought about our video of Logan knocking a dude on his ass in a recent sparring sesh ... and his response is hilarious.

War Machine's got a way with words ... more than enough to make his pen pal-turned-fiancee swoon.

TMZ's obtained a letter the former UFC star wrote to Ashley Farrington ... the woman he proposed to by reading her a poem back in February. As we first reported ... War got down on one knee and asked her to marry him despite having no ring. There's one other thing ... he's serving a life sentence for a brutal attack on his ex, Christy Mack.

War starts his poem by expressing the pain he feels inside. He presses on ... asking Farrington, "Were you once in me? What did God do? Did he cut me open and make out of me, a you?"

Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza was sent to the hospital this weekend after a horse he was riding died on the track ... and the scene looked brutal.

Victor was hospitalized with multiple injuries Sunday in Del Mar, California after his horse, Bobby Abu Dhabi, went into cardiac arrest while training ahead of multiple scheduled races. The horse's owner, Brian Trump, confirmed the horse had died.

Based on video of the immediate aftermath of the fall -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- it appears Victor was lying motionless for a while before getting help.

As for his status now, he's said to be experiencing shoulder soreness and numbness -- although, he was reportedly conscious and moving. Safe to say, he's out of Sunday's competition.

Bobby Abu Dhabi had a great run, usually with Victor on his back. He recently took third at Belmont, and placed high (including a couple first place wins) in a number of other races as well.

Jimmy Garoppolo and his 49ers are now destined to win the Super Bowl, because porn star Kiara Mia says everything she touches turns to gold.

We got Jimmy's ESPYs-weekend date out in Hollywood Saturday night, and she was downright giddy over her hook up with the super handsome QB earlier in the week.

She's talking in code that is not real difficult to figure out. Her date ... "dessert" was fantastic.

Kiara says there will be more dates, so her comment suggesting she's friend-zoning Jimmy should be taken with a shaker of salt.

Josh Hader -- the MLB All-Star pitcher who just apologized for racist and homophobic tweets -- got a hero's welcome Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Hader hit the mound for the Brewers, pitching against the L.A. Dodgers when people in the stands erupted in cheers and applause.

He came under fire this past week when tweets surfaced in which he said, among other things, "White power," "I hate gay people," and "Hahahahahah yeah to bad I'm f***ing grounded n***** can't do s***."

The tweets were posted when he was 17. He's now 24.

Hader said in his apology, "I was 17 years old and, as a child, I was immature and I obviously said some things that were inexcusable."

The fans clearly didn't seem to mind as they went nuts cheering him on.

Joe Biden was a rock star in Hollywood Saturday night, but the star that rocks his world -- at least right now -- is Tiger Woods.

We got Joe in WeHo leaving Craig's restaurant, and he was playing his cards close to the vest on all things politics -- Trump, Putin, a possible Presidential run, etc.

Alvin Kamara is pretty sure Le'Veon Bell is about to make his wallet a whole lot fatter ... 'cause the Saints star says Bell's big contract demands are going to revolutionize how RBs are paid.

We got the NFL's reigning Rookie of the Year outside The Highlight Room when he praised Le'Veon for balking at the Steelers' long-term offer for the second straight year.

"All I know is Le'Veon is about to change something up for us," he says.

The money talk didn't stop there ... Kamara gave us his thoughts on why NFL contracts aren't fully guaranteed, saying it's all the owners' faults.

And, while we were on the subject ... Kamara told us the WNBA needs to pay its players some more cheddar too -- especially the Chicago Sky, where his girlfriend plays.

"They doing all the same things males are doing," he tells us.

FYI ... Kamara's rookie deal with the Saints expires after the 2020 season -- and here's a sneak peak into how those negotiations will look ... probably.

Mark Henry's a wrestling AND power lifting legend ... but he ain't even the best athlete in his own house anymore -- 'cause his 2 young kids are dominating youth sports.

TMZ Sports talked to Mark about his 12-year-old son, Jacob, and 8-year-old daughter, Joanna ... who both qualified for the Junior Olympics.

FYI -- Mark's a 2-time Olympian who also placed 1st at the Pan-Am Games and Arnold Strongman Classic back in the day -- and just about every other power lifting event that existed.

It's his kids who are killin' it now.

"My son Jacob qualified in the shot put and the discus. He's one of the top 20 throwers in the country. He's working his way up. He's only 12. But he wants to be great. I told him don't follow my path, create your own."

And his daughter ... she's a track star who went to the Junior Olympics 2 years ago, and also qualified this year.

1st place and gold medals are cool ... but Henry says the most important thing is school -- and his kids are takin' care of biz in the classroom.

In fact, there's really only one reason he wants them in sports ... "I want to spend they scholarship money. Their college funds. If they go to school for free, that's more money for me and my wife to go to the Caymans."

It's a joke (we think).

Scottie Pippen might wanna clear a shelf in his trophy room ... his 9-year-old daughter's got her eyes on a 'Dancing with the Stars' championship.

We're told Sophia will join the cast of the new spin-off 'DWTS: Juniors.' Sources say Scottie's wife, Larsa, and her pal, Kim Kardashian, were spotted at the 'DWTS' studios this week watching Sophia rehearse.

Sophia joins an eclectic cast that reportedly also includes Honey Boo Boo. The mini celebs will be mentored by pros when the show airs this fall.

Pops Pippen has 6 NBA Championship rings, but a 'DWTS' mirrored ball would tower those.

Manny Pacquiao's good friend Amir Khan says there ain't no friends in the ring ... telling TMZ Sports, he wants to fight Manny ... and he'd kick his ass.

We got Khan in L.A. yesterday and asked him about the idea of fighting Manny -- a bout rumored to be on the horizon -- and what it would be like to fight a friend and former training partner.

"I've been around training with him for many years, and sometimes friends have to fight. Sometimes you put your friendship to the side for business."

Khan went on to say that if he does step in the ring with Pacman -- who just knocked out Lucas Matthysse -- he has no doubt he'll get the job done.

The Chargers need tight end help now that Hunter Henry is done for the year ... and Geno Smith's got the perfect guy for the job -- ANTONIO GATES!!

The new Los Angeles quarterback told us he's hopin' the Bolts bring back the future Hall of Famer -- and his reasoning is pretty simple.

"Gates is a legend!"

Fair enough.

We also asked Geno if he thinks LeBron James is the top talent in Los Angeles now ... and Geno doesn't disagree!

Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Victor Oladipo, Iman Shumpert and Andre Drummond -- a pretty good starting five on the hardwood, right?!

Well, Drummond says it's also a fivesome he's rollin' to the music studio with -- 'cause they all spit fire on the mic!!

Andre -- better known as Dre Drumm in the rap community -- has serious game when it comes to rhyme and flow ... so, we had to ask -- who's the best musician in the NBA??

Drummond wouldn't reveal an MVP -- but he did give us an all-star team.

"Between myself, Iman Shumpert, Dame Lillard, you know Kevin Durant raps ... Victor Oladipo is another artist that does music in the NBA too!"

Floyd Mayweather didn't just throw shade at 50 Cent -- he threw EVERYTHING at the rapper ... including a piping hot bag of dirty laundry.

The on-again, off-again beef between the 2 is firmly back on, after Floyd shared a message on social media that began with ... "Curtis 'Confidential Informant' Jackson, you're mad because your oldest son Marquees mother doesn’t want to be with you! Your Son, your own flesh and blood don't want nothing to do with you!"

And Mayweather was just getting started.

Floyd goes on to blast 50 for stealing his style from Ja Rule, gossiping "like a bitch" and filing for bankruptcy .. and accuses him of being a fake gangster and a "certified snitch" (and claims he has proof).

There's more -- a lot more -- so check it out.

It's unclear what exactly sparked this outburst, but there a couple of possibilities. The rapper recently poked fun at the boxer for being illiterate (again) ... and the 2 have had some issues over 50 being sued by Teairra Mari.

Either way, this could get even uglier ... stay tuned.

3:15 PM PT -- That didn't take long -- 50 responded by sharing a photo of Floyd with tears in his eyes ... and bringing up his domestic violence cases.

UK boxer Amir Khan seems heartfelt in his apology over calling Caitlyn Jenner "Bruce" on social media the night of the ESPYs ... but he still has pronoun issues.

We got Amir Friday night on Hollywood Blvd., and he seemed genuinely apologetic for calling the Olympian "Bruce." A bunch of people on social media were calling him transphobic.

Amir notes he spent time with Caitlyn at the ESPYs and greatly admires her for her accomplishments. He says they have something in common ... he took home some hardware at the 2004 Olympics.

The problem ... he repeatedly refers to Caitlyn as "him."

It's all a learning curve.

Conor McGregor is one lucky scofflaw ... because TMZ Sports has learned he's on the verge of striking a deal in his New York City criminal case that will keep him in the U.S. and out of jail.

We've learned Conor's lawyer is in the final stages of negotiating a plea deal in his felony mischief case ... the case that was filed after the UFC champ unleashed his fury by hurling a dolly into a UFC bus, injuring 3 fighters. His target was UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was not hurt.

Conor was charged with one count of felony criminal mischief and 3 counts of misdemeanor assault.

Sources familiar with the deal tell us, prosecutors have agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor. That's hugely significant because a felony involving violence could trigger permanent deportation from the U.S.

The Irish bad boy faced 7 years behind bars if convicted, but we've learned prosecutors are agreeable to probation ... NO jail time.

The deal is not finalized, but we're told negotiations are down to the "fine points." If it doesn't fall apart, the deal should be finalized in a matter of days, because Conor is due in a Manhattan court Thursday.

Pro gaming legend Ninja says he's not going out like Antoine Walker -- telling TMZ Sports he's saving every penny of the FORTUNE he's making playing video games so he doesn't end up broke.

Ninja is considered the best Fortnite player on the planet -- and rumor has it he's making around $500k PER MONTH murdering people at Tilted Towers and Paradise Palms.

So, when we saw him out in L.A. this week, we asked what he's doing with all that cash -- and it's clear he's learned from Nic Cage's insane spending mistakes.

"We've been very smart with [our money] and just kind of saving it until we eactly know how we want to move forward," Ninja told us.

"Nothing lasts forever, and we're making sure that we're taken care of."