TMZ Sports - Page 50

Mitt Romney and wife Ann had a ringside seat to witness Juan Manuel Marquez knockout the great Manny Pacquiao last night in Las Vegas.

In a bit of foreshadowing someone in Manny's camp should have prevented, Romney actually met Pacquaio before the fight, reportedly saying to him, "Hello Manny. I ran for president. I lost."

That fight was more of a split decision than a knockout.

Former NBA star Allen Iverson isn't just gonna stand by and watch while his Atlanta mansion hits the foreclosure auction block -- TMZ has learned he's already filed legal docs to put a stop to the sale.

TMZ broke the story ... Iverson's $4.5 million mansion was scheduled to go up for auction on December 4th after he allegedly defaulted on a $1.2 million mortgage.

But before the sale took place, Iverson quickly filed a lawsuit against the lender that's trying to take the home, claiming he never consented to the loan.

Iverson claims his estranged wife -- with whom he's going through a nasty divorce -- signed for the mortgage in order to screw him ... by agreeing to financial terms he couldn't meet.

The lawsuit has since put a hold on the foreclosure proceedings ... buying Iverson some extra time.

Calls to Iverson's camp and the lender he's suing have not been returned.

After another devastating loss, Harvey Levin (5-6) is limping towards the finish line ... but he's still confident he can pick the winner of our Week 14 matchup -- Bears vs. Vikings!

Harvey just phoned in some pearls of football wisdom from his vacation ... Heeeeeeere we go!!

Harvey: "My feelings about the game are complicated ... on the one hand the Bears have a better record, but on the other, there's the whole Kristin Cavallari thing."

"On the one hand, I have beef with Jay Cutler for leaving Kristin at the alter when she was trying on wedding dresses. But on the other hand, I have beef with Adrian Peterson because he almost broke my hand when he shook it on "TMZ Live" (see video).

"So let's bottom line it ... I went to the University of Chicago law school and I still carry the school's book bag ... which is NOT a purse."

"I can't forget where I came from. Actually, I came from L.A., but that complicates it too much, so I'm going with the Bears."

Jerry Brown, a linebacker on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, died early this morning in a single-car accident -- and his teammate, Josh Brent, was arrested on charges of intoxication manslaughter.

According to police, Brent (see above) was driving at a high rate of speed at around 2:20 AM when his car "hit the outside curb," flipped over and came to rest in the middle of the road.

When cops came to the scene, Brent was dragging Brown away from the vehicle ... which had come to rest upside down and was on fire. Brown was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Officers at the scene suspected alcohol to be a factor, so they gave Brent a field sobriety test, which he failed. His blood was later drawn at the hospital to determine his blood alcohol level. Those results are not yet known.

Brent was arrested by Irving PD and booked on a second degree felony charge at 4:14 AM and is being held without bail.

Brent pled guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge while in college ... where he and Brown were teammates.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones released a statement today, saying, "We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown. At this time, our hearts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the members of Jerry’s family and all of those who knew him and loved him."

Wanna see an awkward conversation with USC quarterback Matt Barkley about the highly controversial topic of his possibly deteriorating NFL Draft status? Great!

The college football star was leaving an event in Santa Monica last night when we asked if he thought he would still be a Top 10 pick when the draft rolls around in April.

Of course, before the season started Barkley was a favorite to the #1 overall pick ... but after a less than stellar season and an injury to his throwing shoulder, he may have fallen out of the first round entirely.

Barks didn't seem fazed when asked about it last night -- smiling and asking some people at the valet for their opinions ... including our camera guy (our guy still thinks he's a top 10 pick FYI).

The Kansas City Chiefs organization is paying for Jovan Belcher's funeral arrangements ... and has offered financial assistance to Kasandra Perkins' family as well ... TMZ has learned.

Sources directly involved with the situation tell us ... the Chiefs have made it clear they don't want either family to be stuck with the massive bills stemming from the funerals or memorial services.

We're told members of Belcher's family -- which now has custody of the couple's orphaned newborn baby -- graciously accepted the offer ... and the team will cover all of the costs of Belcher's memorial in KC and funeral in NY.

It's unclear if Perkins' family has accepted the offer as well.

When called for comment, a rep for the Chiefs told us, "We are assisting both families with arrangements ... We just prefer not to get into specifics of what we are doing or have done."

Ronda Rousey's too chicken to fight Cris 'Cyborg' Santos ... and that's why Cyborg won't be facing Rousey in Rousey's first ever UFC fight next February -- Cyborg's rep tells TMZ.

FYI -- Cyborg is widely regarded as one of the most dominant female MMA fighters on the planet ... famously beating up former "American Gladiators" star Gina Carano back in 2009.

According to the rep, "This is a fight all the fans want and we want to give to them. We have offered to fight Ronda at a catch weight of 140lbs. She has turned that offer down and will not budge to make this fight happen."

The rep adds, "Cyborg wants Rousey but can not and will not drop to 135 [Rousey's fighting weight]."

According to the rep, "We understand Ronda is worried about losing because of her new found fame. We are not worried about fame; we are worried about Cris' health."

The rep tells us, several doctors have said it would be unsafe for Cris (who fights at 145) to drop ten pounds for a bout.

L.A. Lakers star Devin Ebanks isn't out of the woods yet ... despite being cleared in a rape investigation last year -- because the woman who accused him of sexual assault has now filed a civil lawsuit.

The woman -- who filed the lawsuit anonymously in L.A. County Superior Court -- claims Ebanks forcibly penetrated her vagina with his penis after taking her home from a nightclub in September 2011.

As we reported, the woman filed a report with the LAPD, which then conducted a rape investigation -- but the L.A. County D.A. refused to file charges against Ebanks due to lack of evidence.

Now, the woman's hoping to recover monetary damages in civil court -- suing Ebanks for sexual assault and battery, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She's suing for unspecified damages.

Ronda Rousey has signed a contract to fight in the MAIN EVENT at UFC 157 in February ... the first ever female fight in UFC history ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the 25-year-old Olympic medalist will step in the ring with 28-year-old Liz Carmouche ... a highly-ranked MMA badass who served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The fight is set to go down on Feb. 23 in Anaheim, CA.

FYI -- Carmouche has a 7-2 record and an awesome nickname -- The Girl-rilla.

Andrew Luck has the better record ... Robert Griffin III has the flash ... but when it comes to the NFL Rookie of the Year award, it's like "Highlander" ... there can be only one.

So, who deserves it? We ran into Indianapolis Colts superstar Dwight Freeney on the streets of NYC yesterday ... and though you might expect him to lean a certain way, he told us, "Both of those guys ... too much talent ... those guys have too much talent."

Jovan Belcher's mother frantically called 911 moments after the Kansas City Chiefs football player shot his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins multiple times Saturday morning ... pleading with the operator to send help ASAP while Jovan's newborn baby cried hysterically in the background.

During the call, Jovan's mother told the operator "Oh my God. Oh my God, Cassie ... The baby is crying ... get the ambulance here please!"

She continued "She is still breathing but barely. Please hurry. I don't know how many times he shot her. They were arguing."

The 911 operator asked if Kasandra was bleeding -- Belcher's mother replied, "Yes she is."

Kasandra was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

As for Belcher, he drove to the Kansas City Chiefs football facility at Arrowhead Stadium and shot himself in the head in front of team staff.

Former WWE diva Tammy Sytch has learned from her past mistakes (arrests) -- and finally used the proper legal channels to try and see the ex-BF who filed a restraining order against her ... problem is, she got SHUT DOWN.

TMZ broke the story(ies) ... Sytch has been arrested SEVERAL TIMES in the past few months -- for violating a protective order filed by her ex ... which stemmed from allegations of domestic violence.

Tammy asked a judge to modify the standing protective order today ... arguing she needs time with her ex in order to hash out their problems (verbally) and move forward.

But Tammy's lawyer Rob Serafinowicz tells us ... her request was denied (shocker), and she's still banned from making contact.

Two days after tying the knot, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and his Eagles cheerleader bride Krystle Campbell took a break from enjoying their honeymoon to take part in the bizarre ritual of
trashing their wedding dress for a photo shoot in Maui on Monday.

For those who don't know, it's become somewhat of a trend for a newlywed couple to destroy the bride's expensive wedding gown -- often at a beach or lake -- and capture it on film.

Nick Lachey isn't just a heckler ... he CHOKED a San Diego Chargers fan at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday and called the guy's wife a "f**king b*tch" ... this according to multiple people involved in the incident ... but Nick says it's all BS.

TMZ has obtained new video ... which shows Lachey getting aggressive with a Chargers fan who was wearing an Igor Olshansky #99 jersey (Igor played for SD from 2004 to 2008).

We spoke to the guy in the jersey ... who tells us Lachey and his buddies -- all die-hard Bengals fans -- had been talking trash to him about the jersey for most of the 2nd half of the game.

The Chargers fan says Lachey made one particularly offensive comment about Olshansky that crossed the line ... and that's when the fan's wife shot back to Nick, "Well, he lasted longer than your boy band."

We're told Lachey flipped out and called the wife a "f**king b*tch" ... along with "a host of other profanities."

Tensions exploded ... and the Chargers fan says Nick lunged towards him ... grabbed him by the throat and shoved him to the ground. The fight can be seen in the footage obtained by TMZ.

As we previously reported, stadium security quickly responded and ejected Nick and his buddies. The Chargers fans were NOT asked to leave.

After the incident, Nick went to Twitter and BRAGGED about the situation -- saying, "Just got kicked out of the chargers stadium and couldn't be prouder! Go Cincy Bengals."

He later acknowledged the altercation ... tweeting, "i simply don't appreciate someone turning around and putting their finger in my face. call me crazy, but that deserved a reaction."

We're told the Chargers fan plans to file a police report against Lachey.

Nick's rep tells TMZ, “This was a verbal exchange between sports fans of opposing teams that went too far. While Nick isn't proud of what happened, he did not choke anyone or use defamatory language to any women at the stadium -- which the video tape clearly supports."

Ric Flair's latest marriage has officially hit the mat -- his fourth wife has filed for legal separation ... claiming the legendary pro wrestler was as big of a cheater in their marriage as he is in the ring.

Jacqueline Fliehr filed the docs in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina earlier this month citing "acts of illicit sexual behavior."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jackie explains, "Husband has had numerous intimate relationships with other women during the parties' marriage, to the embarrassment and humiliation of wife."

Jacqueline also notes that she was a "faithful and dutiful wife" ever since they tied the knot in 2009.

But there's more ... Jackie claims Ric has totally screwed her out of tens of thousands of dollars in spousal support he agreed to pay when they hammered out a separation agreement back in October.

According to the docs, Flair agreed to pay Jacqueline $4k per month in spousal support ... plus a one-time payment of $15k to cover legal costs. He also agreed to pay $14k in back payments from the time they split in July.

But Jacqueline claims Nature Boy totally blew off the agreement -- and hasn't paid her one single cent.

Now she wants a judge to force Ric to pay up ... which shouldn't be too hard, considering she claims he still makes more than $1 MILLION per year. Not bad for a 63-year-old pro wrestler.

Former NBA star Allen Iverson is digging himself into a giant financial hole -- with monthly bills that largely outweigh his monthly income -- but the good news is ... he's still got his fancy-schmancy Maybach.

Allen recently filed docs in GA court as part of his nasty divorce battle with his ex Tawanna Iverson which outline his dire financial situation.

According to docs, Allen brings in $62,500 in monthly income, but his expenses are FAR, FAR, greater ... costing him a cool $358,376.66 PER MONTH!!!!

So where does all his money go?

A large chunk -- $125,749.33 to be exact -- is spent paying off various creditors (like his jeweler) ... and some goes to his mortgages (but not for long, since his ATL crib is about to be auctioned off).

But Allen says he blows a lot on OTHER expenses too ... like $10,000/month on clothes, $10,000/month on grocery/house items, $1,000/month on dry cleaning, $5,000/month on entertainment, $5,000/month on restaurants ... and so on.

All in all, Iverson -- who reportedly made over $150 MILLION during his NBA career -- says he ends up in the hole each month to tune of $295,876.66. Ouch.

Despite the mounting debt though, he's still got his Maybach (which is fully paid off) ... and reportedly worth between $340k - $400k.