TMZ Sports - Page 50

Farrah Abraham is on the verge of having a real fight on her hands -- a legal one, anyway -- if she keeps talking smack.

A lawyer repping celeb boxing promoter Damon Feldman has fired off a cease and desist letter to Farrah threatening to sue her ass if she continues trash talking him and the event ... slated to go down Saturday in Atlantic City.

The lawyer, John A. Gallagher of the Gallagher Law Group, calls Farrah's bashing defamatory. In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Gallagher says Feldman kept his end of the deal ... which included paying Farrah's fees up front, providing training and equipment.

What's more ... the law firm says it was Farrah who bullied promoters with unreasonable and unnecessary demands. Promoters gave in ... with a suite of rooms for her posse, but did so as a courtesy to maintain the relationship. It was NEVER part of the deal.

Farrah's manager, David Weintraub, tells us, "This letter is utterly hilarious coming from these "janky promoters" pretending to be a boxing organization. We wish them lots of luck trying to enforce our rights and ability to speak freely about the absurd way they handled their amateur business over the course of this deal."

He continues, "Bottom line, they have no money, they have no pay-per-view deal, they aren't selling tickets and couldn't even afford proper travel, accommodations or security for my clients, hence that's why they are in breach and she isn't fighting. Enjoy your flop fight Saturday."

Paige VanZant says she's got a lot of pent up "anger and aggression" to unload on Rachael Ostovich when they fight in Jan. ... telling TMZ Sports her nasty arm injury has made her BETTER!

Remember, Paige broke her arm throwing a spinning back fist at Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 back in Jan. 2018 -- and she needed TWO surgeries to fix the injury.

But, despite the 10-month layoff, the 24-year-old star says she's been working on other parts of her game and truly feels she's a more well-rounded fighter.

"I'm gonna be so much better," Paige told us while out in Portugal ... "'I've been able to focus on so many other things while the arm was healing."

Paige says she's been champing at the bit to get the fight deal done -- explaining how UFC has been trying to make it happen for a while.

The problem ... Paige's first surgery on the arm failed -- despite doctors using a titanium plate to try and stabilize the bone -- so she needed to go under the knife for the second time.

That surgery worked and Paige says she's been training her ass off ever since.

Paige and Rachael will face off Jan. 19 in Brooklyn -- Paige says she expects it to be a helluva fight.

"Big Brother" alum Christmas Abbott was arrested in Florida this week ... TMZ has confirmed.

Abbott turned herself into authorities Tuesday in Tampa, where she was booked for felony criminal mischief.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, Christmas drove to a Tampa gym back in August to confront her baby daddy's alleged side chick. Cops say that Abbott flew into a rage, asking all kinds of questions, and hurling a cup of coffee. She then rammed into the chick's car in the parking lot.

Per the report ... Abbott called the other woman a "pathetic home-wrecking little slut" among other insults.

The responding officer says Abbott continued to scream at the side chick while he tried calming her down. Abbott was 8 months pregnant at the time and, according to the report, cops declined to process her because she was so far along. Her vehicle was seized, but they allowed her to turn herself in later.

For the record, she had a little boy in October.

Abbott came in third place during season 19 of "Big Brother" ... back in 2017. In addition to her stint on 'BB,' Christmas was a big-time CrossFit competitor, and was the first female NASCAR pit crew member.

Originally Published -- 8:10 AM PST

Buncha old PGA golfers trying to do young people stuff -- this time, they're recreating the celebration dances from Fortnite.

Are they terrible at it? Yes.

Are they trying really hard? Yeah, sure.

Guys like 59-year-old Tom Lehman and 61-year-old Bernhard Langer gave it their best shot before heading into the final event of the PGA Tour Champions season.

They're all really good golfers -- but the dancing needs work.

It's almost like if your favorite Fortnite character suddenly got arthritis and was considering a reverse mortgage loan.

Meanwhile, the guys are all gearing up for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship which goes down at the Phoenix Country Club.

Langer is currently the points leader and gunning for his 4th Schwab Cup in 5 years.

Ex-Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel says he's THRILLED his former player Anthony Gonzalez was elected to Congress Tuesday night ... saying he'd been planning for a political career ever since he was in the NFL.

The 34-year-old wide receiver -- who was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1st round of the 2007 NFL Draft -- was running for Congress in Ohio's 16th District (as a Republican) and WON!

Tressel -- who also worked as a consultant with the Colts while AG was on the team -- says he's convinced Gonzalez will be spectacular in his new role.

"I think anyone that becomes a 1st round draft choice in the NFL doesn’t just do it on talent and anyone that becomes a U.S. congressman doesn’t do it just by showing up," Tressel said.

"The hard work he put into preparing himself for both things, the hard work he has most recently put in on the campaign trail ... he’s there for the people and he’ll be tireless."

He added, "It’s just an exciting time for our country to have a young guy like that who's got the best interests of the people in mind to be going to serve in tough times."

"It’s not easy to serve in Congress. There’s nothing easy about it. They got a guy going there for all the right reasons."

As for Anthony's football career, he was pretty good until knee injuries forced him to retire in 2012.

Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Kyrie Irving, Jason Williams, Elton Brand ... Zion Williamson could be better than all these guys, because a Duke great says ZW could be the best Duke player EVER.

TMZ Sports spoke to Dahntay Jones, a former Duke All-American, and he says Zion's dominating season-opening performance against Kentucky last night was evidence of greatness to come.

Before we get to Dahntay's words ... DID YOU SEE ZION LAST NIGHT?! Dude was BEASTING, scoring 28 points (on 11-13 shooting) and grabbing 7 rebounds.

Jones says he's never seen anything like it anywhere -- even at Duke -- and, when it's all said and done, he's got everything it takes to jump over those other Blue Devil greats.

"I think he could be because of his natural ability. His ability is unique. It stands out."

So, what does Zion need to do to deliver on this All-World potential? Work, work, work, work, work.

"He just has to have a tremendous work ethic. If he has that, with the energy he brings to the game, he's definitely gonna be the best."

BTW -- if you didn't see the game last night (shame on you) we got Zion highlights below ... told you they were ridiculous.

Elle Macpherson got body checked after taking a nasty tumble getting into her car ... and it appears to be the fault of some pesky footwear.

The iconic Aussie model was leaving a flower shop in Sydney, where she had a bouquet in her arms ... and some fancy high-heeled boots on her feet. She tells the paps who'd gathered around that she was done with photos ... but gravity wasn't done with her.

Check out the clip -- Elle completely collapses trying to enter the vehicle, which spurs her driver into action as he tries getting her up. She appears to be okay, but struggles a bit.

Bet this wouldn't have happened if she was in her natural habitat, just sayin'. #SplishSplash

Florian Munteanu -- the guy who plays Ivan Drago's son in "Creed 2" -- says training for the flick got him in the best shape of his life ... and he's got the abs to prove it.

First off, count the abs ... 8.

Ridiculous.

A few other things -- Florian talks about the movie plot without spoiling it noting there won't be a Vladimir Putin look-alike character in this movie to replace the Mikhail Gorbachev spoof in "Rocky IV."

"We didn't aim for that," Florian said while strolling through Reagan National Airport with the film's director, Steven Caple Jr.

"It's about family and loyalty, a lot of father/son relationships going on on the Creed side ... but no political issues."

28-year-old Florian -- a pro boxer who hails from Romania -- also says he hopes this movie propels him into being a Hollywood star ... but it's up to the audience to decide if he's good enough.

"The audience have to decide if they like my performance or not but I'm pretty happy with it."

The celebration for Mookie Betts might never stop ... 'cause on top of winning the World Series two weeks ago -- the Red Sox superstar just welcomed a baby girl into the world!!

The outfielder posted Tuesday he and his longtime girlfriend, Brianna Hammonds, had their first child together ... and said he couldn't be more pumped about it.

"Never knew what unconditional love meant or how it felt until I met this little princess," Betts wrote.

"Nov 6th 2018 is a day I’ll never forget❤️"

It's been a helluva past few days for Betts ... who won a 'ship on Oct. 28, celebrated like crazy at nightclubs, had an epic parade around Boston -- AND partied with Tom Brady and the Pats last weekend.

Things might still be gettin' better for Mookie too ... he's expected to be named AL MVP next week!!

Neither Drita D'Avanzo nor Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander will get to be in the ring with Farrah Abraham for a celebrity boxing match ... but that didn't stop the duo from laying a serious smackdown on the ex-"Teen Mom" star.

We spoke to Drita ... who says Farrah backed out of a charity boxing match at the last minute because she was straight-up scared. As you know ... Farrah quit claiming she got screwed out of her deal.

Alas, that won't be the case ... and the ex-"Mob Wives" star thinks it was less about her (remember, there's no love lost between them) and more about Hoopz' skills in the ring.

Hoopz is also trashing Farrah after she threw in the towel ... saying this is typical Farrah crying wolf. Hoopz even has a word to describe her behavior ... making it crystal clear how she feels about Farrah.

With the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft ... the Cleveland Cavaliers select -- LaMelo Ball?!?!

Don't laugh ... Ball's new high school coach tells TMZ Sports that could EASILY happen now that Melo's announced he'll play at Spire Prep Academy this season.

"In my opinion, LaMelo Ball can be the No. 1 pick in a year or two going to the Cleveland Cavaliers," Jermaine Jackson says.

"Ain't no question about it."

Jermaine would know ... dude played several years in the Association from 1999 to 2006 and has been around the game in some capacity ever since -- and he says Melo is just THAT talented.

"He's known as that all over the world" J.J. says ... "He has a talent that, some of it just can't be taught."

Of course ... getting LaMelo to that point means Jermaine will have to navigate around LaVar Ball -- who's been known to meddle in Melo's teams.

But, Jermaine tells us he's off to a great start with the Big Baller ... and says he foresees no issues with the BBB founder.

"If LaVar's meddling in our team, we'll have conversations and we'll talk. And, I'm about what's right. It's not about who's right. It's about what's right."

Jermaine says Melo arrives in Ohio to join the team Friday and could see some run in the team's game in Philadelphia on Saturday.

LL Cool J and Ice Cube are joining forces -- but it ain't about music, it's about sports TV domination.

TMZ Sports has learned LL is now a part of a powerful group looking to bid on 22 regional sports channels -- including the YES Network -- that Disney is being forced to sell off by the Justice Dept.

Long story short ... Disney got the 22 stations as part of its $71 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox. But, officials believe that since Disney is already the majority owner of ESPN, controlling the 22 sports stations would give them too much power in the sports TV landscape.

The 22 stations involved in the deal include everything from Fox Sports San Diego to Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Southwest and more.

But, the crown jewel is the YES Network -- based in New York -- they have the rights to broadcast Yankees games. Disney thinks YES alone is worth between $5 and $6 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The deal for all 22 stations is expected to be anywhere from $15 to $25 billion.

Some of the potential bidders that have emerged are real heavy hitters -- from private equity titans like Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Group to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

But, Ice Cube and LL ain't exactly lightweights either -- and they've got a powerful partner ... billionaire Alex and Ani jewelry founder Carolyn Rafaelian.

Sources tell us the group is also in talks with other sports and cultural icons who are interested in participating in the bid.

Initial bids are due Nov. 8.

Josh Gordon is drippin' in confidence AND diamonds these days -- the Pats wideout just got himself a brand new swagged out "Flash" chain ... and we've got the pics.

Right before Gordon torched the Green Bay Packers for 130 yards and a touchdown, he got a brand new custom piece from Al the Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in New Jersey.

It's sick as hell ... 600 VS quality diamonds weighing a total of 16 carats spelling out his nickname.

Yeah, no wonder he was extra swaggy on Sunday.

FYI -- Al is the guy behind Stefon Diggs' diamond Starbucks chain ... and has also worked with other huge NFL stars like Jarvis Landry and Robert Griffin III.

Al wouldn't spill on how much Gordon dropped on the piece ... but a chain like this usually runs around $25,000!!

Gordon's not making a ton of cash right now -- only $790k (still not too shabby) -- but if he continues to light up the field this season, he'll get a fat-ass contract in 2019.

What kind of cash are we talking about? Well, Odell Beckham just signed a $95 million contract and Mike Evans has a deal that's worth up to $82.5.

UFC star Israel Adesanya says Floyd Mayweather needs to "grow some f*cking cajones" and make his upcoming fight MMA-style ... otherwise, Israel ain't gonna watch it.

"What's all this, 'Yeah, man, we gonna f*cking fight! What's up! Oh, but, nah, um, you can't touch -- no legs, no knees, no grappling,'" Israel tells TMZ Sports.

"I mean, what the f*ck are we doing?!"

Of course ... Floyd just announced he's gonna fight 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Toyko on NYE -- but no word yet on whether it will be boxing rules or a legit MMA bout.

Israel -- fresh off his dominating performance at UFC 230 -- says there better be knees, feet and legs involved ... 'cause he says he's tired of hearing Floyd talk without backing it up with a REAL fight.

As for Floyd's chances in a scrap like that ... Israel says he'd actually give Mayweather a shot -- especially if the legendary boxer was willing to take some time off to train for it.

"Take a chance! He could take a year off and just learn grappling. Learn wrestling ... but f*cking stay in your little bubble then if you want to be that bitch."

As for all the talk about what an MMA loss would do to Floyd's legacy ... Israel says Money needs to read up on James Toney's fight career to see why that's really not an issue.

Jon Gott -- the dude who chugged a full beer in the end zone after a touchdown in a CFL game last Friday -- says he played the rest of the night with a solid buzz ... and loved it!!!

You've seen the clip by now ... the Ottawa Redblacks OL ran straight to his girlfriend after his squad scored a TD late in the 3rd quarter -- and slammed some suds in epic fashion.

Well, Gott tells TMZ Sports all that booze had some consequences ... and he played the rest of the game a little tipsy!!!

"You're playing on an empty stomach and you crush a beer, yeah, I felt it a little," Jon says.

"But, you know what? I just kept going along. It kind of made me feel a little looser on the field!"

Of course ... there were other consequences for the chug -- the CFL didn't fine Gott, but it made a brand-new rule banning the celebration from the game forever.

As for the beer Jon drank ... the 33-year-old tells us the brewers were so excited he chose to slam their product -- they're sending him some goodies!!

But ... don't expect an encore performance from Jon when the playoffs begin later this month -- he says his TD celebrations began and ended with that beer can last weekend.

Luke Walton is in no danger of losing his Lakers job and there shouldn't even be a conversation about it either ... so says Metta World Peace.

The ex-NBA superstar went to bat for the L.A. coach outside of Catch -- telling TMZ Sports Lakers Nation just needs to be patient.

"I think they're fine. I think it's just basketball. Yeah, it's basketball."

Translation ... it's 10 games into the season, give the man some time!!!

As for LeBron James' lukewarm start in Hollywood ... Metta says The King will be a MUCH better player in just a few weeks -- so chill out with all that talk too!

"You got a preseason form, a midseason form, then you have playoff form. And, he's in beginning-of-the-season form. He's about to be in midseason form soon."