TMZ Sports - Page 50

Evander Holyfield says Tenshin Nasukawa is in deep trouble -- because Floyd Mayweather is gonna "beat the daylights" out of the Japanese fighter when they box on New Year's Eve.

The Real Deal touched down Thursday night in Los Angeles -- where he'll be attending the big Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight title fight on Saturday at Staples Center.

Holyfield -- one of the greatest heavyweights of all time -- says he thinks Deontay could put Fury to sleep with that deadly right hand ... and he's excited for what could be one of the most action-packed events of the year.

As for Mayweather, Evander acknowledges that Tenshin's age -- he's only 20 years old -- could give him an edge during the 3-round exhibition fight ... but when it comes to doing it, Floyd's gonna put a hurtin' on him.

"You playing [Floyd's] game, so he's supposed to win," Evander told us ... "He's not gonna fight anybody that can beat him!"

Ex-NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke ... and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies.

After Allen retired from football in 2016, the future Hall of Famer still had a burning desire to play sports -- so he tried to be a pro golfer, but quickly realized he's no Tiger Woods.

That's when he made a bet with a friend that he could become an Olympian -- and after watching the movie "Eddie the Eagle" ... he got serious about finding the right sport for him.

First, it was badminton ... Allen tells TMZ Sports he called up his good buddy and fellow NFL alum Marc Bulger, but they decided the sport was too tough on their bodies.

That's when they moved on to curling -- which is basically shuffleboard on ice -- and decided that was the place where they'd strike!

Since that day, Allen recruited a few other NFL friends including Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Bulluck and Pro Bowl tackle Michael Roos ... and they started a curling team.

Now, they're REALLY competing against other elite curling teams and Jared says they're dead serious about making it to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

In fact, Jared says they've hired a sweeping coach and train on the ice at least 2 hours a week.

"You have to sweep a lot," Allen says ... "I've been known for my cardio, sweeping is frickin' tough!"

So, what's the hardest part of the game for Jared?

"You're really not supposed to talk trash ... so that's gonna be hard for me."

LeBron James has ANOTHER movie in the works -- but this one is based on his own life!

The NBA superstar -- along with his producing partner Maverick Carter and SpringHill Entertainment -- are moving forward with a flick based on the book, "Shooting Stars" ... about Bron's youth basketball team.

LeBron co-authored the book with famed writer Buzz Bissinger -- the guy who wrote "Friday Night Lights."

The story is a real-life tale about how LeBron and his childhood friends beat the odds to win a championship and form lifelong bonds.

The movie will be directed by Chris Robinson (according to Variety) -- the super famous music video director who did "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" with Jay-Z and Beyonce.

He also directed the FOX series, "Star."

Floyd Mayweather had to come out of pocket more than $600,000 to settle charges brought against him by the SEC for his role in a cryptocurrency scandal ... officials have announced.

As we previously reported, Floyd and DJ Khaled both went to social media in 2017 to promote a crypto coin called Centra.

The problem according to the Securities and Exchange Commission ... neither star disclosed that they were getting paid to promote the coin ... which is a violation of federal law.

Turns out, Floyd received $300,000 to promote the coin and DJ got $50,000.

Officials previously said the company behind the coin was operating illegally, misleading investors and several of the execs listed on the company website don't really exist. The whole thing was essentially deemed a giant scam.

The SEC brought charges against both Floyd and Khaled -- but they both were able to settle their cases behind closed doors after writing big checks.

Officials say Floyd ponied up $300k in disgorgement (the money he made for promoting the coin) plus another $300k in fines and another $14k in interest.

Khaled paid $50,000 in disgorgement plus $100,000 in fines plus another $2,725 in interest.

Mayweather -- who was cooperative with investigators -- also agreed NOT to promote any kind of currency for the next 3 years. Khaled agreed to hold off for 2 years.

Baker Mayfield's H.S. coach is going to bat for his ex-QB after the Browns superstar torched Hue Jackson ... saying Baker was just doing what he thought was best for his team.

Of course ... Mayfield's been met with a lot of critics after he went scorched earth on his former head coach THREE separate times, accusing Hue of being "fake" for joining the Bengals.

Hank Carter -- Baker's old coach at Lake Travis H.S. in Texas -- tells TMZ Sports Mayfield's comments were just his way of standing up for his Cleveland teammates.

"Baker loves his team and loves that coaching staff there and they believe in one another, and I think that's what it is -- it's showing support for the Browns is what he was trying to do."

Guys like Jim Brown and Deion Sanders have disagreed with Baker's response to the whole feud ... but Hank says they've just got to get used to Mayfield's straight-shooting approach.

"Different people maybe don't like how that's come out but, yeah, Baker's never really worried about that. He's trying to do what's best for his football team."

Bottom line ... if Baker didn't think Hue hurt his football team, the beef would've never gone down.

Mark Cuban is so hands-on as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks -- he even attends ALL of his teams' G-League games ... so says Kostas Antetokounmpo.

Kostas -- a 2nd round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft -- is the younger brother of "Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo ... and currently plays for the Mavs' developmental team, the Texas Legends.

The 21-year-old is averaging nearly 10 points and 6 rebounds per game and has a ton of potential -- but when we saw him at LAX, he told us how great it's been playing for Cuban.

"He be at every game, you know?! ... I feel like he's probably the greatest NBA owner because he's always a part of the team, he comes to the trips, he's there at the games."

Of course, Kostas' big bro is killing it right now -- so we asked if he'd ever like to play on the same team as Giannis.

"If that would happen, that would be awesome!"

Conor McGregor is taking his punishment for a speeding incident in Ireland very seriously, showing a ton of remorse and ... JUST KIDDING, CONOR DOESN'T GIVE A FOOK ABOUT YOUR PUNISHMENTS!!!

Just a day after The Notorious One had his driving privileges in Ireland revoked for doin' 95 MPH in a 60 ... Conor joked about the whole ordeal with his adorable baby.

McGregor and little Conor hit the driveway in the baby's electric Mercedes ... and Conor giggled happily, joking, "I've found my new driver."

Conor's been pretty Teflon to everything that goes bad in his life these days ... and the loss of a driver's license for 6 months plus a measly $1,100 fine doesn't look like it's changin' a thing.

BTW ... now that Conor's car-less -- he's got some extra time on his hands to keep his training up ... and he's even making that a family affair too!

Surf legend Bruce Irons tells TMZ Sports he's confident he will beat the DUI Drug allegations against him -- claiming the field sobriety showed he was "fine."

As we previously reported, the 39-year-old surfer was arrested in Newport Beach last week when cops claim they found him passed out behind the wheel of a car with the engine running.

He was booked for driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Now, Irons tells us ... he's confident he'll be cleared -- and called the whole thing a "hiccup in the road."

"I did the sobriety test and I was fine," Irons told us at LAX on his way back to Hawaii.

Irons admits he was driving on an expired license -- but says he had planned to go back to Hawaii and fix that situation before the arrest.

Bruce also had a message for his fans -- "Innocent until proven guilty."

You know that big ass steer in Australia that went viral for being the biggest freakin' thing you've ever seen?

Major League Eating -- the competitive eating org that brought you food-guzzling superstars like Joey Chestnut, Matt Stonie and Takeru Kobayashi -- wants to eat him.

"Knickers" has become a viral sensation after reports pegged his height and weight at 6'4" and 2,800 pounds. He's a beast.

The MLE says it believes the animal could be too large to handle at a normal meat processing facility ... so they'd like to help out -- but butchering him and serving him themselves at an outdoor BBQ.

"Knickers is an extraordinary Holstein and we hope to pay honor by eating him in historic fashion," MLE Chair George Shea said.

"As a point of clarification, we would not consume the stomach because none of our eaters care for tripe."

So ... how many of the MLE's best eaters would it take to finish off good ole, Knickers??

The org estimates it'll take 20(!!!!) of it's best food fighters -- plus donut eating world champion Badlands Booker.

Safaree's finally getting cozy with someone post-Nicki Minaj ... the rapper was spotted out and holding hands with Erica Mena.

Sources close to the 'Love & Hip Hop' stars tell TMZ ... Safaree and Erica recently started dating and ... were seen walking hand-in-hand IN MATCHING FUR COATS at the Jazz-Nets game Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

We're told there were immediate fireworks ... and while they're not officially boyfriend/girlfriend yet, they're well on their way to that status. Safaree had been hinting for a while now about finding love ... posting clues on his Instagram story he's riding with a new chick.

Erica also took to Twitter before the Nets game ... professing she's finally finding true love.

Our sources say Safaree and Erica's new connection will be featured on 'L&HH' at some point.

Clearly, these 2 kids seem to be riding high on Cloud 9 ... a far cry from their previous relationships. As you know ... Safaree's on-again, off-again relationship with Nicki Minaj ended terribly, to say the least. He most recently accused her of trying to kill him.

Steve Weatherford is a MONSTER!!!

Check out the former NFL punter on vacation in the Maldives -- reminding everyone why you shouldn't skip leg day ... or ab day ... or arm day ... or chest day.

This is insane.

Weatherford was always a gym rat during his 9-year NFL career -- but he's clearly bulked up since hanging up the helmet and shoulder pads.

The 35-year-old Super Bowl champion has focused on bodybuilding and even made the cover of Muscle and Fitness as a "fitness icon." His workout brand "Weatherford Fit" has also taken off in a big way.

His wife, Laura Weatherford, is also a fitness nut who's in crazy good shape even after giving birth to 5 kids!

Kyler Murray's making the right call picking baseball over football ... so says Dave Winfield, who made the same choice more than 40 years ago and had things work out PRETTY well.

Of course ... D.W. is one of only six dudes to ever be drafted by THREE different pro sports -- but he chose the diamond over them all -- and says he's glad Kyler's doing the same.

"It's pretty intelligent to play baseball," the MLB Hall of Famer tells us ... "You don't get hurt as much."

Murray's a superstar QB at Oklahoma who some think could be the NFL's next Lamar Jackson ... but the kid was also drafted in the first round by the Oakland A's last summer.

Kyler says his plan -- as of now -- is to hang up the football cleats for the baseball diamond ... and Dave says that's a great call.

"Any football players you know play 22 years!?"

LeBron James was in a great mood after his Beverly Hills date night with his wife, Savannah, on Wednesday -- singing a Kendrick Lamar song on his way out of the restaurant.

The NBA superstar hit up Avra -- one of his favorite spots in town -- where the two dined on Greek food and then exited out the back to their waiting 2018 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S650 ... a car with a base price of $240k.

LeBron wasn't in the mood to talk about his Lakers -- or the upcoming Deontay Wilder fight -- but serenaded everyone to Kendrick's "Alright."

And, if you're wondering about Bron's "Me Over We" sweatshirt -- it ain't cheap either ... it's made by Cactus Plant Flea Market and we've seen it being sold for up to $500 online.

James and the Lakers didn't have a game last night -- but they do play on Thursday ... taking on the Indiana Pacers at Staples Center.

As for Bron's love of Avra -- he's taken Savannah to the spot on a previous date night and famously had his "Welcome to Hollywood" dinner there with Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Pacino right after he signed his Lakers contract.

Pro surfing star Bruce Irons was arrested last week for driving under the influence of drugs ... cops say.

The 39-year-old Hawaiian surfer was approached by the Newport Beach Police Dept. on Nov. 22 at 9:23 AM.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports Irons was found passed out behind the wheel of a running car at a gas station. Cops responded, found Irons, woke him up and determined he was under the influence of drugs. He was arrested without incident.

According to police records, Irons was booked for DUI Drugs, possession of a controlled substance without prescription and driving without a valid license. Bail was set at $2,500.

Bruce Irons is a legend in the surf world -- he's won several tournaments over the years including the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search. He also famously beat Kelly Slater at the 2001 Billabong Pipeline Masters.

Bruce is also the younger brother of surf legend Andy Irons -- the 3-time world surfing champion who died in 2010 from a drug overdose at a hotel in Texas.

Both Bruce and Andy struggled with substance abuse -- something Bruce spoke about in the documentary "Andy Irons: Kissed By God."

Here's hoping he can find a way to conquer his demons ...

Jesse Ventura needs a little more time to decide whether he wants to run for President, but one thing's crystal clear -- his main goal is booting Donald Trump the hell out of office.

We got the WWE Hall of Famer and ex-Minnesota Gov leaving the Federal Courthouse in Orange County, and asked how serious he is about a 2020 presidential run. He insists he's always serious about that.

Jesse says he's gonna spend a couple months is Mexico mulling it over, but he's already concerned running as the Green Party candidate could take votes away from a Democrat and help Trump win.

Don't worry, Dems -- he has an unconventional plan to satisfy both sides and he's ready to make a deal.

As we reported, Jesse was at the courthouse Wednesday to testify on behalf of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which is facing racketeering and murder charges. He's been a member since the early '70s and, even though he's been inactive for decades ... he vouched for the club, and told us he might go active again soon.

George Foreman doesn't know who's gonna win the MASSIVE heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury on Saturday, but he does know one thing ...

BOTH men woulda kicked the ass of a young George Foreman.

We talked to George, a two-time heavyweight champ and the oldest man to ever win the crown, and he told us he thinks both Wilder and Fury would have been a little too much for him to handle.

"I don't think I could've been able to get a good shot on Tyson Fury at all. He's too elusive."

Big George saw a whole different set of problems with Wilder.

"With Deontay Wilder, I'd have to protect myself so much I'd been in danger from round 1 to the final round."

As a matter of fact, Foreman thinks so highly of the two fighters he says their matchup on Saturday is going to be an EPIC brawl for the ages.

"I can say that, when it does take place, it'll be the world's greatest heavyweight matchup. For the world. Not America. A world championship boxing match. And, there's nothing better you can put together. Not today."

So here's the thing ... we love George, and fully admit he's forgotten more about boxing than we'll ever know. But, we're not so sure about this take. Dude was a BEAST, and beat an UNDEFEATED Joe Frazier.

But, honestly ... we're still afraid of him, so we didn't wanna argue.