TMZ Sports - Page 50

God came down from above to wake Tyson Fury up from a 12th-round knockout Saturday ... and did it so Fury and Deontay Wilder could have an epic rematch -- so says Wilder himself.

"God lifted that man up from that knockout," Deontay tells TMZ Sports ... "So now when we have the rematch, it's nothing that's going to be said."

Wilder and Fury put on a show at Staples Center in their heavyweight tilt -- all highlighted by a vicious 12th-round left hook from Wilder that put Tyson flat on his back.

"The last knockdown was a devastating one, where the eyes rolled in the back of the head," Deontay says ... "9 times out of 10, a referee would have stopped that immediately."

But, the ref didn't ... and Wilder's convinced it's all 'cause a higher power wanted to see Wilder-Fury II in a few months.

"I think he had an army of prayers around him that night, and I think God don't make mistakes, though. I think God woke that guy up for the rematch."

As for what that means for the highly anticipated Wilder-Anthony Joshua fight ... Deontay says he "don't give a f*ck" about that scrap anymore -- at least for now.

Deontay says Joshua had his shot to make the mega-fight, but right now, he's solely focused on the rematch with Tyson.

"He thought he was the only one in this sport, the biggest thing in this sport," Wilder said of Joshua.

"But, you're not. Me and Fury, that's all it's about -- me and Fury. I don't give a f*ck what they talking about ... He's on the backburner. Ain't nobody talking about him."

Jason Whitlock says there's only one way for Kareem Hunt to make it back to the NFL ... and he's giving TMZ Sports the blueprint.

"If he goes out and makes an earnest attempt to get the proper help, and continues to stay humble and contrite, makes amends with the victim -- yeah, I think he gets another shot in the NFL."

Of course ... Kareem's got a long way to go to even start down that road -- the league is mulling a huge suspension for the former Chiefs RB after TMZ Sports posted footage of him attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

But, once Hunt gets through that ban ... Whitlock says he's got no problem with an NFL team picking the 23-year-old up -- IF the RB gets help and shows contrition.

"I wouldn't object to that."

The host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" also tells us why everyone needs to ease up on the NFL when it comes to policing domestic violence ... saying it shouldn't be the league's job.

"We're holding the NFL to a standard that I think is unfair. We keep beating up the NFL, 'They don't understand how to deal with domestic violence,' but the police don't either!"

Whitlock says it's time to start thinking of the NFL as what he says it actually is -- a television show.

YouTube superstar Deji says he wants REVENGE on his arch nemesis, Jake Paul, after their PPV boxing match back in August ... but there's just one small thing keeping that from happening.

"He's too p***y to fight me again."

The first fight was wild ... with Jake getting the victory when Deji's camp threw in the towel in the 5th round of their bloody slugfest.

Deji was spending some of that hard-earned fight money on Rodeo Drive this week when he was asked about the possibility of the 2 YouTubers beating each other up in the ring again -- but it sounds like it ain't happenin'.

Why?? -- "He's too scared to lose the title."

But, Jake Paul ain't the only guy Deji's beefing with right now -- turns out, he's in a real-life feud with his own brother, KSI.

KSI is reportedly furious with Deji after his lil bro posted KSI's bank statements online. Deji also made some scandalous claims involving his brother and a woman.

But, Deji says the feud runs deeper than that -- explaining, "There's a lot of stuff my brother's done."

Doesn't seem like they're even close to burying the hatchet at this point which is crazy considering how close they were.

Deji also says he's got a big problem with KSI's crew, "The Sidemen" -- a group of British YouTube stars -- and says he's never really been cool with them.

Dan Rather says he wasn't shocked to learn Urban Meyer is retiring ... telling TMZ Sports it's clear to him the Ohio State coach NEEDS to focus on his health.

Urban and the Buckeyes announced Tuesday the coach will hang up his headset after the team's Rose Bowl game next month ... and Rather thinks it's easy to see why.

"I had the impression this last season that his health was not as good as he liked it to be."

In fact ... the CBS News legend says he thinks the rigors of the Zach Smith controversy really took a toll on the coach who once left a job at Florida because of complications with a brain cyst.

Ohio State says it'll replace Meyer with offensive coordinator Ryan Day ... but Rather tells us he doesn't necessarily think this is the end of Meyer's run on a football sideline.

So, Kyrie Irving was doing a nice thing ... visiting kids at a local children's hospital when one of the kids hilariously LIT HIM UP -- and it was all 'cause of Duke!!

Uncle Drew and his Celtics teammates threw on some goofy Christmas hats and hit up Boston Children's Hospital on Tuesday ... singing carols and handing out special shoes to the tough kids getting treatment.

The kind gesture didn't keep K.I. from hilariously getting into it with one of the kids ... who gladly pointed out Irving's Blue Devils lost to Gonzaga earlier this season.

"Who won the Duke vs. Gonzaga game?!" the boy asks.

"You didn't have to bring Duke into it. Duke is fine, we were good! We're good!!" Irving clapped back ... "That's why you so mad, 'cause we're Duke!!"

The whole exchange is obviously in good fun -- and ya gotta give it up for the kid who never backed down from the NBA superstar!

Props to everyone involved.

The Dynamite Kid -- one half of the famed British Bulldogs tag team duo -- has died, his family announced Wednesday.

The wrestler -- real name Tommy Billington -- had been battling health issues for years though his exact cause of death has not been revealed.

He turned 60 years old on Wednesday ... the same day he passed away.

Dynamite made his WWF debut back in 1984 and famously wrestled stars like Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

His biggest moment was winning the tag team championship with British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith at Wrestlemania II back in 1986.

The duo defeated The Dream Team of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Greg Valentine on the same night Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.

Dynamite Kid's nephew, Davey Boy Smith Jr. -- a former pro wrestler himself -- issued a statement on his passing Wednesday morning,

"It deeply saddens me to announce the passing of Tom Billington the 'Dynamite Kid.' I was really happy and glad I got to see Dynamite one last time last June in the UK."

"Dynamite was certainly an inspiration to myself and many others and really revolutionized professional Wrestling as we now [sic] it today. He flew high, and gave it his all every match. Thanks for everything and sad to have lost another family member. Rest In Peace Dyno."

Michael Vick says the only way Kareem Hunt can get back to the NFL is if he gets serious help ... and the ex-QB tells TMZ Sports he's willing to be a part of that whole process.

"He can always reach out to me, I'm going to give him positive advice," Vick says ... "I didn't condone what he did, I'm against that -- but he's gotta learn from the situation."

Of course ... Vick knows all about what it takes to go from exiled to NFL superstardom -- he came back to the league after serving 19 months in prison for illegal dogfighting.

Vick says it was help from others that paved that whole road for him ... and now he's urging Hunt to find the same thing.

"You gotta get help. That's what I did. I got help. People helped me in my situation. He gotta get help, and that's what's most important."

Vick's advice for Hunt on where to start that journey?

"Anger management. Learn to control it."

Mike says the NFL is a second-chance league ... and says Kareem can latch back on if he does all the right things -- but admits he'd still pause at the idea of bringing the RB aboard his team.

"If I'm a CEO, I'll bring my daughters in and let them ask the questions. I mean, for real," Vick tells us.

12/5 -- Laila released a statement ... saying she's okay and she's praying for the elderly man who was injured. Laila says the man was walking behind her car when she was backing up. Laila also says her 7-year-old daughter, Sydney, was in the car at the time of the accident.

Laila Ali was involved in a serious accident in Calabasas that left a pedestrian seriously injured ... TMZ has learned.

The accident went down Tuesday afternoon in Calabasas. We're told Laila accidentally hit an elderly man while driving through the parking lot of a shopping center. Paramedics and L.A. County Sheriff's deputies quickly responded to the scene.

Medics treated the victim on the scene, but he was eventually taken by ambulance to a hospital and is in stable condition ... according to our law enforcement sources.

Muhammad Ali's daughter remained at the scene and spoke to Sheriff's deputies once they arrived. The former boxer -- turned host/actress/author -- was not arrested or cited, for now -- and we're told the Sheriff's Department is investigating this as an accident.

We've reached out to Laila's reps for comment, but haven't heard back yet.

Story developing ...

Cleveland prosecutors have stonewalled TMZ Sports for days, refusing to answer a pretty simple question — what's the logic behind not prosecuting Kareem Hunt for brutalizing a woman?

The video of the incident is the kind of smoking gun prosecutors rarely get ... showing the former Kansas City Chiefs running back shoving and kicking a woman. We’ve made multiple calls to the Cleveland City Prosecutor's Office, asking for an explanation for passing on the case. We got nothing.

A law enforcement source in Cleveland told TMZ Sports the decision not to prosecute was rooted in the fact the victim refused to testify. Fact is, prosecutors commonly file charges in cases where the victim won't testify, if there's additional evidence to prove the charges. Like this one ... where there's video and other eyewitnesses besides the victim.

Think about it ... if prosecutors turn a blind eye just because a victim doesn’t testify, not a single murder case would ever be filed. That’s the absurd logical extension of such a legal standard.

The Hunt case is way more compelling to prosecute than most cases involving men who assault women, because most boil down to “he said/she said.” Here, there’s video ... video of Hunt kicking a defenseless woman. Yet charges were never filed.

The bigger picture ... there’s a much larger issue way beyond Hunt.

Cleveland's City Prosecutor's Office is sending a dangerous signal to the community: that men who assault women can brutalize without consequences, even when the evidence is overwhelming.

UFC star, Brian Ortega returned to the TMZ newsroom this week -- and once again, he put a chokehold on one of our guys!!!

Here's the deal ... the last time Ortega was here, he taught us the proper way to execute a rear-naked choke and used Lucas to demonstrate.

This time, Ortega wanted to teach us a few tricks about how to put a guy to sleep in a street fight ... once again, Lucas volunteered his neck.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Lucas taps out even faster than Conor McGregor at UFC 229!!!

Of course, Ortega will get a chance to fight someone his own size when he takes on Max Holloway at UFC 231 in Toronto, for the Featherweight title on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Don't worry, Lucas is fine!

Sports legends from all over the country gathered at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to pay tribute to George H.W. Bush.

Those in attendance include Peyton Manning, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Mike Krzyzewski, Chris Evert, Jim Nantz, Fred Couples and Jim Calhoun.

The body of the 41st President of the United States is lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral service on Wednesday morning at the Washington National Cathedral where his son, former President George W. Bush, will deliver the eulogy.

After the service, Bush's remains will go to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and then to a ceremony at a church in Houston before he's finally laid to rest at a family plot at his Presidential Library in College Station.

Bush was big into sports -- he played baseball at Yale and was a huge fan of the Houston Astros. He also played a lot of golf and horseshoes, and famously enjoyed skydiving.

Bush was 94.

RIP

Sean Smith was sad to learn Brandon Browner will spend the next 8 years behind bars ... 'cause Smith says the guy helped him when the 2 were in jail -- and the place was awful.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Browner pled no contest to attempted murder Tuesday -- and was sentenced to 8 years in state prison.

When Smith -- an ex-NFL DB who did time in an LA jail with Browner over the summer -- saw the news ... he was heartbroken for the former Seahawk, saying time behind bars ain't a joke.

"Jus seen some news about my dawg B Browner smh," Smith wrote on social media.

"It’s crazy how I was JUST in there with him. He for sure helped me get thru the last few months in that hell hole. Jail is for animals."

Smith just got out in August roughly 5 months into his 12-month sentence for assaulting his sister's boyfriend during a July 4, 2017 incident in Pasadena, CA.

He says his time behind bars sucked ... and he hopes Browner's close friends stay by him to help through the sentence like Brandon did for him over the summer.

Brandon Browner was just sentenced to 8 years in state prison after pleading no contest to attempted murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former Seattle Seahawks star -- an original member of the famed Legion of Boom defense -- was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment in La Verne, CA on July 8 and allegedly chased her, dragged her and then smothered her in a carpet.

Her two children were present when the alleged abuse occurred.

Browner was also accused of stealing the woman's Rolex watch. He fled the residence but was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and faced life in prison.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old appeared in court where he pled no contest to 1 count of attempted murder and 2 counts of willful child endangerment. In exchange, the remaining charges (robbery, burglary and false imprisonment) were dropped.

Browner was immediately remanded into custody during the hearing and is back behind bars.

Browner got credit for 300 days for good behavior during the time he's spent behind bars so far. He's been in custody since the arrest back in July.

Browner is a former Pro Bowl cornerback. He won one Super Bowl with the Seahawks and one with the Patriots.

Good news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says the Redskins are seriously considering signing the QB!!!

Bad news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says they likely won't.

Just a day after losing their SECOND starting QB in less than a month ... Washington's coach says the team has discussed inking Kaep -- but then revealed they probably won't.

"[There's] not a lot of time to get a brand new QB and a system installed and taught in a couple days," Gruden said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

"He's been talked about and discussed, but we'll probably go in a different direction."

Of course ... the 'Skins lost Alex Smith to a gruesome injury back on Nov. 18 -- but passed on signing Kaepernick the following week in favor of adding Mark Sanchez.

But ... on "Monday Night Football" -- the Redskins lost yet another starter when Colt McCoy broke his fibula -- and now say Kaepernick's back in play.

Gruden says the team will have a workout with QBs later this afternoon ... though it's unclear if Kaepernick will be a part of those.

TMZ Sports has obtained injury photos of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich -- taken in the wake of the domestic violence incident with her MMA fighter husband ... and they're brutal.

The photos show damage to Rachael's face, body, arms and head -- including a black and blue bruise under her right eye.

We spoke with a member of Rachael's family who tells us the photos reflect the "truth" of what really went down that day.

As we previously reported, Ostovich claims her husband, Arnold Berdon, savagely attacked her during a dispute at their home in Hawaii on Nov. 18.

Ostovich claims she suffered a broken orbital bone (eye socket) during the altercation and pulled out of her scheduled UFC bout with Paige VanZant. She has since gotten a second opinion from a doctor who cleared her to fight.

Berdon was arrested and charged with 2nd degree assault. He has pled not guilty and family members have told us he will argue self-defense.

Ostovich filed a request for a restraining order against Berdon -- and court docs show the judge granted the order after Berdon agreed to stay away for 20 YEARS.

Berdon is due back in court on Dec. 18.

12/4 10:40 AM PT -- The move cost Beverley a nice chunk of change ... 'cause he just got slapped with a $25,000 fine for "throwing the game ball at a spectator," the NBA announced Tuesday.

L.A. Clippers player Patrick Beverley fired a basketball at a courtside heckler Sunday night after the fan allegedly said, "F*ck your mother" ... the 2nd major incident between a player and a Mavs fan in 2 weeks.

The 30-year-old guard had reportedly been trading verbal jabs with Don Knobler -- a local celeb in Dallas -- throughout the Clippers' game on Sunday ... when things reached a boiling point in the 4th quarter.

So, what set Beverley off? Don't talk about his mother.

Beverley grabbed the ball and threw it at Knobler -- who calmly collected it after it struck him in the leg. Beverley was ejected.

After the game, Beverley told reporters Knobler said, "F*ck your mother" twice.

Knobler later admitted to talking about Patrick's mom but denies using the f-bomb in his trash talk.

Seems Mavs fans have really been getting to opponents lately -- it was just Nov. 17 when Kevin Durant cussed out a different courtside fan who had been running his mouth.

Durant was fined $25,000 for the incident. He later bashed the heckler as "corny and weak."

In both instances, Durant and Beverley alerted refs and security about the heckling fans ... but ultimately took matters into their own hands.