TMZ Sports - Page 50

Floyd Mayweather says the exhibition fight business will be VERY good to him in 2019 -- with 4 or 5 bouts lined up this year, which will pay him around $80 MILLION!!!

Remember, Floyd says he got $9 mil for tuning up Tenshin Nasukawa during a New Year's Eve exhibition match in Japan ... and he's going BACK to Japan to fight again in July.

This time, Floyd says he's fighting a former Japanese boxer (he's not 100% sure who the guy is) -- but tells us he'll cash a $10 million check to go 3 rounds with his mystery opponent.

And, that's just the beginning ... Floyd says he's got more fights lined up too.

So, why not book another full 12-round pro fight with a real contender? Floyd says he can make real money doing the exhibition fights with much less risk to his health.

"It's all about being smart. My faculties are very important."

Strongman and actor Hafthor Bjornsson -- aka "The Mountain" from 'Game of Thrones' -- picked up a barbell weighing 1,042 FREAKIN' POUNDS ... and it's straight-up ridiculous!!

Thor -- who's 6'9" and 400-ish lbs. -- is a legendary strongman. He won the World's Strongest Man, Europe's Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic ... all in 2018.

So, he's literally the strongest person in the world (4x WSM winner Brian Shaw and '17 WSM champ Eddie Hall might disagree).

The lift went down earlier this week at Bjornsson's gym in his home country of Iceland ... and according to Thor, it's the heaviest deadlift ever done in a gym.

BTW, Thor ain't the only guy in the room with superhuman strength ... the ripped shirtless dude is YouTube star/powerlifter/bodybuilder/strongman Larry Wheels -- who was throwin' around 220 lb. dumbbells earlier this week.

Just watching this will make you stronger.

5:37 PM PT -- Floyd just responded to T.I.'s diss and the Gucci boycott ... saying celebs are picking and choosing topics to gain attention for themselves, and using "fake advocacy" as a platform.

Floyd rips T.I. for calling for a 3-month boycott, questioning why it's not permanent and why it doesn't extend to other designers under the same ownership.

Floyd says the artists up in arms over Gucci are the same ones who promote drug use, murder and sexual promiscuity in their lyrics ... and he wonders why people don't boycott their music.

He also takes a thinly veiled shot at Tip, claiming "unfaithful husbands" are using their platforms to rally their fans against luxury brands, while at the same time contributing to society's destruction with their musical content and imagery.

Bottom line for Floyd ... boycotts don't work, and the real answer is working together to find solutions.

T.I. is ripping Floyd Mayweather a new one with a blistering diss track where he calls the boxing champ a "f**k n**ga" for continuing to spend his millions at Gucci.

Tip dropped the song Thursday and, while he never mentions Floyd by name, the cover art shows Floyd with a mocked-up drawing of the infamous Gucci sweater that sparked the boycott. In the song, T.I. says, "Old greedy ass n***a only thinking about his self ... he get the fame, he get the wealth ... ya, people are struggling, who did you help?"

He also says, "Damn, it must suck to be a f**k n***a."

T.I. -- who's been leading the charge to boycott Gucci -- is clearly responding to the video TMZ Sports got of Floyd on Monday night as he dropped a bundle of cash at Gucci in Bev Hills.

Floyd told us he didn't give a crap about any boycott and said, "I'm not no follower, I do what the f**k I wanna do,"

Floyd and T.I. already hated each other -- their beef goes back years to when they came to blows in Vegas.

T.I.'s track -- entitled "F**k N***a" -- is on iTunes and Apple Music. Hot beef, anyone?

Donald Trump's old golfing buddy, George Lopez, is not down with POTUS' new, $50k golf simulator at the White House ... telling TMZ Sports the guy should be focusing on his job, not his stroke.

ICYMI -- The Donald recently had a room-sized golf simulator installed in the personal quarters at 1600 Penn ... and it's reportedly a big upgrade from what Barack Obama had during his presidency.

G Lo -- who has hit the links with Trump prior to becoming #45 -- tells us the move is "unnecessary" ... and Trump should put his time into fixing the country's issues.

"This fool needs to stop napping 60 percent of the time and he needs to get to work, because this is some bullsh*t that's going on," Lopez says.

"It's a bad look."

George never holds back when he talks about 45. He's been critical of the Prez since he went from reality star to candidate, and even went as far as to fake pee on his Hollywood Star last year.

Deadmau5 is softening his stance on not issuing an apology for using homophobic language while streaming on Twitch ... admitting his original statement was "an insult to injury."

ICYMI -- the DJ and producer got hit with a suspension from the video game streaming site after reportedly referring to a troll as a "f*cking c**k-sucking stream sniper f*g" while playing PUBG.

Deadmau5 didn't help his cause after the incident ... refusing to apologize and saying his words were "intended to insult a f*ckin asshat who was being a f*cking asshat."

The 38-year-old says he's had time to cool down ... and now understands the backlash.

"I know what I said was wrong, and my hastily composed non-apology was an insult to injury," Deadmau5 says.

"I realize that trying to somewhat dismiss it as 'gamer culture' was even worse. I don't know why I did that. But I do know it was stupid and insensitive and I feel even more ashamed. This was my worst moment."

Deadmau5 also apologized for going after Twitch for the temporary ban ..."It was all around an incredibly irresponsible and insensitive thing to say nonetheless. Especially for someone who has a reach."

"What I said was incredibly stupid, and I don't actually hold those beliefs, at all. I let some gamer get the best of me, and in that moment I completely lost control."

"Sometimes I just f*ck up. I do mean well. And I'm at least man enough to know when I've f*cked up. And I've f*cked up."

Deadmau5 says he plans to stay out of the spotlight until he knows he's a better person.

Deshaun Watson danced his face off and moshed with a sea of people Wednesday night ... and it's all 'cause of Travis Scott!!!

The Texans superstar hit up the Toyota Center in Houston for La Flame's latest Astroworld stop ... and the QB went OFF when "SICKO MODE" started to play.

Watson -- who ditched box seats to enjoy the show on the floor with his fellow ragers -- bounced up and down ... and went crazy to Scott's biggest hit!!!

Deshaun even wore a tie-dye Travis Scott shirt for the concert ... saying, "On another planet ..."

Comedian Russell Peters got involved in a serious situation at a jewelry shop, when he hopped to action and helped take down a wannabe thief ... and it's all on the security footage.

In the vid, obtained by TMZ, Peters is seen walking around the NYC Diamond District store Tuesday scoping some bling with one of the workers, while a man in a dark stocking cap is being attended to nearby by another employee.

All of a sudden, the guy in the cap gets up and darts away but gets stopped at the door ... which gets Russell's attention. The employee appears to try to apprehend the man, who gets physical and tries to make a break for it, but Peters and the other worker quickly grab him and hold him down before an officer shows up.

Law enforcement sources tell us the 27-year-old perp attempted to make off with a ring valued at $150,000 before he was apprehended by witnesses. Peters is listed on the police report as one of those witnesses.

If you're surprised the funny man is such a badass, don't be. Russell's trained in jiu-jitsu for years under famous black belt Jean Jacques Machado, who also trains Joe Rogan.

Basically, the suspect's lucky Russell only slapped an armbar on him!

Cops have charged the man with robbery and criminal possession of stolen property.

Our sources say Russell was at the store because he's friendly with the owner, and it's safe to say ... his friends and family discount just went up a little bit.

WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso -- half of the popular Usos tag team -- was arrested after a drunken dispute with cops in Detroit ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 33-year-old -- who's the son of WWE HOF'er Rikishi -- and his wife, fellow WWE Superstar Naomi, were pulled over near downtown Detroit ... after cops say Naomi was driving the wrong direction on a one-way street.

According to our police sources, cops say their 2018 Dodge Journey reeked of booze ... so they ordered Naomi out of the car.

We're told while Naomi talked to cops, Jimmy got out of the car -- despite commands from police -- and took off his shirt and jacket and squared up like he wanted to fight.

We're told the officer took out his taser 'cause he was scared for his safety.

Jimmy ultimately settled down and complied with their commands ... then he was handcuffed, and arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction.

He was taken to jail ... and later posted bond.

Uso was not in Detroit for a WWE event.

Anthony Joshua AIN'T DUCKIN' Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury ... the heavyweight champ wants to fight the winner of the rematch -- by the end of 2019!!!

TMZ Sports talked to Eddie Hearn -- Joshua's promoter -- after he announced AJ's fighting undefeated heavyweight star Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller June 1 at MSG in NYC ... his first fight in America.

Hearn says Big Baby is a big, tough dude who could actually beat Joshua ... but, if the British superstar does survive, he's got his sights set on Wilder and Fury.

"We 100% want the winner. Joshua wants to be the undisputed champion. He has 4 world heavyweight belts. He's missing 1. And, that's the missing link. And, that's everything that he wants."

Deontay and Tyson's rematch isn't a done deal just yet -- but, it's reportedly close -- and would likely go down in April or May.

"Those two will fight, I think. And then hopefully Joshua deals with Jarrell Miller, and then it happens later this year."

Alfonso Ribeiro making the "Carlton Dance" popular on 'The Fresh Prince' doesn't mean he legally owns it ... according to the feds, and it could mean a big L for him in his battle with Fortnite.

The bad news became public this week in court -- a registration specialist for the U.S. Copyright Office told Alfonso's attorney that the actor's bid to lock down the rights to the dance is being denied. The copyright pro said Alfonso's moves amount to nothing more than a "simple dance routine."

As if that wasn't enough of a shot at Carlton ... the expert broke down the dance step-by-step, saying ... "The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work."

We broke the story ... Alfonso is suing the creators of Fortnite -- as well as the creators of NBA 2K -- for allegedly ripping off the dance without his permission.

Aside from the fact that he'd never tried to copyright the dance in the 27 years since it debuted on 'Fresh Prince' -- as NBA 2K lawyers point out in a motion to dismiss the suit -- Alfonso also admitted on camera the dance was inspired by others. That credit goes to Courteney Cox and Eddie Murphy.

Forget candy, jewelry and teddy bears ... Cookie Johnson says Magic's secret to Valentine's Day is simple -- FLOWERS AND DINNER!!!

"He goes more out for birthdays and things like that," Magic's wife tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, Magic doesn't usually have the chance to ball out on Feb. 14 ... Cookie says the couple is almost ALWAYS on the road for the day at the NBA's All-Star festivities.

Things don't appear to be changing this year ... Cookie was actually on her way to the big event when we got her at LAX on Wednesday morning.

But, it seems Magic's V-Day plans are working all right for the couple ... Cookie and the Lakers GM have been together for decades -- and she's just fine with MJ's annual game plan.

"We do a nice dinner, something like that."

Ya hear that??? It ain't too late to return that necklace!!!

Ben Simmons and Kendall Jenner just learned how tragedy can bring a couple closer together ... because lovebirds spent some quality time moments after Ben was assaulted on the hoops court.

By a vicious, savage, disrespectful, jaw-dropping dunk.

It happened during the Knicks vs. 76ers game Wednesday night, when Knicks rookie Kevin Knox delivered a two-handed destruction to Simmons that shook social media to its core (which is pretty easy to do).

It happened in front of a packed house of celebrities including Regina King (who almost got bulldozed by Joel Embiid), Tracy Morgan, Karrueche Tran, Justin Long and Maluma.

Kendall was there too, and after the game she and Ben hit the town with some pretty long (but beautiful) faces, probably contemplating Ben's basketball future, while dealing with post-dunk PTSD.

Here's the play ... please don't allow any young kids, people with cardiac conditions or small dogs to watch.

America almost lost a legend Wednesday night ... but thankfully, Joel Embiid's hops saved the day.

Golden Globe-winning actress Regina King had courtside seats at MSG for the Sixers and Knicks game ... but it might've been TOO close to the action considering what went down in the 3rd quarter.

Embiid went chasing after a loose ball that was heading for the stands, forcing him to jump over RK in the process ... and you can tell by King's face -- she was SHOOK.

Embiid ended up kicking the dude behind King square in the chest ... but he appeared to be just fine.

King tweeted about the scare ... saying, "Yoooo. Thank you God and @JoelEmbiid for your athletic abilities. Crisis averted."

John Elway made a desperate move trading for Joe Flacco ... and it could end up being a HUGE mistake -- so says Elvis Dumervil, who tells TMZ Sports, "Flacco is no Peyton Manning."

Elway took a page out of his 2012 Broncos playbook Wednesday ... acquiring a veteran Super Bowl MVP with the hopes of revitalizing a tired Denver franchise.

The problem? Elvis says Flacco ain't even close to what Manning was when Denver picked him up 7 years ago ... and now the former Bronco is SERIOUSLY concerned for the team's GM.

"It's a big gamble. Definitely desperate, no doubt ... It can be a great deal, or it can be another bad decision by John Elway."

Elvis' biggest issue with the move is Flacco's skill set -- the pass rusher tells us Joe NEEDS a good OC to thrive ... and he's worried that ain't there in Denver.

In fact, Dumervil says if Flacco DOESN'T have an elite play caller ... things are gonna get ugly at Mile High quickly -- the exact opposite of what went down after Elway signed Manning.

"[Elway] did a genius move with Peyton Manning. But unfortunately, Joe Flacco is no Peyton Manning."

You can't ball like Steph Curry ... but you can at least be romantic like him -- 'cause Ayesha Curry is giving TMZ Sports the superstar's Valentine's Day secrets!!!

We asked the real chef Curry to spill the beans on her hubby's go-to V-Day plans while out in New York on Wednesday ... and she gave us a rough outline of how it goes down in the Curry household.

Ya gotta hear it straight from her -- there's some steak ... some wine ... and "lots" of secret ingredients!!!

Imagine you're in line at In-N-Out ... about to order a delicious double-double with fries and a shake -- and all of a sudden, you get a call from Donald Trump!!!

DO YOU GET OUT OF LINE?!

That's exactly what happened to PGA Tour pro Pat Perez during Trump's presidential campaign -- and you bet your sweet ass he took that call!!! Here's how Pat's wife, Ashley, describes it:

"So [Trump's] assistant was like, 'Mr. Perez, Donald Trump would like to speak to you. Are you available?' And he's like, 'SH*T YES! I'm available!'"

Turns out, Perez -- who has 3 PGA Tour wins under his belt -- is a HUGE Trump supporter and while they've hung out in person before, they've never golfed together.

"I'd love to play with him," Perez told us while smokin' ciggies outside Craig's with Ashley ... "I'd love to get that chance."

So, why the passion for Trump?