TMZ Sports - Page 50

Anthony Joshua is in for a south of the border surprise come Saturday night ... because his opponent, Andy Ruiz, says he's gonna put DEM FREAKIN' HANDS ON AJ, all for the pride of Mexico.

Ruiz was a late add to the fight following Jarrell Miller's positive drug test, so most people aren't giving the new challenger too much of a shot against the undefeated heavyweight king Joshua.

We spoke to Ruiz and he told us he knows he's being taken lightly, and that's his biggest weapon.

"Anthony Joshua, I'm pretty sure he's underestimating me, man. I've been working really hard for this opportunity, now that I have it, I can't let it go."

There's another reason Andy says he won't and can't lose this fight ... because he's doing it for the people of Mexico!

"There's never been a Mexican heavyweight champion. That's what we're gonna accomplish. I wanna be a legend, I wanna be in the world books of records. That's what we're gonna do, baby, bring the titles back to Mexico."

Before you scoff too hard, Ruiz is 32-1 with his only defeat coming in a title shot against Joseph Parker back in 2016, so he's no slouch.

BEHOLD ... the great DAME JUDI DENCH ... talking boxing, baby!!!

The legend of stage and screen is also a huge fan of pugilism -- and now that her countryman, Anthony Joshua, is defending his belts this weekend against Andy Ruiz, Ms. Dench had a few words to prepare him for battle!

"To say that I shall be cheering, I'll be cheering anyway, but we'll keep everything crossed! And, my goodness me, we can't wait to see you!"

And, that's not all ... a bunch of other UK superstars came together to root on Joshua -- including Ed Sheeran, golfer Rory McIlroy, soccer stud Harry Kane, "Fleabag" star Olivia Colman and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

The fight's all going on DAZN on Saturday -- live from Madison Square Garden.

It's Joshua's first fight in the United States -- which is a big deal considering his ongoing negotiations with Deontay Wilder.

The Green Bay Packers just suffered their first major injury of the 2019 season -- because the HEAD COACH just popped his Achilles playing basketball!!!

Matt LaFleur -- who just locked down Green Bay's head coaching job back in January -- reportedly shredded his lower leg playing a game of knockout on a Lambeau court Wednesday.

Per NFL.com's Michael Silver -- the 39-year-old tore the tendon and will have surgery to fix the issue on Sunday.

Silver adds LaFleur -- a Sean McVay pupil -- will now be coaching from a golf cart during Packers practices the next few weeks.

Draymond Green says there was NO "scuffle" with Drake after the Warriors lost to the Raptors on Thursday ... blasting a reporter for even asking about the altercation in the post-game presser.

"You got a question about basketball?" Green said.

Of course, it certainly looked like a scuffle to most of the world ... Green was nose-to-nose with the "God's Plan" rapper -- and Drake clearly used the word "trash" when jawing at the Warriors star.

But, Draymond is playing the whole thing down, saying, "I didn't hit him and he didn't hit me or I didn't push him or he didn't push me."

Green added, "We talked. We barked a little bit. But I wouldn't necessarily consider that a scuffle. Not really what I, personally, would consider a scuffle."

Drake's played a key role in Toronto's playoff run this season ... he pissed off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the entire Milwaukee Bucks roster last week -- and now he is clearly already under Golden State's skin.

Game 2 tips off Sunday night in Toronto ... and Drake's expected to have courtside seats once again.

CAN'T WAIT!!!

Ron Garretson -- a longtime NBA referee -- was arrested for DUI in Arizona on Wednesday after officials say he crashed into a tree near the Lake Havasu City Police Dept. Station.

Cops responded to calls about a man who slammed an orange Jeep Wrangler into a tree around 6:30 PM -- and when officers arrived at the scene, 60-year-old Garretson was covered in blood.

According to the police report, Garretson initially claimed someone had hit his car -- but cops say the story didn't make sense. Cops also say he reeked of booze and Garretson admitted to having a beer and a shot at a nearby cigar bar before getting behind the wheel.

Cops also say Garretson made it a point to say he's an NBA ref -- and insisted he's in great shape.

Despite that, Garretson bombed field sobriety tests -- and blew a .19 on the breathalyzer, more than TWICE the legal limit. He was arrested at the scene and hauled to a nearby station where he was booked for extreme DUI.

Garretson has been working in the NBA for 32 seasons -- working more than 1,900 regular season games.

Did Nike just win the Zion Williamson shoe wars!?? Judging by this video we just got of the projected #1 overall pick ... it seems they Just Did It.

Check out this footage of Zion working out at a Los Angeles gym on Thursday. Pay attention to his feet.

ZW's wearing the Nike Kyrie 4s. VERY interesting ... considering EVERY major shoe company is looking to sign the ex-Duke superstar to the biggest rookie shoe endorsement deal since LeBron James.

In fact, ex-NBA star Jay Williams and shoe legend Sonny Vaccaro told us they wouldn't be surprised if a company shelled out $100 MILLION for Zion!

Now, Zion rocked Nikes in college -- but only because Duke had an endorsement deal with the Swoosh.

But, there was speculation he could switch to another company after his NCAA career was jeopardized because of that February incident when his Nike PG 2.5s busted open during the first minute of the UNC game.

Zion suffered a right knee strain during the shoe explosion ... and many wondered if he would bail for Adidas, Puma or even New Balance (hey, Kawhi Leonard did it).

However, Nike clearly has the advantage since Zion wore the Kyrie 4s multiple times in college ... and obviously likes them enough to wear them when he doesn't have to.

Don't plan the parades at Sierra Canyon High just yet ... 'cause the next generation of the James/Wade duo teaming up does NOT mean it'll have the same results as their dads -- so says Kenny Smith.

The basketball world pretty much lost their minds when the news broke that freshman Bronny James and senior Zaire Wade will be teammates next season -- bringing back memories of the Peanut Butter and Jelly combo, LeBron and D-Wade, had in Miami.

The Jet -- who has an AAU team and knows his stuff about youth hoops -- says Bronny and Zaire will be able to contend off the rip ... but California basketball is filled with massive, skilled kids ... so it'll be tough.

"There's multiple things that you need," Kenny says ... "Especially Bronny being so young, only being a freshman. The age difference is tough."

Of course, their daddies won 2 titles with the Heat ... and created tons of highlights together. Smith sees that in their future as well.

Dennis Eckersley -- one of the greatest MLB closers EVER -- says baseball HAS to extend the netting around its stadiums ... or else more fans are going to get seriously hurt.

Of course, one young fan at a Houston Astros game Wednesday night nearly suffered that fate after getting struck by a line drive ... but it appears the child is going to be OKAY.

Eckersley clearly feels that's way too close for comfort either way ... and now he's calling for ALL major league squads to extend the netting in their stadiums from foul pole to foul pole.

"It looks ugly," Eckersley told us out in NYC on Thursday afternoon ... "but ya gotta do it."

For their part, the MLB says it's considering all options ... telling TMZ Sports in a statement Thursday morning, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years."

The Cosmopolitan hotel will publicly apologize to Meek Mill for threatening him with arrest if he stepped onto hotel grounds, and Meek will accept the apology ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us, the Cosmo will issue a "significant public apology" expressing regret and accepting fault when Meek was told last Saturday to leave the hotel ... or else.

TMZ broke the story, Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, prepared a lawsuit he intended to file this week against the hotel, claiming racial discrimination and defamation. Tacopina claims there is a blacklist for black rappers at the hotel, but hotel sources say that's BS.

We've also learned the lawyer for O.J. Simpson reached out to Tacopina, saying O.J. had been mistreated by the hotel as well. In November 2017, hotel staff kicked O.J. out after the staff claimed he was intoxicated and unruly. He was permanently banned from the grounds.

We're also told Snoop Dogg's people reached out and claimed mistreatment by the Cosmo.

In the end, there will be no lawsuit and everyone is putting this behind them.

TMZ broke the story, Meek and his crew showed up to attend a party at Marquee Saturday -- located inside the Cosmo -- but security wouldn't let them in. In a video, obtained by TMZ, the security guard tells Meek he can't come in because of a prior incident ... but won't give Meek any specifics on what happened.

Buffalo Bills rookie LB Tyrel Dodson was pulled out of a nightclub and arrested Sunday after his GF told cops he roughed her up during a violent altercation hours earlier ... TMZ Sports has learned.

For the record, Dodson (an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M) DENIES the allegations -- and insinuated to police that HE was the real victim by showing cops a red mark on his face.

Here's the deal according to police docs ... 20-year-old Dodson and his GF got into an argument on May 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after he allegedly vomited on the carpet inside her bedroom after drinking too much.

Tyrel's GF alleges the 6' 2", 240-lb football player got physical with her when she confronted him about the vomit ... allegedly grabbing her "forcefully" and "shoving her against the wall."

Tyrel's GF says she slapped him in the face ... and says Dodson responded by slapping her back.

She says she fled from the scene ... but when she returned, Tyrel was still there -- so she locked herself inside her bathroom and told him to leave the premises.

That's when she says Tyrel busted through the door ... causing the door to smack her in the head, leaving her with a small welt.

She says the argument then spilled out into the kitchen, where things escalated further ... with Dodson shoving her to the ground after a scuffle over her cell phone.

Dodson's GF eventually left the apartment ... but when she returned -- she says Tyrel had taken her keys, $500 from her purse and an additional $8,000 to $15,000 in cash from a safe under her bed.

When cops reached Tyrel by phone ... he denied ever getting physical with his GF -- stating the argument "was verbal only" -- and added he only took about $1,000 from her because it was "money they both shared."

Cops didn't appear to believe him -- 'cause they say they found probable cause to arrest him on several charges including domestic violence -- and when they found out later in the evening he was at Mint Nightclub, they went in to get him.

After Dodson was removed from the club, he again denied attacking his GF and showed cops a red mark on his face ... though he never outright accused her of assault.

Tyrel was booked on three charges -- 1 domestic violence count, 1 charge of disorderly conduct and one charge of damage to property -- all misdemeanors.

Tyrel -- who played in 33 games for the Aggies in his three years at College Station -- was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent just a few weeks ago.

We reached out to the Bills and a team spokesperson tells us, "We are aware of the incident involving Tyrel Dodson last weekend. We have been looking further into the matter and will continue to gather information as the legal process continues."

Reggie Jackson says Bill Buckner was not only a great guy, but a great baseball player -- and it sucks he had to spend years dealing with the blowback from that infamous World Series error.

Reggie and Bill played during the same era in the '70s and '80s and you can tell by the clip, Reggie really liked the guy.

Of course, Bill passed away Monday after a battle with dementia. He was 69.

But, Reggie says he feels terrible that Bill had to deal with such a ridiculous amount of harassment after letting that ground ball go through his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

The error haunted the former Red Sox star for the rest of his career -- and the rest of his life -- and things got so bad, he eventually moved out of Massachusetts to get away from the constant torment.

Reggie tells us ... he wishes people would celebrate the rest of Buckner's career -- because he ultimately finished with close to 3,000 hits (the official number is 2,715).

"Just a great human being, super guy," Jackson tells us ... "Sorry really what happened with him in his career. It's a shame that he's marked for that."

Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's offseason meal plan includes cake -- and lots of it -- thanks to his bikini model wife, Rachel Bush!!

Bush just posted the pic -- but it seems the pic was from the weekend because Poyer has been at Bills team workouts in Buffalo all week long.

But honestly ... does the time frame even matter here?! No.

28-year-old Poyer and 21-year-old Bush have been living it up during the offseason -- hitting awesome places like Miami and Brazil ... lounging by the beach and twerking on yachts (basically all the fun things you can't do in Buffalo).

Rachel and Jordan have been together for years. They tied the knot back in February 2018 and have a 2-year-old daughter, Aliyah.

Take your time, NFL season ... and keep the content comin', Poyer.

It's a reunion 25 years in the making -- WWE Champion Kofi Kingston returned to his home country of Ghana on Thursday ... and the people went CRAZY FOR HIM!!!

There was dancing, there was drumming, it was a full-fledged PARTY -- and for good reason, just last month, Kingston became the first African-born wrestler to EVER win the WWE Championship!!

Kingston was swarmed by fans and reporters from the second he stepped off the plane at Kotoka International Airport ... the first time he's returned to Ghana since 1994, the year he moved to the U.S.

Kofi has talked for years about wanting to return to Ghana -- especially after watching video of his uncle (who lives in Ghana) throwing a raging party to celebrate his Wrestlemania victory.

"This video is a reminder of why we do what we do: to lift spirits and inspire others. I am so grateful to be in a position to do so," Kofi wrote back in April.

"Last time I was in Ghana was in 1994. I think it might be time to go back and visit..."

Well, he delivered on his word ... and now Kofi is getting the ultimate VIP treatment in Ghana, where he's even scheduled to meet with the President!!!

How cool is that?!!

There's something about watching UFC legend Michael Bisping punching his hands through a fat guy's doughy belly that's just captivating ...

This little fight session went down on the set of Cinemax series "Warrior" in Cape Town, South Africa -- where Bisping has a role as a smack-talking violent badass (what a stretch, right?)

In this particular scene, Bisping squared up with Kazakhstani stunt man Erden Telemisov -- but when the cameras stopped rolling, the two guys decided to have a little play fight of their own.

Bisping talked trash and then threw a flurry right into Erden's gut -- and watch the blubber fly!!!

Make sure to stick around for the slo-mo zoomed in shot ... which is just as fascinating!

Ex-WWE stars Big Cass and Enzo knew Ric Flair would come through after his medical emergency earlier this month ... telling TMZ Sports Ric is too much of an "indestructible" beast to die!!!

"He is immortal," Enzo says.

We broke the story ... Ric was rushed to the hospital on May 16 after the 70-year-old legend suffered a "very serious" health scare.

But, Flair -- as always -- was able to pull through ... and he even wore a t-shirt with his mug on it as he exited the hospital!!!

When we got the pro wrestling stars out in NYC earlier this week ... they weren't surprised one bit to see Flair make it out alive!!

In fact, the two joked they expect to see Ric in the squared circle again next week!!!!

"He'll be on Mania next year, watch," Big Cass says.

For his part ... Flair says he's back at home resting, saying, "I Will Be Back Up And WOOOOOing In No Time!"

Major League Baseball says the injury to the little girl struck by a foul ball at the Houston Astros game is "extremely upsetting" ... and insists the league is focused on finding more ways to protect the fans.

The little girl was in the stands at Minute Maid Park in Houston when Cubs star Albert Almora Jr. ripped a line drive foul ball down the 3rd baseline that struck the child directly.

The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was treated for injuries -- but she's reportedly doing okay.

Almora Jr. was visibly shaken after the incident and appeared to be crying. He was consoled by his teammates and later vowed to get in touch with the girl's family to offer his prayers and any other assistance he could provide.

Now, the MLB is also weighing in ... telling TMZ Sports, "The events at last night’s game were extremely upsetting. We send our best wishes to the child and family involved."

A spokesperson added, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With last night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."