TMZ Sports - Page 50

Every blockbuster fight needs a big-time promoter ... and Floyd Mayweather tells TMZ Sports he's the guy for Justin Bieber's potential fight against Tom Cruise!!

As we previously reported ... there have been serious talks about setting up a fight between the 25-year-old singer and the 57-year-old movie superstar after Biebs playfully tweeted about wanting a piece of TC last month. 

Dana White -- who was tagged in Bieber's initial post about the dream fight -- has said he'd be down to make it happen and predicts it would be the biggest fight in UFC history.

Enter Mayweather -- who says he wants NOTHING to do with training either celeb for the possible fight ... but wants EVERYTHING to do with the money involved.

"If they bring me in as a promoter, then I can talk about it. But until then, I gotta stay in my lane. Gotta stay in my business."

Remember, Mayweather used to be super tight with Justin Bieber -- he even let the pop star walk him to the ring for a few of his fights. Floyd even trained Bieber to box at one point.  

But, the two had a falling out back in 2017 ... and haven't really spoken since. 

Floyd didn't back Justin when we spoke with him ... but he didn't exactly praise him either. 

One the best defensive players in the NFL says Kyler Murray is going to KILL it in his rookie season ... 'cause Chandler Jones tells TMZ Sports the QB is "going to shock the world!"

"You'll see," Chandler says.

The Cardinals took the Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 1 overall pick last April ... but some in the NFL world have questions about his future because the guy is just 5'10", 207 pounds.

But, when we got Chandler out at L.A. Live on Wednesday ... he told us he's got NO doubts his new teammate is going to be just fine.

"Size don't matter," Chandler says. "I mean, look at Russell Wilson."

In fact, Chandler says he has no problems with Kyler having the goal of leading the Cards to the Super Bowl this season ... saying, "He's very mature."

"People talk about his speed and how fast he is -- it's not about his speed," Chandler adds ... "He throws accurate balls. He's going to shock the world! You'll see."

Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team are getting a bump from an unlikely source ... Procter & Gamble is vowing to fork over more than half a mil as a step toward equal pay.

The giant consumer goods corporation -- which supports U.S. Soccer through its Secret deodorant brand -- took an ad in The New York Times Sunday, calling on the U.S. Soccer Federation and others to pay the female players as much as the men.

Then, they upped the ante by promising to donate a cool $529,000 to the team to help close the wage gap after the USWNT won the World Cup this year. That's about $23k for each of the 23 players on the team ... not a bad bonus all things considered.

P&G's ad reportedly read, in part, "Let's take this moment of celebration to propel women's sports forward. We urge the US Soccer Federation to be a beacon of strength and end gender pay inequality once and for all."

This, of course, follows the women beating the Netherlands 2-0 in the championship game last week ... but with seemingly little to zero movement to get the ladies paid as equally as the men, who don't win nearly as often as the women do. Tons of folks -- including Rapinoe herself -- have been calling on U.S. Soccer and FIFA to balance things out, but their pleas appear to be falling on deaf ears thus far. 

And, just to give you a sense of the difference in pay -- reports say the women's team have contracts that guarantee them salaries of about $100k, with bonuses thrown in for wins. The men, meanwhile, reportedly have a pay-to-play structure, with much larger payouts for wins, and even guaranteed money for losses. 

According to The Washington Post -- which claims to have seen and analyzed these contracts -- a professional female soccer player would make just 89% of what her male counterpart would make if they both played and won 20 exhibition games. If they lost all of them, the pay would be equal at $100k. When it comes to FIFA ... their prize money to the winning teams for their tournaments has a discrepancy between men and women of about 10.5%. 

Baker Mayfield and his new bride, Emily Wilkinson, just shared their wedding photos ... and it looks about as epic as you might imagine.

The Browns quarterback threw up a bunch of his favorite shots from the ceremony last week -- which went down in Malibu and featured a bunch of his teammates, including OBJ -- writing a sweet caption that read, "The Mayfields... Last week was a real life dream. Unbelievable day surrounded by family and friends. Excited to start the next chapter of our journey together @ewilkinson, love you Em Lou."

Emily and Baker got engaged last summer after first being linked in January of 2018. They were spotted out in public at a couple Clippers games together, nearly back-to-back.

The couple is enjoying their honeymoon right now at an undisclosed location. Where it is ... it looks nice as hell. It also looks like BM is getting his work in ahead of the 2019-2020 season.

As for Emily, she described the wedding as a "DREAM COME TRUE," saying she was surrounded by her best friends and family as she married her soul mate. She went on to write, "Everything was perfect, and better than I ever dreamt it would be. Thank you for everyone who made the trek to watch me and Baker tie the knot... we love you all! ••• pics of Baker and I, and the dress are coming, I promise!"

Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez were among a throng of celebs to watch the men's finals Sunday at Wimbledon.

It's the second time we've seen them together since the ink on his divorce docs dried.  

They weren't the only famous ones to witness Roger Federer take on Novak Djokovic. Kate Middleton, Prince William, Pippa Middleton, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Middleton, Sir Cliff Richard, Stanley Tucci, Tom Hiddleston, Kendall Jenner, Fai Khadra, Vera Wang, and Woody Harrelson were also glued to their seats.

Federer will attempt to win his ninth Wimbledon title, and Djokovic could become a five-time champ in SW19.

BTW ... this is Kate's 3rd visit to Wimbledon this month. She's obviously a fan.

Robert Kraft has a new lady in his life ... someone he's been holding hands with at multiple major public events -- but her identity is a mystery!!!

People first noticed Kraft's new lady at the French Open in Paris back on June 9 -- when the New England Patriots owner showed up to watch some tennis from the VIP boxes with a female friend on his arm. You can see the two holding hands. 

Fans -- and even major media outlets -- mistakenly identified the woman as Ricki Noel Lander, Kraft's ex-girlfriend ... but our sources say that woman is definitely NOT Ricki. 

The following month, Kraft attended the Women's World Cup final in Paris on July 7 to watch Team USA defeat the Netherlands ... with the same new lady on his arm. 

Again, fans and media outlets mistook the woman for Lander. 

Sources connected to Kraft tell us he's still on good terms with Lander -- but they broke up last year and they're living separate lives. 

USA Olympic legend Amy Van Dyken has a new sport -- she's a wheelchair crosFfit athlete -- and she just came in 2nd place in the inaugural WheelWOD Open!!!

Amy racked up SIX gold medals during her incredible swimming career -- scoring 4 medals at the 1996 Games and 2 more in 2000.

But, her life was changed forever in 2014 when she was paralyzed from the waist down in a freak ATV accident that severed her spinal cord.

Amy -- ever the competitor -- decided to get BACK into CrossFit after the accident ... and now she's become one of the premiere wheelchair athletes in the world.

In fact, the 46-year-old entered the 2019 WheelWOD Open in Canada earlier this month -- and CRUSHED IT -- finishing in the top 4 in every event ... coming in 2nd place overall!!

Amy says she wasn't exactly in the best place emotionally after her accident ... but learning to do CrossFit from her chair has "given me my life back."

She trains in Phoenix -- spending 2 to 4 hours in the gym at a time -- and says her competitive fire isn't just relit ... it's burning out of control and she can't wait for the next WheelWOD Open to take that #1 spot.

"Girlfriend doesn't play to get 2nd. Girlfriend plays to WIN. Have you seen my collection of gold medals?!?!! I'm just sayin'"

Kobayashi has some Grade A beef with Joey Chestnut ... the former wiener-eating champ says JC is a huge cheater -- and is questioning if the guy is REALLY pounding 70-plus hot dogs!!!

We got Kobayashi out in NYC and he didn't hold back when we asked about Chestnut ... saying (through a translator) he thinks Joey's a food-chomping cheat.

"I've personally, definitely witnessed some cheating, yes," Kobayashi says. "One example, we were eating for a pizza P'Zone competition years ago and he was throwing the hardest part to eat -- the crust -- into the box the whole time."

In fact, Kobayashi thinks Joey is such a swindler, he's questioning Chestnut's most famous record -- 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes!!!

Kobayashi says Major League Eating is helping prop up Joey in order to drive interest in the sport ... and adds that he thinks the dogs Joey's been gobbling up are smaller than usual.

As for their relationship, Kobayashi says he and Joey just don't get along ... and he tells us he can't see himself EVER being friends with the guy.

By the way, if you're wondering what Kobayashi is up to these days ... he says he's about to enter a taco-eating contest in California -- and tells us he's got a dream job for the future!!!

Ex-NFL QB Anthony Wright is lucky to be alive today ... a witness to his shooting last week says the former Baltimore Raven was "fading" quickly after he was shot in the back and chest.

It's all in new 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... where a man says he saw Wright get shot "by a guy with a silver 9 millimeter" after an argument in North Carolina on July 1.

"He's breathing, but he's fading," the witness tells dispatch ... "He got shot right in the chest and in the back. Two shots."

Cops say the dispute that started the incident involved a custody situation with Wright's girlfriend's ex ... and led to the 43-year-old needing emergency surgery.

But, police said Wright was in stable condition after the operation ... and it's great news, considering the grim scene the witness painted to dispatch.

"He walked up to him and pointed the gun right at him then and ran off."

Police say they were able to arrest the alleged shooter, William "Willie" Moses Hooker Jr., a few days after the altercation ... and eventually hit him with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill charges.

Hooker is currently in a North Carolina jail under $1 MILLION bond.

Wright was a stud backup for years in the NFL ... playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants.

Roy Halladay -- nearly two years after his tragic death -- is STILL having an impact on the Phillies' locker room, so says stud pitcher Zach Eflin.

"We're always thinking about him," Eflin tells TMZ Sports ... "There's a lot of things I take away from him."

Halladay died after the plane he was piloting in the Gulf of Mexico crashed into the water on November 7, 2017.

It was a horrific moment for baseball -- losing such a legend at just 34 years old -- but Eflin says his legacy is still carrying on strong in Philadelphia.

In fact, Eflin tells us he's still to this day using tips Halladay taught him during their offseason together ... and says, "He's awesome, man. He was an amazing person."

Venus Williams has always been serving up good looks!!!

Here is an 18-year-old version of the professional tennis player showing off her skills while competing in the West Classic tennis tournament at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California back in 1998 (left). 

And 21 years later ... The now 39-year-old Olympic gold medalist was photographed earlier this month competing in the ladies singles first-round match during day one of Wimbledon in London, England (right). 

Williams is currently ranked 44th in women's singles and has earned 49 total women's singles titles. 

These good looks are something to love!!!

The question is ...

When pro athletes meet their match on the court it can be quite a racket!!!

So, just before a title is given out at the Wimbledon finals, take a swing at which tennis pros have let the intensity make ... and break ... a match on the court.

From strung out stars like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic to Daniil Medvedev and Ajla Tomljanovic, these passionate players take a major hit to the heart when the stakes are so high.

Ezekiel Elliott is now at the center of a criminal probe after the security guard he pushed down changed his mind and pressed charges against the NFL superstar.

The guard, Kyle Johnson, recently filed a criminal complaint with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It's unclear what exactly he's alleging, or if Zeke's been taken into custody yet ... but his camp is already pushing back against this latest development ... claiming extortion.

The running back's lawyers, Scott Rosenblum and Jason Lampert, issued a statement Saturday saying, "Over the course of the past several weeks, Mr. Elliott has been the target of extortion." They added, "Kyle Johnson’s filing of a criminal complaint against Mr. Elliott in connection with the Las Vegas incident is the latest attempt to do so. Mr. Elliott and it his team are in contact with all of the proper authorities and are fully cooperating with them in their investigations."

TMZ broke the story ... Zeke shoved the security guard down to the ground at EDC earlier this year after getting into an argument with a woman he was there partying with. He was handcuffed by police at the time, but was NOT arrested because Johnson didn't press charges.

Seems like he's had a change of heart now -- despite saying he'd let the whole thing go if he got a legit apology from the Cowboys star. He'd claimed that Zeke's initial apology was BS, saying it wasn't sincere and that eye-contact wasn't made.

WWE Wrestler Jeff Hardy -- aka Brother Nero -- was arrested down in South Carolina for allegedly being drunk in public. 

Jeff was arrested and booked Saturday for public intoxication and impairment in Myrtle Beach, where he posed for this mug shot. Jeff's distinguishable features are on full display -- his large gauges in his ears, and his unique facial hair make him stand out like a sore thumb among the weekend lineup for MBPD. 

It's unclear what exactly led to his arrest -- we're working on getting more deets -- but we're told he was released at some point Saturday on less than $200 bond.

Jeff is currently dealing with a knee injury -- for which he underwent surgery earlier this year and is recovering -- that's kept him out of the ring for a bit. He normally wrestles as one half of the Hardy Boyz for the SmackDown brand of the company. 

Jeff was arrested for a DWI last year in North Carolina after he was reportedly involved in a car crash, and allegedly blew a 0.25 BAC. 

Serena Williams fell short at Wimbledon Saturday ... losing in straight sets.

Serena was looking for her 24th career Grand Slam win, and her 8th Wimbledon victory, but it was not to be. Romanian Simona Halep beat her handily ... 6-2 and 6-2.

This is Serena's 3rd Grand Slam loss in a row. What stings even more ... had she won she would have tied Margaret Court's all-time record which was set back in 1968.

As for Simona ... she's on a roll. She won the French Open last year. 

TMZ Sports has obtained video showing Mark Rypien's wife desperately crawling on the ground in pain after she was struck by the former Super Bowl MVP in a domestic violence incident. 

The footage was shot June 30 around 5:45 PM in Spokane, Washington -- where cops were called to respond to an incident involving the 56-year-old NFL legend and his wife. 

Mark told cops at the scene that he had hit Danielle Rypien because she was covering his eyes while he was driving and he was scared. He told cops he "knocked the wind out of her."

You can see in the video Danielle is clearly in pain and struggling to breathe as she crawls on all fours from the vehicle to a nearby grass area ... where she eventually collapses. 

Medical personnel later responded and evaluated Danielle -- determining she did NOT need emergency medical attention so she was not transported to a hospital. 

Mark was arrested for assault/domestic violence and pled not guilty. He was released without bail and is due back in court later this month. 

Danielle issued a joint statement with Mark supporting him and insisting he did not commit a crime and she does not want him prosecuted. 

Danielle also stated that she believes Mark suffers from CTE brought on by the hits he took during his NFL career -- and suggests the brain injury is to blame for his violent outburst. 

We also obtained the 911 calls made by multiple witnesses -- who all describe the terrifying scene in detail.