TMZ Sports - Page 50

Boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin is speaking out about the death of fellow boxer Maxim Dadashev ... telling TMZ Sports the tragedy isn't just sad on a personal level, but it's also terrible for the sport.

"It's very bad for the sport of boxing," Triple G told us outside of Spago in Beverly Hills.

You can see in the video, GGG is clearly emotional about the situation ... and said the entire community "feels crazy" right now.

We asked Gennady if there's anything the boxing community can do to help prevent deaths like this in the future ... but he simply told us there's nothing anyone can do can bring Maxim back.

As we previously reported, 28-year-old Dadashev suffered a brain bleed and went into a coma from the damage he took during his fight on Friday night. He later died from his injuries.

Clippers executive Jerry West tells TMZ Sports he's getting wayyyyy too much credit for bringing Kawhi Leonard to L.A. ... saying straight up, "I didn't close this deal, okay?!"

People have pointed to the 81-year-old Hall of Famer as the secret weapon who ultimately convinced the NBA Finals MVP to leave Toronto for Los Angeles.

But, outside of E Baldi in Beverly Hills, West explained why he's not comfortable being hailed as the hero.

"This was hard work by our front office," West said ... "Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger. All the people associated with it."

West says he's very excited for the 2019-20 season and says with the Lakers signing Anthony Davis to play with LeBron, basketball "should really be fun for fans" in L.A.

And, even though the Clippers have a sick roster -- with Kawhi, Paul George, Patrick Beverly and more ... West says he's not thinking about a championship yet.

"I don't think we're worried about championships yet ... worried about getting through the season and seeing how we play."

Jacksonville Jaguars superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey is out for a big contract this season ... and to drive that point home, he reported to training camp Wednesday in a BRINKS TRUCK!

"Ya'll know what time it is," the driver of the truck said on a bullhorn while announcing Jalen's arrival to the crowd.

"This man's coverage is so good, he's gonna have his own cell phone service! The man's so good, they're gonna give him his own jail called Jalen County because these receivers are on 24-hour lockdown."

"If you check his pockets, he's got 8 Master Locks in his pocket, they are on lockdown all season."

Finally, it was time to announce "the man, the myth, Jalen Ramsey" ... with the hype man telling the crowd, "It's time to get this money, money!"

Subtle.

Jalen has made the Pro Bowl the past 2 seasons and is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

He's entering the 4th year of his rookie contract which will pay him a $3.6 million base salary in 2019. He's expected to make $13.7 mil in 2020.

But, Ramsey has previously stated he's gonna be a monster when it comes to renegotiating his deal ... saying, "I'mma ask for so much money, they have to put me on layaway."

Manny Pacquiao's team is ALL IN for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather -- so says his trainer, Freddie Roach who tells TMZ Sports, "I really think Manny can knock him out."

After 40-year-old Manny put a hurtin' on Keith Thurman this weekend, there's a huge buzz about a MayPac II rematch ... following the first superfight back in 2015.

Roach, who's been training Pacquiao for years, says Manny and the entire team is down ... if Floyd is man enough to get back in the ring.

"[Floyd] would be a fight we'd want. I'd like to get that one back one more time. I know we can do much better. We had an injury in that fight, but regardless, we lost a close decision. I know Manny can do much better than that."

Remember, after their May 2015 fight, Manny revealed he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp which he says held him back in the main event.

But now, Manny's healthy -- and looked awesome in the Thurman fight -- and Roach ain't all that impressed with the work Mayweather's done inside the ring over the past few years.

"Floyd's last couple of fights against a kickboxer and whatever the other guy was [Conor McGregor] he wasn't too impressive," Roach tells us ... "I think it's a good time to catch him right now."

Freddie says Manny was planning to call out Floyd in the ring after he defeated Keith Thurman ... but Floyd bolted out of the arena.

Of course, 42-year-old Floyd keeps insisting he's retired ... but c'mon, you really think he'll turn down another $300 million payday?!?

"I do think it could happen, yes. Probably not 'til next year. But, the thing is, it is a big fight out there. And, again a fresh Manny with no injuries, I love that fight."

James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris and a bunch of other NBA stars have all bailed on playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup ... and Donovan Mitchell says that's no problem!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Utah Jazz star about some of the biggest names in the game dropping out of the big tourney this summer ... and while some folks are getting concerned about America's chances at completing a 3-peat, Spida ain't.

"All I'm worried about right now is just making the team and doing the best we can," Mitchell says.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who we have, we're going to compete for our country and I'm excited to play."

Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.

39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.

One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.

"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.

As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.

"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."

"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."

Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.

Odom also tells us why he feels surviving that infamous 2015 overdose in Nevada was God's plan ... and how he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.

Boxing star Zab Judah has launched his own investigation into his June 7 fight with Cletus Seldin which left Zab hospitalized with a brain bleed ... with Zab calling for drug test results.

Zab -- a 6-time world champion -- suffered numerous injuries including an intercranial hemorrhage in a TKO loss to Seldin which required emergency surgery after the fight.

Judah is doing much better now ... but he's also really pissed off and looking for answers.

In fact, the 41-year-old has hired the Elefterakis, Elefterakis and Panek law firm to investigate "all circumstances involving the fight."

As part of his investigation, Judah is requesting Seldin's pre-fight urine drug screening sample results so he can see for himself if Seldin was truly clean during the fight.

For the record, Seldin has NOT been flagged for a violation as far as we know.

Judah's attorney wants to be clear that he is making "no formal accusations of misconduct" ... but rather doing their due diligence in the "investigatory stage."

In a statement Judah's attorney says, "To date, our firm contacted the Oneida Gaming Commission as well as the promoter of the fight to obtain the results of the pre-fight urine drug screening. No results have been provided to the Judah camp as of yet."

MLB legend Sandy Koufax is joining Jackie Robinson ... as the only Dodgers to get a statue at Dodger Stadium.

The team has confirmed they will be unveiling the statue for the 2020 season -- honoring one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. The statue will be a part of the $100 million renovation to the stadium.

In fact, the Dodgers will be moving the Jackie Robinson statue from the Reserve Level to the new entertainment plaza to be placed next to the Koufax piece, according to Sports Net L.A. reporter Alanna Rizzo.

Unclear what the statue will look like ... the Dodgers are expected to address the media about it later Tuesday.

Koufax -- famously dubbed "the Left Arm of God" -- won 3 Cy Young awards and 4 World Series titles during his career with the Blue Crew.

It's getting worse for Dwight Gooden ... the MLB legend was arrested for DUI in New Jersey on Monday night after cops say he was driving the wrong way down a 1-way street.

The 54-year-old former Mets pitcher was pulled over around 11:10 PM in Newark, according to the NY Post ... which reports Gooden was a "mess" during the stop.

Gooden was reportedly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment -- though it's unclear how he's doing now.

The arrest comes just weeks after Doc was busted for cocaine possession in Jersey. As we previously reported, cops say they found two baggies of coke during a traffic stop on June 7.

At the time, Doc's attorney told us the former baseball star was taking the matter seriously.

Gooden was charged with 3rd-degree possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence in that case.

Monday's arrest is the latest in a sad string of drug and alcohol related incidents for Gooden ... he tested positive for coke back in 1987, months after he won the World Series with the Mets.

Then, in 1995 ... MLB suspended Gooden for the entire season for failing another drug test.

In 2006, Gooden did an 8-month stint in jail after showing up to a probation hearing high on cocaine.

In 2010, Gooden crashed his car in Jersey while under the influence of drugs -- he was driving his 5-year-old son to school at the time of the crash.

Bodybuilding superstar Shawn Rhoden -- the reigning Mr. Olympia -- just turned himself in to authorities in Utah and pled not guilty to multiple felony rape charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Rhoden -- who goes by Flexatron -- is accused of raping a female bodybuilder during a hotel encounter back in Oct. 2018.

According to court docs, Rhoden's accuser claims Rhoden forced himself on her inside his hotel room - and despite repeated pleas to stop, he refused. She claims he eventually stopped and let her leave the room.

Authorities conducted a thorough investigation and eventually charged Rhoden with felony rape, object rape and forcible sexual assault.

Now, Rhoden's attorneys say the bodybuilder voluntarily turned himself in to authorities Tuesday  -- after negotiating his bail to be reduced from $750k to $250k.

Shawn's lawyers say he "vigorously denies the charges" and "looks forward to being cleared of these false accusations in court."

Jail records confirm Rhoden was formally arrested and booked. The 44-year-old is listed at 5'10" and 265 pounds.

Y'all know what day it is ...

It's TACOOOOOO TUEEEEESDAAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!

... and LeBron's Lakers teammate, JaVale McGee, wants an invite to the next big fiesta at Casa James ... as long as the King is willing to provide a vegan option!

Of course, Bron invited Anthony Davis to the crib last week to partake in the delicious family tradition ... so when we saw JaVale at Craig's in L.A., we asked if he was getting an invite too!

"Not yet, man. They gotta make vegan tacos," McGee says ... after bellowing his own "TACO TUESDAY" impression.

But, if he doesn't get an invite, JaVale says it's no big deal -- "I'm not offended either way."

C'mon dude ... EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AT BRON'S TACO PARTY!

It's really taken a life of its own since LBJ went public with the weekly dinner party ... the dude even has an "It's Tuesday Somewhere" shirt. His kids love it ... but his wife, Savannah, has yet to come around (give her time, she'll crack).

Zion Williamson has finally decided on which shoe he'll be wearing when he suits up in his first NBA game ... and he's going with Jordan!!

The #1 overall 2019 NBA Draft pick has been weighing his options since his decision to go pro ... getting MASSIVE attention from Nike, Adidas and Puma.

In fact, we know Puma had been making a very serious run at Zion -- and our sources tell us  Nike considered Puma their #1 competition in landing the New Orleans Pelicans star.

Zion even tested out some Puma kicks during the NBA Summer League earlier this month.

But, Tuesday morning, the 19-year-old rookie made it official ... announcing he's a member of Jordan Brand, which is part of the Nike family.

He even released his first Jordan Brand promo video to celebrate the announcement.

Zion will join other Jordan Brand stars like Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and more.

He WON'T be joining Kawhi Leonard who left Jordan Brand in late 2018 to sign a deal with New Balance. Not a bad replacement if you're Nike.

No word on how much Zion will be paid in his new deal with Jordan Brand -- but legendary ex-Nike exec, Sonny Vaccaro, previously told us he wouldn't be surprised if the contract hits the 9-figure mark.

In other words, ZION'S GETTIN' PAID!!!

Michael Jordan released a statement on the signing ... saying “Zion’s incredible determination, character and play are inspiring."

"He’s an essential part of the new talent that will help lead the brand into the future. He told us he would ‘shock the world,’ and asked us to believe him. We do."

Maxim Dadashev -- the boxer who went into a coma after suffering injuries during a fight Friday night -- has died, both his trainer and coach announced Tuesday.

He was 28 years old.

Dadashev, a Russian junior welterweight contender, was fighting Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias in the co-main event of Top Rank's boxing card on ESPN last week, when things took a horrible turn in the later rounds.

Dadashev was taking a lot of punches to the face and head ... and it got so ugly, his trainer, Buddy McGirt, had to beg the boxer to throw in the towel.

Ultimately, McGirt was able to get the fight stopped -- but the damage had been done ... Dadashev collapsed after the bout and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in Maryland after taking more than 300 punches in the bout.

Dadashev was diagnosed with a brain bleed and underwent a 2 hour procedure Friday evening in the hopes of saving his life. He was later placed in a medically induced coma.

But, McGirt announced Tuesday Dadashev had passed away from his injuries.

Dadashev was 13-1 in his boxing career and was considered one of the sport's bright young stars before Friday's fight.

Terry Bradshaw sure sounds like a guy who thinks Odell Beckham should just be quiet when it comes to his Giants departure ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports OBJ's recent comments were "crazy!"

"He ought to be happy he's in Cleveland making a nice dollar and they want him there," the Steelers legend says.

Odell made serious headlines Monday after he went scorched earth on the G-Men in a new GQ article ... ripping his old squad for trading him to Cleveland this offseason.

"I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive," Odell said. "They were getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-and-11 team. Why? Because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That's just real rap."

When we got Terry leaving Craig's on Monday night ... we had to ask the Hall of Fame QB about Beckham's comments -- and Bradshaw seemed to think they're BS.

"Really?" Bradshaw said shaking his head ... "Totally disagree. Yeah, that's crazy!"

That's when TB turned to our camera guy and issued a strong message to Odell -- telling him to just be quiet and enjoy the Browns!!

Of course, Odell's old team won't play his new team this year (we know, bummer) ... but the Giants and Browns ARE set to meet in 2020.

Tyler Skaggs' wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late MLB pitcher on Monday ... delivering an emotional speech at his private funeral.

"I made a last-minute decision to speak. I didn't think I'd be able to. But, Tyler has given me some strength today," Carli said in front of Skaggs' family, friends and L.A. Angels teammates.

"Tyler, my most handsome husband and love of my life. You showed me what real love is. And, as badly as I'm hurting, I consider myself blessed to have been loved by you."

The service in Skaggs' native Santa Monica featured 14 different speakers -- including Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney and Skaggs' former teammate Garrett Richards -- as well as several family members.

"When I look back at our life together, I have no regrets," Carli added. "We said 'I love you' every hour. We never missed an opportunity to say how fortunate we are to have found our true love."

"6 years later, we never got tired of being together, and looked forward to those sacred off days. I'm grateful we never took our love for granted. Always showing the utmost respect for each other."

Carli reminisced about the first time they met ... as well as their "breakfast traditions, dinner at Benihana, daily jacuzzi, and late night runs to In-N-Out."

"You are my forever soulmate, lover, confidante and best friend. You are my rock and I know you are by my side helping me to move forward one step at a time."

Skaggs died in his team hotel room in the Dallas area on July 1 during a road trip to Texas to play the Rangers. A cause of death has not been released.

He was 27 years old.

"I will love you til my last breath until we are together again. Miss you, babe."

Floyd Mayweather autograph seekers need to pay VERY close attention ... 'cause the boxing superstar has one specific demand when signing his signature.

Money was at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman fight in Vegas over the weekend ... when a female fan asked him to sign a boxing glove for her.

Floyd grabbed for the glove -- fully prepared to scribble his John Hancock -- but after a quick inspection, he pulled back and told her he wouldn't sign.

And, why not?? He's got a reason ...

"You already got some names on it, baby. You gotta have gloves with just me on it!!"

Yep, Floyd Mayweather won't share autograph space with other boxers -- and the proof is in the video.