TMZ Sports - Page 50

No hostility, just respect ... at least that's how it went down when Canelo Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev met backstage for a recent fight event -- with Kovalev even asking for a selfie!!!

The two came face to face during a Sept. 18 promotional event leading up to their big Nov. 2 fight in Las Vegas ... and it was like old friends getting together!!!

Sergey commented on Canelo beefing up as he prepared his body to jump two weight classes to fight Kovalev as a light heavyweight ... the first time Canelo's ever fought at that weight.

And, after a friendly exchange and a fist pound, Canelo agreed to pose a quick selfie.

It was all captured for DAZN's docu-series, "40 Days: Canelo vs. Kovalev" -- which features all of the behind the scenes drama leading up to what could be the fight of the year.

The 3-part series, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's Uninterrupted brand -- along with Mexican soccer superstar Carlos Vela -- kicks off Tuesday night ... and features stars like Gabriel Iglesias, Draymond Green and DJ Khaled.

Sorry, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady ... you are both NOT the top QB in the NFL -- so says Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who tells TMZ Sports Aaron Rodgers is that man!!

"His talent level is just unheard of," the wide receiver says.

Of course, MVS is biased ... Rodgers is the only NFL QB he's ever caught passes from -- but the Pack's new star says he's had that opinion since BEFORE Green Bay drafted him in 2018.

"The way he can make throws from positions that you've never even seen before is just uncanny," Valdes-Scantling says ... "It's crazy."

Rodgers is coming off the best game of his career Sunday against Oakland -- 6 total TDs and a perfect 158.3 passer rating -- so it ain't exactly easy to argue with Marquez.

As for the guys catching balls from Rodgers this season ... Valdes-Scantling is high on those dudes as well, telling us he thinks the Packers' WR group is one of the best in the league.

A Houston Astros exec allegedly taunted a group of female reporters about a star player's domestic violence allegations ... but the team says that ain't exactly how it went down.

The man at the center of the controversy is assistant GM Brandon Taubman -- one of the top execs of the team -- who was reportedly fired up about star pitcher Roberto Osuna after their ALCS win Saturday night.

FYI, Osuna allegedly assaulted his baby mama in May 2018, while playing for the Blue Jays -- but the charges were dropped when the alleged victim disappeared to Mexico and refused to cooperate with prosecutors.

MLB suspended Osuna for 75 games and the Blue Jays, looking to get rid of his ass, traded Osuna to the Astros.

Fast-forward to Saturday night when Taubman ... Sports Illustrated cites a reporter (who was there) and several witnesses who say this happened during the locker room celebration.

"Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, 'Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f*cking glad we got Osuna!'"'

Yeah, sounds bad. REALLY bad.

But, the Astros are disputing the report ... seemingly acknowledging Taubman made the comments, but didn't intend them to be an offensive attack toward the women.

"The story posted by Sports Illustrated is misleading and completely irresponsible."

"An Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing. Our executive was supporting the player during a difficult time."

The team added, "His comments had everything to do about the game situation that just occurred and nothing else -- they were also not directed toward any specific reporters."

"We are extremely disappointed in Sports Illustrated’s attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist."

Since the S.I. article came out, the Houston Chronicle says two of its reporters confirm the S.I. account.

So far, no footage of the incident has surfaced. But, we're guessing SOMEONE in that locker room caught something on video.

NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown -- one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time -- has died at 78, Raiders officials confirm.

Brown was a MONSTER on the field during his illustrious 15-year NFL career -- winning 3 Super Bowls and making 4 Pro Bowls in addition to making the AFL All-Star team 5 times!

Brown boasted 54 career interceptions -- 39 of them with the Oakland Raiders. He's currently the co-owner of the Raiders franchise record holder for INTs.

His career path was unusual ... Brown was a stud at Grambling State but was NOT drafted. So, he signed as a free agent with the Houston Oilers in 1963 but was cut during training camp.

He later signed with the Denver Broncos of the AFL, where he became a star -- only to be traded to Oakland in 1967, where he played until he retired in 1978.

Brown played in 3 Super Bowls with the Raiders -- XI, XV and XVIII -- and at one time, held the record for the longest Super Bowl interception with a 75-yard return in XI.

James Harrison later broke the record with a 100-yard return in Super Bowl XLIII.

After his NFL playing career, Brown became a defensive back coach with the Raiders from 1979 to 1988.

Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984, his first year of eligibility.

He's survived by his wife and 3 children.

Ever seen a 7'3" NBA center jam himself into a tiny-ass sports car???

Now you have ... 'cause Kristaps Porzingis shoved his giant frame into what appears to be a Tesla Roadster Monday night -- and the video is hilarious!!!

The Dallas Mavericks superstar was out with teammates Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson -- when hilarity ensued at a valet stand.

A tiny electric car pulled up ... and for some reason, Kristaps poured himself into it -- and everyone who was watching could not stop laughing.

Porzingis' knees were jammed up near his throat ... his suit looked like it was going to rip ... and his teammates were begging the guy to get out!!! It's pretty funny.

Porzingis eventually got out of the car unscathed (except for a minor cramp) -- and somewhere Mark Cuban was breathing again.

Ronda Rousey absolutely DESTROYED her real-life husband, Travis Browne, in an underground fight club on Monday ... and it was all for an episode of the show, "9-1-1."

Ronda is a regular cast member on the FOX hit -- and this week Ronda's character, Lena, brought her firefighter coworker, Eddie, (played by Ryan Guzman) to a parking lot fight club to work out his anger issues.

But, Ronda wasn't a spectator, she was there to fight -- and her opponent is a giant, bearded tattooed man ... whose face you never really see.

But, when we slowed down the tape, it was obvious that dude is Browne -- a 6'7", 250-pound former UFC fighter!!!

The fight doesn't go too well for Browne ... Ronda's character easily ducked a few punches before hitting him with a flying knee.

She followed up with a superman punch, slammed his head against a truck, hit him with a judo throw and then obliterated his face with some elbow strikes from the top position.

All in all ... pretty good stuff!!!

Remember, it ain't all glitz and glamour for Rousey ... who seriously JACKED UP her finger in real life while shooting a scene for the show earlier this year.

As for Browne, he was 18-7 as a pro-MMA fighter -- with wins over guys like Matt Mitrione, Fabrício Werdum, Brendan Schaub and Alistair Overeem.

Monica is officially flying solo -- her divorce from ex-NBA baller Shannon Brown is now finalized after spending a few minutes Tuesday morning before the judge.

The singer and her attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham, arrived at the courthouse in Fayetteville, GA ... but her now ex-husband, Shannon, was a no-show. That made for a quick, drama-free hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes. The judge granted Monica's divorce and -- as she requested -- restored her maiden name. She's now back to Monica Arnold.

Their split moved pretty quickly, legally speaking. You'll recall, filed for divorce back in March after nearly 10 years of marriage to the former Lakers star. They had separated about a year ago.

They have a 6-year-old daughter together, Laiyah. As for an agreement on child support ... the details were sealed in court. No word on if either will pay spousal support.

Either way ... Monica seemed satisfied with the outcome, as she left court smiling and surrounded by family members.

Business is officially closing in the Steel City -- Antonio Brown's Pittsburgh mansion with a pimped-out tree house is up for grabs ... and it can be yours for $2.3 MILLION!!

Things went south REAL quick in Pennsylvania for AB ... so it's no wonder he's trying to part ways with the pad. But, aside from all the drama, the place is dope.

The home comes complete with the 2-story tree mansion, it also has a custom basketball court (which might need a makeover if a Steelers fan cops the place), a turf field, home theater, gourmet kitchen, gym and a sauna.

There are 5 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms in the place -- listed by Shane and Amy Smith in partnership with Jordan Stuart and Next Move -- and it also has a study, spacious dining room, and a family room with a "jaw-dropping stone fireplace."

But, the best part of the home is the FAMOUS insane tree house, once featured on the Animal Planet TV show "Treehouse Masters" ... and it's AWESOME!!!

But, seriously, the tree house is a home in itself ... you could buy the place and Airbnb that thang out and start your own boomin' business -- AB style.

Forget the football hangover ... the XFL has announced it's official kickoff date -- Feb. 8 -- just 6 days after the NFL wraps up the 2019 season.

The Super Bowl goes down on Feb. 2 ... and the following weekend, the XFL will debut with a prime-time game on ABC featuring ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones.

Cardale -- a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- is the face of the D.C. Defenders, which takes on the Seattle Dragons, coached by Jim Zorn.

The Defenders also feature WR Max McCaffrey -- brother of Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Dragons roster features former NY Jets tight end Jace Amaro, a 2nd-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Later that day, a 2nd XFL game will air on FOX featuring the Houston Roughnecks vs. the L.A. Wildcats.

L.A.'s roster features ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman, who is reviving his pro football career after being found NOT GUILTY in a sexual assault case.

During his college career, Oakman was at one point projected to be a high 1st-round NFL Draft pick ... until the criminal allegations derailed his career.

As for Houston, their QB is ex-Michigan State star Connor Cook, a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Ex-Auburn star WR Sammie Coates, a 3rd-round NFL Draft pick, is also on the Roughnecks.

This will be the first XFL season since version 1.0 in 2001 ... and Vince McMahon insists he's doing everything in his power to make it work this time around.

Kevin Hart's slowly but surely getting back on his grind, and that includes carving out time to hang with good friends like Jay-Z.

Kev and Jay were out Monday night in Bev Hills with an impressive crew at Avra. The mogul and the movie star kicked it with Murder Inc. honcho Irv Gotti and LeBron James' right-hand man, Maverick Carter.

They all hung out for about 3 hours inside the joint ... where they played poker, broke bread and exchanged hugs on the way out. We're guessing everyone was congratulating Kevin -- who seemed to be moving around well -- on his amazing recovery from last month's scary crash.

As we've reported, Kev continues to get intensive outpatient therapy, and based on this video ... it is definitely working.

A Russian Instagram star -- known as Bazooka Arms -- stepped into the cage for an MMA fight against a Russian blogger ... and it didn't end well for the man with inflated biceps.

Kirill Tereshin went viral a few years ago after he reportedly artificially inflated his arms with Synthol drug injections. The 23-year-old (who has 445k IG followers) reportedly served in the Russian military.

But, last week, the guy decided to test his mettle against Russian blogger Oleg Mongol in a real MMA match in a gym in the Russian Republic of Khakassia.

Things started off okay for Bazooka Arms ...he traded strikes with Mongol ... but you can see his freakishly large arms quickly began to tire.

And, when the fight went to the ground, it didn't go well for him ... with Mongol eventually driving his forearm into Tereshin's neck so deeply, the IG star panicked and tapped.

There's no bad blood ... the two hugged it out at the end of the fight.

Oscar De La Hoya is being sued by a woman who claims the boxing legend sexually assaulted and battered her during a booze-fueled 2017 hookup ... and the allegations are graphic.

The woman who filed the suit uses the alias "Jane Doe" to protect her identity -- but describes herself as a licensed vocational nurse who met Oscar in 2016.

In her suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Doe admits the two had an ongoing consensual sexual relationship, but says things went awry in Nov. 2017 when he invited her over to check out his new house in Pasadena.

Doe claims Oscar had bottles of alcohol and "a bag of what appeared to be cocaine" in his kitchen when she arrived -- and she claims it became clear, he was on a mission to get wasted.

After Oscar became intoxicated, she claims the boxer invited her to the bedroom to hook up -- and during the encounter, he asked if she was down to "experiment" sexually.

Doe claims she declined various unusual requests and Oscar became frustrated -- but things came to a head when he "ultimately held her down with one arm while forcefully trying to insert his fist into Plaintiff's vagina."

In her suit, Doe claims she "repeatedly said no and demanded that De La Hoya stop. However, De La Hoya overpowered her and suddenly and forcefully pushed his hand and fist into Plaintiff's vagina."

Doe claims she screamed in pain and yelled at Oscar -- but he just laughed and told her to take a shot of alcohol. The woman claims she refused the booze and angrily left the house.

After the incident, Doe claims she "felt extreme swelling and pain for which she was prescribed medication at urgent care."

She also "sought treatment with a Doctor of Psychology and Certified Sex Therapist who diagnosed Plaintiff with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder arising from the sexual battery by De La Hoya."

The woman does not say in her suit if she ever filed a report with police.

Doe claims she still suffers from extreme distress, humiliation, indignation and outrage -- along with depression, anxiety and related symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In her suit, filed by attorney Greg Kirakosian, Doe is demanding unspecified damages for sexual assault, sexual battery, gender violence, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

We reached out to multiple people in De La Hoya's camp multiple times -- so far, no word back.

"He’s still a great player, not a hall of famer yet, though."

That's Michael Jordan talking about ... get this ... STEPH CURRY!!!

His Airness made the statement on Tuesday's "Today" show -- when he was backing an old claim that the 4 dudes he would select in a pickup game would be Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

When Craig Melvin asked if Steph Curry should be offended that he isn't on MJ's list, Jordan replied ... "I hope not. He's still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet, though."

Of course, Curry is a LOCK for the Hall of Fame -- 3x NBA champ, 2x MVP, 6x NBA All-Star ... and he's widely considered one of (if not) the greatest shooter of all time.

Guessing Curry won't take this too seriously ...

During the interview, Jordan also revealed he no longer plays pickup basketball because he's afraid his hyper-competitive nature will kick in and "it will take over."

Melvin says MJ is concerned that he would compete TOO HARD and end up hurting himself.

WWE superstar Big Show -- who's fought guys like Hulk Hogan, Floyd Mayweather and John Cena -- has a warning for newcomer Cain Velasquez -- there's NO ONE as scary as Brock Lesnar!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the wrestling legend about the ex-UFC star's upcoming fight with Lesnar at 'SmackDown' on Friday ... and we had to ask if Cain has a snowball's chance in hell at winning his first match.

"I'mma be real honest with you, I’ve been wrestling for 25 years, I have never seen a monster like Brock Lesner and the warpath that’s he’s been on for the past few years," Show tells us at LAX.

"He's stronger, he’s faster, he’s seasoned, he’s confident in where he is. He’s tough."

Big Show knows what he's talking about -- he's had several legendary matches against Lesnar in his career ... including SmackDown in 2003 when the freakin' RING COLLAPSED!!!

Of course, Cain and Lesnar met in the Octagon years ago, with Velasquez taking the win at UFC 121 ... but Big Show doesn't see history repeating itself.

As for critics of the matchup complaining about putting Cain against Brock in his first-ever WWE event, Show says people should just enjoy the fight for what it is.

You gotta watch this video ... UFC fighter Dominick Reyes passionately explaining why he's convinced he's the guy who will finally beat Jon Jones -- and he's FIRED UP!!!

"I got these hands. I got this heart. I'm Mexican. He's never fought a Mexican. I'm tough as s**t and I'm never gonna stop!"

Reyes is coming off a 1st-round highlight-reel knockout of ex-UFC champ Chris Weidman -- and he tells TMZ Sports he's sick of waiting for his crack at the G.O.A.T.

"I've taken out 6 guys in a row in my division. I'm undefeated, nobody's ever beat me. I don't have quit in me. I don't know how to lose. That's not what I do. I'm here to win fights, and I'm here to win 'em emphatically."

When asked if his team has had official talks with the UFC or Jones to get a fight on the books, Reyes broke it down this way ...

"We're working on it right now but it almost feels like he's hiding behind his managers at this point."

"His managers are trying to tell me what I need, telling me I need another fight. Don't tell me what I need dude. How 'bout you worry about your boy! I know he's scared to fight me!"

Reyes also told us why he's different from Daniel Cormier, Anthony Smith and other UFC stars who have vowed to beat Jones only to come up short.

Ya gotta listen to what Reyes has to say ... he wants this fight BAD!!!

Cops in Buffalo have opened an investigation into Miami Dolphins player Bobby McCain ... after a fan claims the defensive back spit on him Sunday after losing to the Bills.

28-year-old fan Dylan Wentland told the Associated Press the alleged incident happened as McCain headed to the team locker room following the 31-21 loss.

Wentland claimed he had several verbal altercations with the player before the game after McCain threatened to spit on a 13-year-old fan for calling him "irrelevant."

The Erie County Sheriff's Office has confirmed they're working with the NFL to investigate the alleged incident. Officials are currently in the process of obtaining security footage to see if the alleged loogie attack was caught on video.

And, get this, McCain just issued a statement addressing the allegations -- and he's not exactly denying it!!!

"I regret the incident that happened with me and the fan yesterday after the game," McCain said."

"I wish I would've handled myself better. I spoke with Coach Flores today. We're on the same page. We're looking forward to Pittsburgh and going through preparation."