TMZ Sports - Page 50

KSI vs. Justin Bieber?

Maybe ... because the YouTube superstar tells TMZ Sports he's 100% down and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, says it all comes down to getting the money right.

KSI, Hearn and boxing champ Billy Joe Saunders sat down for a special TMZ Sports roundtable ... and talked about their fighting futures -- and that's when Bieber came up.

"I don't know what weight Justin Bieber can get up to but I think that's a natural fight," Hearn joked.

KSI laughed and told us he's certain he would beat the pop star -- but that's when Hearn started telling us he thinks there's a legit chance the two could end up in the ring together.

"It's only about money and actually ambition of actually achieving something different," Hearn said. "People love boxing."

We know Bieber loves the sport -- he used to train with Floyd Mayweather. Plus, JB was ringside when his pal Lil Za took an amateur fight in 2015.

In fact, KSI says he's expecting Bieber to be in the house on the weekend when he fights Logan Paul (Nov. 9 on DAZN) ... so maybe a chance at some early negotiations?

There's a lot of good stuff in the video ...

-- Eddie Hearn says he's projecting more than 2 MILLION buys/views for KSI vs. Logan Paul.

-- Hearn says KSI will earn 7-figures, but wouldn't get any more specific about his pay.

-- KSI explains why the hatred for Paul is real and why he thinks Logan will move to MMA after he loses on Saturday.

-- We asked Billy Joe Saunders (the reigning WBO super middleweight champ) if he was upset or jealous to be fighting on KSI's undercard, considering his decorated boxing career. You gotta hear his answer.

Police in Alabama have released surveillance video of a "person of interest" who could be connected to the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard, stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

The 19-year-old woman was last seen on Oct. 23 at a Chevron station in Auburn, Alabama. Two days later, cops found her vehicle at an apartment complex in Montgomery, with significant damage around the front. Officials say Blanchard may be the victim of foul play.

Now, the Auburn P.D. has released video of a man inside the store around the same time Blanchard was there ... and believe he could have information about her disappearance.

Cops are hoping someone can identify the man in the video -- described as "a black male, early-mid 20’s, approximately 200 lbs., and is between 5'8" and 5'10."

"He is wearing dark-colored pants, dark-colored shoes and a camouflage colored hooded jacket with 'Vans' in white writing across the back. Additionally, the individual in the video was observed leaving the area in what is described as a late 2000’s model Lincoln Town Car, silver or grey in color."

Important to note the man in the video is NOT considered a suspect at this point -- but officials are calling on anyone with info to contact the Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140, the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391, or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100.

Harris -- a top UFC heavyweight -- was scheduled to fight Alistair Overeem on December 7 ... but pulled out of the fight while he continues to search for Blanchard.

The total reward money for information about Blanchard;'s disappearance is up to $105k -- with Dana White personally pitching in $25k.

Odell Beckham has been sorta privately dating an absolute BABE for months -- but they've finally gone IG official!

OBJ's lady is Lauren Wood -- a model/actress who's appeared on shows like "Ballers" and "Wild 'N Out." Her Instagram page is also FIRE!!!

Wood had been spotted at Browns games supporting the WR -- even hanging with Odell's mom -- but they hadn't taken their relationship public ... until this week!

Wood wished Beckham a happy birthday (he turned 27 on Tuesday) and posted a few pics of the two hanging out ... one shot featured the couple in bed together!

"Happy birthday @obj ! Your soul is pure gold. U know I can write lot about you, but I rather keep passing these love letters," Wood wrote.

"PS this blurry will always be my fave pic of us bc wtf is going on lol yumiii af."

Beckham commented back saying, "YUMI ... I’m riding wit u, I got ur back. U kno what it is. LOVE queen!"

BOOM! OFFICIAL!

Baker Mayfield's wife, Emily, commented, "Cuties💕 love u guys!"

So, there you have it ... happy off the field, not so much on it!

Ex-MLB All-Star Nick Swisher is still swinging for the fences in retirement ... shelling out nearly $6 million for an awesome Beverly Hills pad with a pool!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 38-year-old ex-Yankees stud and his actress wife, JoAnna Garcia, copped the super private Hidden Valley home recently ... and the "forest-like sanctuary" comes with everything you could ask for.

The 6,780-square-foot crib has 5 bedrooms and 7 baths, a media room, bar, library and office, gourmet chef's kitchen, master suite, walk-in closets and a dope pool/hot tub outside with a yard!!!

And, don't bother trying to visit Swisher's new palace unannounced -- the place has 24/7 guarded security. Yeah, dude ain't messing around.

Not only is the pad cool and private, it's also in a perfect location for hitting up all the Beverly Hills hot spots -- it's only about a 5-mile drive to Mastro's!!!

Final closing price -- $5.95 million (just a little bit of change for a guy who made over $94 million in his career).

So much for a BMF2 ...

Seems Nate Diaz has changed his mind about running it back with Jorge Masvidal -- saying, "F*ck a rematch."

Remember, Diaz lost the first-ever Bad Mother F*cker match at Madison Square Garden on Saturday ... when the doctor stopped the fight after the 3rd round due to bad cuts on Nate's face.

At the time, both Nate and Jorge declared a rematch WOULD happen -- with Nate saying, "I would love to run it back. That's the only thing I want to do."

But, Diaz has had a change of heart ... and posted the update on IG on Wednesday night.

"F*ck a rematch this shit was over before it started. I’m goin on out on tour. Peace out fight game."

Giancarlo Stanton is ready for two more superstar teammates ... the Yankees outfielder tells TMZ Sports he wants NYY to sign BOTH Gerrit Cole AND Stephen Strasburg!!

"You can never go wrong with Cole and Strasburg!" Stanton says.

The two stud pitchers are set to be free agents this offseason after epic playoff runs for the Astros and Nats respectively ... and when we got Stanton outside of Il Pastaio, he made his Pinstripes pitch to both guys.

"I'm pretty sure Gerrit grew up a Yankees fan, so he'd always like to do that," Stanton tells us. "And, Stras, we debuted together, so he'd like that!"

As for if there'd be any jealousy in a clubhouse full of superstars adding TWO MORE to the mix ... Stanton says hell no, telling us, "You can never have too many!"

So, could it actually happen? Maybe. Both guys are reportedly in line for some MASSIVE contracts, and everyone knows the Yankees have the cash to bring in big free agents.

By the way, Stanton -- who only played in 18 of 162 regular season games -- also tells us he's ALREADY working to make sure a repeat of his injury-shortened 2019 season doesn't happen again next year.

The 29-year-old slugger says he's trying to start his workouts WAY earlier this offseason ... and showed us he's serious about it -- already decked out in gym attire!

Things started off great ... Carmelo Anthony returned to Syracuse on Wednesday to try and inspire the basketball team to beat Virginia!

The speech was great, Melo said all the right things ... everyone seemed FIRED UP! And, that's when everything went wrong ...

The Orangemen proceeded to get DEMOLISHED by the Cavaliers in a 48 to 34 loss.

You read that right. Syracuse only dropped 34 points in a full 40-minute basketball game.

It's the lowest point total in Jim Boeheim’s 44-year coaching tenure, according to Syracuse.com.

Yeesh.

As for Melo, his appearance was a surprise to everybody -- telling the players Boeheim didn't even know he was coming!

"I just want to let y'all know how important this is for me to be here on your guys opening night. [Boeheim] didn't even know I was coming."

Melo continued, "I wanted to be here for you guys. I know the excitement that's surrounding you guys right now. Nobody gonna give y'all a shot. Everybody gonna count y'all out. But, as long as you got each other right here, this is what matters."

Of course, Melo is a legend at Syracuse -- he led the 2003 basketball team to a national championship before bouncing to the NBA after one year.

But, the two sides are on good terms -- in 2009, Cuse named the practice facility after Melo.

Jon Jones says he's FINALLY decided on his next opponent -- revealing his sights are now set on Dominick Reyes instead of Corey Anderson ... and he's looking to make a statement.

"Just finished a coaches meeting studying Dominick and Cory‘s careers. Established Dominicks definitely the more dangerous fighter. Beating his ass next."

Jones had been debating between the two UFC fighters after they both SHOWED OUT in recent fights -- Reyes KO'd Chris Weidman and Anderson beat up Johnny Walker.

Both men have been calling for a fight with Jon for a while -- with Reyes telling us Jones was ducking him.

"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!"

32-year-old Jones tweeted that he just wasn't interested in 29-year-old Reyes ... but clearly, something's changed.

Recently Dana White told us Reyes was the fight to make but the deal wasn't done yet.

Now, it seems Jones is laser-focused on Reyes ... and barring an injury, this one looks like it'll happen soon.

So, where does this leave Corey Anderson? Great question ... dude's been on a tear lately and recently cracked the Top 5 rankings in the UFC's light heavyweight division.

Milwaukee Bucks star Eric Bledsoe KNOWS he's getting clowned online for his massive brainfart during the Clippers game ... but he ain't worried, he thinks it's funny!

In case you missed it, Bledsoe took the ball from the ref and was SUPPOSED to inbound it to another player in the 4th quarter ... but instead, he just dribbled it inbounds and acted like nothing happened!

Of course, that's illegal -- and Bledsoe was charged with a turnover. Don't worry, the Bucks still won the game 129 to 124 ... and afterward, we talked to Eric at Mastro's in Bev Hills about the roasting he's getting online.

"Oh, that s**t was funny," Bledsoe told us with a smile ... "It happens, man!"

Ever seen a Beluga whale play fetch in the open seas before???

Now ya have ... 'cause the Seattle Seawolves just posted video of the adorable mammal retrieving a rugby ball from deep in the ocean -- and it's incredible!!

The 74 seconds of awesome begins with some people on a boat pulling a ball out of the Beluga's mouth ... and then they hurl the sphere about 20 yards away.

That's when the whale swims out and grabs it ... AND THEN BRINGS IT BACK TO THE BOAT!!! It's seriously amazing.

Unclear why the guys decided to have the impromptu game of catch ... but the Seawolves were stoked to post the footage Thursday.

"Great to see a fellow marine mammal enjoying a bit of catch-pass with one of the @RugbyWorldCup balls!" the team wrote. "The #Beluga seems to prefer the offload instead of the spin pass."

FYI, the Seawolves' season starts in a few months -- which means there's definitely enough time to make a nickname change to the Belugas ...

UFC star Francis Ngannou is finally responding to Tyson Fury -- telling TMZ Sports if Fury is serious about competing in MMA, Francis is "200% down!"

Remember, Fury -- one of the top heavyweight boxers on the planet -- says he's dead serious about trying his luck in the Octagon ... and plans to train with Conor McGregor.

Fury also said he's eyeing Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou and possible opponents.

So, we reached out to Francis to see if he was game -- and man, HE'S ALL IN!!!

In fact, the 6'4", 258-pound heavyweight says he'll make a 2-fight deal with Tyson -- if Fury agrees to meet him in the Octagon, he'll do a SECOND match in the boxing ring.

Ngannou tells us ... long before he became an MMA fighter, he had dreams of becoming a boxing champ -- and he believes he has the skill set to compete with a champ like Fury.

Ngannou says he's already instructed his management team to reach out to Fury to see if there's a way to make it happen ... and thinks the UFC would be on board.

We recently spoke to UFC honcho Dana White who told us he's a huge Fury fan and would love to get in business with him ... but advised Tyson to focus on boxing instead of trying to transition to MMA.

But, if there was a 2-fight deal including a boxing match, you gotta wonder if White -- who's launching a boxing promotion in 2020 -- would be more open to getting a deal done.

Ngannou has already gotten some pointers on how to fight Fury from Mike Tyson -- and Francis says Iron Mike has offered to train him if Fury accepts the fight.

Darren Waller ain't scared of relapsing when he has to move to Las Vegas after the Raiders bolt from Oakland ... in fact, he tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to be a sobriety symbol in Sin City.

The tight end's battle with substance abuse is well known ... the 27-year-old nearly lost his NFL career before it really even began because of issues with opiates and cocaine.

But, Waller's been on the straight and narrow for over two years now ... and he tells us he ain't concerned one bit about how a permanent move to Vegas might change that.

In fact, Waller says once he gets to LV with his Raiders squad ... he immediately wants to help others find sobriety like he did back in 2017.

"Maybe I can step into a community that really is rough to be in for people who may not think they can be sober in that environment," Waller tells us.

"And, really try to be an example or just be someone that people could lean on. And, just build a community there where people feel safe."

It's an awesome gesture from Waller ... and he's the perfect guy for the role -- 'cause this year has been the best of his life.

NFL teams in need of a receiver may have a former All-Pro hitting them up VERY soon ... 'cause Dez Bryant says he's feeling good and ready to get back on the field!!!

Of course, Dez unfortunately tore his Achilles just 2 days after signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 ... and hasn't been on a team since.

Bryant recently spoke out about his depression and anxiety on Twitter back in July, saying he had "no interest in playing football right now" ... but made it clear he wasn't retiring.

Now, the 3-time Pro Bowler is ready to hit the gridiron and help out a team in need ... tweeting "I’m not trying to go nowhere and be a starter on a team I want to contribute because I know I will be able too."

"I’m feeling good... in two weeks I’m going to reach out to teams and see what happens.... let’s go X."

Green Bay Packers superstar Za'Darius Smith admitted to cops he had smoked weed shortly before he was pulled over for speeding ... telling an officer, "We had smoked earlier."

It's all in police video obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Smith and Packers rookies Rashan Gary and Kingsley Keke getting stopped on Sept. 29 in Racine, Wisc.

Smith was busted for doing 81 mph in a 60 -- but when a cop asked him how much weed he had in his vehicle ... the superstar pass rusher straight-up admitted to smoking earlier in the day.

That's when the officer put Smith and his teammates in cuffs and searched the 2019 Yukon ... and found what appeared to be blunts and a vaping cartridge in the guys' pricey bags.

When the cops came back to ask who owned the blunts ... Smith seemed surprised to learn they were in there -- but took the fall for them anyway.

"I'll put it on me, yessir," Smith said.

As for the cartridge, Smith also took the fall for that, saying again, "I'll put that on me."

The cop cited Smith for speeding and possession of marijuana. Gary and Keke were NOT cited in the incident.

Unclear if the NFL will hand down punishment to Smith for admitting to smoking ... but it'd be a big deal if they did. Za'Darius has been a star for the Packers after signing a 4-year, $66 MILLION deal this offseason.

As for his citations ... Smith's facing nothing more than fines for those, but his attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to both of the infractions earlier this week.

Jay-Z's Roc Nation and Philadelphia Eagles star Malcolm Jenkins are putting up big money to share the heart-wrenching stories of parents who've lost children to social injustice.

Malcolm's Players Coalition released a powerful video Wednesday focusing on the tragic death of Danroy "DJ" Henry ... a Pace University football star who was fatally shot by a police officer back in 2010.

The PSA is narrated by DJ's mother, Angella Henry ... and makes the point that what happened to her son could, sadly, happen to anyone's child.

You might have seen the hashtag #EveryonesChild trending on Twitter today -- and that's not by accident. Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Roc Nation is throwing its full support behind the message, spending $1 million on social media and several other outlets to advertise the PSA.

Roc artist Meek Mill even tweeted about the PSA, as did CNN's Van Jones. Of course, both men have been on the frontlines of the push for criminal justice reform.

When Jay-Z announced his partnership with the NFL, he promised to help players get the word out about social issues important to them and their communities -- and we're told Roc Nation plans to do that through its new "Responsibility Program."

We're told the program will produce a series of videos, similar in tone to the DJ Henry one ... aiming to not only raise awareness but also to push for legislation supporting criminal justice reform.

As Malcolm, cofounder of the Players Coalition, says, "We have a responsibility to use our platforms to unite people and foster positive change ... but we can't achieve that goal without education." He added ... that's the ultimate goal of the DJ Henry video.

Alex Morgan truly is a superhero ... the USA soccer superstar says she's still planning to play in the 2020 Olympics -- just months after she has her baby!!!

The 30-year-old striker announced last month she's having a baby girl with her husband, LA Galaxy stud Servando Carrasco ... and the due date is April 2020.

Of course, next year's summer Olympics are scheduled to kick off in Tokyo just weeks after that ... with opening ceremonies slated for July 24.

For all you non-math whizzes out there ... that's just about 3 months!!!

But, in an interview with USA TODAY Sports earlier this week ... Morgan says she's gunning to get back on the pitch with her American teammates despite that tiny time frame.

"After having a healthy baby, I want to get back with the national team and look forward to playing in Tokyo," Morgan said.

It's not exactly unprecedented ... her fellow Team USA squadmate, Sydney Leroux, returned to the field in September for her NWSL team just 3 months after she had her baby earlier this year.

In other sports, it's been done too ... remember, Mackenzie Dern straight-up fought in the UFC just 4 months after she gave birth!!