TMZ Sports - Page 50

"She's Muhammad Ali's daughter, she's not Muhammad Ali."

That's boxing superstar Claressa Shields essentially telling Laila Ali to put up or shut up ... after Ali trashed Shields this week as an inferior fighter.

Shields appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) to respond to Ali's insults ... and yeah, Shields was FIRED UP!

"Let's just keep it honest. Don't say that I'm not talented because I'm the most talented female fighter there has been in the history of boxing."

Of course, 42-year-old Ali went on "Sway in the Morning" and said she would destroy Shields if they ever fought because Claressa isn't talented enough to hang with her.

FYI, Ali was 24-0 as a pro. She last fought in 2007. 24-year-old Shields is currently 10-0 and looks unstoppable.

"Laila Ali is all bark, no bite," Shields said ... "If a girl call me out, I answer."

Shields says Ali ducked Ann Wolfe back in the day. Wolfe is widely considered one of the best female fighters of all time.

Instead, Shields says Ali's resume is packed with bums, not legit top flight opponents.

"She fought against soccer moms and probably strippers or something. I fight real fighters."

Now, Shields says she's down to settle this in the ring.

Claressa says she'll give Ali one year to train up -- and even has a pay structure in mind.

"The loser gets $5 million. The winner gets $10 million."

Taylor Swift likes her workouts solo -- as in she doesn't just book a trainer, she books a gym -- sorry Justin Bieber.

Here's the deal ... Justin was at Dogpound Gym in West Hollywood with a bunch of people, but then Taylor and her crew rolled up.

We're told everyone -- including JB was asked to get the heck out of the gym -- because Taylor had an appointment. Justin's security team was approached and asked to leave, but JB's team held firm and said he was going to finish his workout before taking off.

We're told Justin, who did not have an appointment, finished -- although he was mostly goofing around and dancing -- and left ... but he had no idea it was Taylor who had requested the gym be cleared. Once he left, everyone who remained was asked to leave.

One source connected to the gym tells us Taylor did indeed have an appointment with a trainer in the gym ... and the appointment was to train alone. Justin just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

JB gave fans a preview of his routine that day, spending quite a bit of time dancing in front of mirrors to his new single, "Yummy."

Odell Beckham Jr. might've caught a big break in his butt-slapping case down in New Orleans -- 'cause the cop whose cheeks got smacked is pivoting away from pursing it.

According to NOLA.com and ESPN, the Superdome police officer who was on the receiving end of OBJ's ass slap last week is apparently not interested in pressing charges -- despite reportedly wanting to retaliate by punching Odell in the kisser, but refraining.

Of course, an arrest warrant on a simple battery charge had been issued for Odell. Now, NOLA.come reports that same officer has done a 180 ... reportedly having signed an affidavit stating he doesn't wish to press charges. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Either way, it could prove to be a major assist for Odell ... who's less likely to face prosecution if the primary alleged victim isn't cooperating. NOPD could even rescind their warrant at this point if they wanted to ... but all that remains to be seen for now.

Odell, meanwhile, has been laying low. Probably a good thing after sticking out like a sore thumb on Monday ... handing out cash to a ton of the LSU players on the sideline and raging in the locker room with them after. Probably best to let things cool off 😅.

Kamaru Usman says he'll whoop Conor's ass worse than Khabib ... and the beating will be so bad, McGregor might never fight again.

The beef heated up earlier this week at UFC 246 media event when "The Notorious" took aim at the welterweight champ, saying a Masvidal fight would be more entertaining 'cause Usman "has the similar style of Khabib, the sniff the jockstrap style."

Kamaru heard Conor ... and now he's firing back.

"Humans love the path of least resistance," Usman tells TMZ Sports ... "Fair play to him, I'd say. Fair play to Conor. But, this jock sniffer will humble him even worse than Khabib has humbled him."

Of course, Nurmagomedov dominated Conor during their October 2018 bout ... ultimately forcing him to tap midway into the 4th round.

Chris Long says he's proud of Luke Kuechly for hanging up his cleats early ... telling TMZ Sports the NFL is "a dangerous game."

"People got families," the former Eagles and Patriots Super Bowl champ says. "Good for him."

Kuechly, at just 28 years old, announced his retirement earlier this week ... and a lot of people are questioning whether it was the right call given what he's got left in the tank.

But, when we got Long out in D.C., he told us he's all for the move ... saying Kuechly -- who's battled head injuries throughout his career -- really has no reason to keep putting his body in jeopardy.

"I think guys are more financially capable to make that decision now," Long says.

"Where back in the day, you'd have to play 15 years to take care of your family, you don't have to do that anymore."

Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone are scrapping tonight in Vegas ... but the real winner in the Octagon? That's Brookliyn Wren ... and all of us.

Meet Brookliyn ... who will be working the UFC 246 fight with Arianny Celeste, Brittney Palmer, Red Dela Cruz and the rest of the UFC's Octagon girls.

Wren -- who started with the UFC back in April 2017 -- has worked some of the biggest fights in the promotion's history ... including the October 2018 Conor-Khabib fight that spilled into the stands after McGregor tapped.

"The Notorious" returns to the Octagon for the first time since that night ... and while all eyes will be on McGregor, we have a feeling Wren might catch a few glances too.

PK Subban says more women should follow Lindsey Vonn's lead and take a knee for their mans ... telling TMZ Sports a lot of dudes wanna get proposed to!!!

Remember, PK originally proposed to his Olympic ski star lady back in August ... and then LV returned the favor by popping the question over Christmas.

We spoke with the NJ Devils star out in NYC about the gesture ... and he says he wasn't surprised at all when Lindsey proposed ... and says any dude would want an expensive ass ring!!!

Roger Goodell, listen up ... Rams star left tackle Andrew Whitworth says he HATES extra points -- and wants them banned from the league ASAP!!!

We got the 4-time Pro Bowler leaving Craig's in L.A. this week ... when we got into a conversation with the big man about the XFL's new rules.

That's when Whitworth told us he loves the league's idea of getting rid of field goal attempts for a point after touchdown tries ... saying they straight-up hurt his body!!!

"I get tired of getting ran into," Andrew says. "I don't need an extra opportunity to get hit."

Of course, as an O-lineman, it's Whitworth's job to protect the kicker ... which means he's got to throw his body in the way of pass-rushing defenders EVERY TIME the Rams go for an extra point!!!

Yeah, ouch.

Here it is ... Conor McGregor and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone stripping down and weighing in for their main event fight at UFC 246 -- and good news, they both made weight!

Conor and Cowboy both hit 170 on the dot -- perfect weight for their welterweight matchup Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The last time McGregor fought, he only weighed 155 to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title.

But now, he's moved up in weight and he looks pretty good -- big, strong and UFC doctors say he's in the best shape of his MMA career.

As for Cowboy, DON'T SLEEP ON THAT GUY -- Cerrone holds the UFC record for most victories, most finishes and most fight bonuses!

Both fighters will next attend the UFC ceremonial weigh-in -- which goes down later Friday in front of thousands of fans. It's usually a chaotic scene. We'll have the highlights for you right here.

"Couldn’t imagine taking baseball instruction from an ex-female softball player."

Well, this is a horrible take ... courtesy of former San Francisco Giants star Aubrey Huff.

The ex-Silver Slugger winner -- and current internet troll -- just went off on his former team in spectacularly sexist fashion ... blasting the Giants for becoming the first MLB squad ever to hire a full-time female coach.

"I got in trouble for wearing a thong in my own clubhouse when female reporters were present," Huff said. "Can’t imagine how it will play out with a full-time female coach running around. This has #metoo & #BelieveAllWomen written all over it."

Yeah, yikes.

Of course, the Giants couldn't possibly have a more opposite take than Huff ... they said Alyssa Nakken will change their clubhouse in a way not many people EVER could.

In fact, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of the ex-Sacramento State softball superstar that he's "delighted" to have her be around the team in 2020.

But, Huff -- who won two World Series titles with SF in 2010 and 2012 -- continued with the sexism anyway ... telling former teammates Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey to "Have fun with that."

LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron says the team's trip to the White House was a PHENOMENAL experience ... telling TMZ Sports POTUS is an awesome host!!!

The national champs spent the day at 1600 Penn in Washington D.C. ... and there was a ton of action -- #45 joking about being impeached, players doing the "Get The Gat" challenge, and Coach O's name getting butchered during introductions.

We spoke with coach out in the nation's capital about the visit ... and he couldn't have been happier about how it went down.

"It was phenomenal. President Trump was a gracious host, spent a lot of time with us," Orgeron said.

"[He's] very knowledgeable about football. It was one of the best experiences we've ever had. What a great experience for our football team."

O says he and his wife even got a personal tour of the White House!!!

"I felt really good about being at the White House ... Everything was A+ today."

We also spoke with some of the players, and they backed up O's review, saying the trip was "amazing!"

Some of the guys also had a message for Clemson ... and you're gonna wanna check that out!!!

Former MLB player Alex Romero was just hit with a 20-game ban for attacking a catcher with his bat this month ... the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League announced.

As we previously reported, Aguilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui were involved a heated match on Jan. 8 ... where pitchers were throwing at batters all night.

But tensions spilled into an all-out riot in the 8th inning ... when Romero -- an ex-Arizona Diamondback -- was nearly plunked in the back by an Angel Nesbitt fastball.

The video of what happened next is shocking ... 'cause Romero took two big hacks at the opposing catcher with his bat right on the diamond!!

A brawl ensued ... and MULTIPLE players were ejected.

Now, the league is handing down punishments ... hitting Romero with a 20-game suspension -- while banning Nesbitt for the rest of the Venezuelan postseason for his role in it all.

The legend Chuck Liddell says he's pulling for a HUGE upset at UFC 246 this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he's a big fan of Cowboy Cerrone and hopes he beats Conor McGregor!!!

As we previously reported ... Dana White says UFC doctors believe Conor is in the best shape of his life leading up to his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon.

But, Liddell ain't worried about any of that talk ... telling us at the California Strong celebrity softball game he thinks Cowboy will win if he controls the fight off the rip.

"I think if Cowboy comes out and convinces he was gonna take him down, get after him and get him guessin' whether or not you're gonna go up and down, I think Cowboy can do it," The Iceman says.

FYI -- the fight is going down at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 18 and can only be streamed on ESPN+ ... so we'll see if Liddell's right about his prediction.

BTW -- Conor and Cowboy faced off at their press conference on Wednesday ... and it turned into an all-out bro fest!!

Conor praised Cowboy's career and said he respects the hell outta his game ... and the two traded compliments on each others' outfits. Cute stuff.

Liddell doesn't think all hope is lost for Conor though ... saying, "If he lets Conor get comfortable out there and firing at will, he might get one and run into trouble."

He added, "[Conor's] always going to be tough. He's always a tough striker. People have their questions whether or not he's been having some struggling from some issues lately ... but I'm a big fan of Cowboy, hopefully, he comes out with a win."

The Tennessee Titans might be in trouble this weekend ... 'cause Patrick Mahomes' jersey has made its way to The Holy One before the big AFC Championship Game!!!

It's becoming a trend for Pope Francis to receive NFL QB jerseys -- he received a custom Ravens jersey signed by Lamar Jackson back in December.

The Pontiff's collection just got a nice MVP addition ... with the bishop of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph gifting it to him in Vatican City on Thursday.

Now, the Pope is an avid soccer fan ... but the dude might start watchin' some good ole American football now that he's got a closet full of jerseys.

We should note ... it may not be necessarily good luck for Mahomes, considering Jackson's Ravens got booted from the playoffs.

But, Pope Francis loved the gesture regardless ... and who knows, maybe he'll check out the game this weekend.

"This is worse than steroids."

That's Cleveland Indians superstar Mike Clevinger going OFF on the Houston Astros ... ripping them for getting caught in a massive cheating scandal!!

"They shouldn’t feel comfortable looking at any of us in the eye let alone on the field," Clevinger said. "And any other MLB player feel different, they can get it too."

As we previously reported, the MLB dropped the hammer on Houston earlier this week ... revealing its investigation into the Astros found the team did, in fact, steal signs from opponents beginning in the 2017 season.

Tons of people have already lost their jobs over the findings ... the Astros fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow, the Red Sox let go of Alex Cora and the Mets walked away from Carlos Beltran.

The MLB also took away draft picks from Houston and fined them a whopping $5 MILLION!!!

But, clearly, Clevinger doesn't think that's enough ... 'cause he said if Rob Manfred doesn't punish individual players, he's threatening a bean war anytime he plays the 'Stros!

"This is where throwing hard has its MF perks," Clevinger said. "so either police it @MLB or  I’ll get back to my training."

Clevinger even joked he wants the Astros to get booted to Canada, writing, "I hope they make y’all the Montreal Expos."

Things might get interesting when the Tribe and 'Stros face off in June.

Victor Cruz is going to bat for his former teammate Odell Beckham -- claiming the assault allegation he's facing is BS and people need to CHILL THE HELL OUT!!!

"At this point, it feels like they're just picking on him 'cause he is who he is," the former NY Giants star told us in NYC. "Just let him live!"

As we previously reported, an arrest warrant has been issued for Beckham after footage surfaced showing him slapping a Superdome security guard in the ass during the LSU national championship locker room celebration.

The guard told cops he was furious at Odell for putting his hands on him -- and fought the urge to punch the NFL player in retaliation.

But, Cruz says he thinks the guard -- and other law enforcement members involved in the case -- are blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

"His alma mater just won the national championship. Let him have some fun!"

Cruz added ... "I think he didn't do nothing wrong ... I think he's good."

He also claims the security guard is "corny" for pursuing legal action in the first place.