TMZ Sports - Page 50

"Sometimes I feel like a bitch because I don't want that person to come out ... 'cause if he comes out hell is coming with him."

That's Mike Tyson getting extremely emotional talking about the monster he used to be -- and although Mike says he's a changed man, he's deathly afraid of relapsing.

The boxing legend opened up with Sugar Ray Leonard on the "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast ... saying he felt "empty" after his boxing career wrapped up.

"I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared, that’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that’s all I was born for," Mike said.

"Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing."

"I’m working on being the art of humbleness. That’s the reason I’m crying, 'cause I’m not that person no more, and I miss him."

Tyson continued, "And, it’s not funny at all. It's not cool like I’m a tough guy. It’s just that I hate that guy, I’m scared of him."

53-year-old Tyson says Leonard knew him back in his heyday -- and knows that he's changed his life -- but it's been a challenging process to get to where he is now.

Longtime jockey Richard Gamez has died after he suffered devastating injuries in a fall from his horse during a race Sunday at a famous Arizona track.

The 66-year-old was reportedly in the lead at Rillito Park Racetrack in the Tucson area when his horse suddenly bucked him from his saddle.

Gamez hit the ground ... and after he was trampled by another horse -- he was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

On Monday, track officials announced Gamez had died ... and in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star, a track spokesperson said the injuries were catastrophic.

"The accident was such that it didn’t really have anything to do with his age," Rillito Park Foundation president Jaye Wells said. "I'm no medical expert, but we believe the brain injury was such that he wouldn't have survived if he'd been 20."

Gamez's horse was reportedly not injured in the accident.

Gamez had been racing and raising horses for decades ... reportedly running in hundreds of events and winning more than $1 MILLION in prize money.

"He was a good guy. A hell of a guy. He loved horses," his friend, Hector Pinedo, told the Arizona Daily Star. "He loved the sport of kings, and he died doing what he did best."

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell -- one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time -- says he's finally "officially retired" from fighting ... for now.

The 50-year-old legend has been undecided about his fighting career for a while -- despite losing to Tito Ortiz in his last performance in Nov. 2018.

In fact, as recently as October 2019, Liddell told ESPN he was "undecided" about his future as a fighter.

But when we saw Liddell at LAX, he told us straight up, "I'm officially retired right now ... for now."

The former UFC lightweight champ had an amazing career -- with a 21-9 pro record ... including two historic wins over Tito Ortiz and two wins over Randy Couture.

Chuck was a pioneer in the world of MMA and is widely credited with helping to grow the UFC into the juggernaut it is today.

So, what's next for The Iceman?! Chuck says he's always been interested in the WWE ... and has tremendous respect for pro wrestlers ... "That would be a lot of fun!"

In the meantime, Liddell is still training like a maniac at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in West Hollywood where he works out with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Demi Lovato!

UFC superstar Yoel Romero says he's not even close to retirement -- despite the fact he's about to turn 43 years old -- telling TMZ Sports he's got another 10 YEARS left in the tank!

The Cuban-born middleweight star is gearing up to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 in Las Vegas on Saturday ... and Romero says he's laser-focused on winning Israel's belt.

There's no bad blood between these two ... Romero says he loves everybody, but he's ready to take care of business when they step in the Octagon on March 7.

As for his UFC future, Romero tells us he thinks he's good to go for another decade ... and made sure to show off his abs to let us know he means business!

We've done some digging and from what we've found, the oldest person to take a UFC fight is Randy Couture who was 47 years old when he battled Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 in 2011.

Couture lost that fight but had won a previous 3 matches. Randy was 46 years old when he defeated James Toney.

To our knowledge, it doesn't appear anyone over the age of 50 has ever competed in a UFC fight.

Eight deputies were involved in snapping and taking and/or sharing photos of Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash site ... according to L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The Sheriff made the revelation Monday, saying he's "shocked" by the scandal and calling it "a punch to the gut." Villanueva says the images have been erased and the deputies involved are facing disciplinary action and an investigation.

Villanueva also says there's a "sense of betrayal" to the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy. He claims there were only 2 groups at the scene authorized to take pics -- the coroner and NTSB investigators.

As you know ... Vanessa Bryant was devastated after hearing Sheriff's deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe and the 8 other victims, and she wants those responsible punished.

As we've reported ... some deputies took pics at the crash site and sent them to numerous people inside and outside the department. Law enforcement sources also told us a deputy trainee was inside a bar several days after the crash and showed a woman photos of the remains. The bartender overheard and filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Department.

Villanueva says it's not a crime for law enforcement to take these photos, but he says it's still against department policy and says he's apologized to the families.

Megan Thee Stallion says certain execs at her record label have a rep for "bullying and strong-armed tactics," but she's taking a stand by taking them to court ... and she's already won a major battle.

Meg went on the offensive by filing suit Monday against 1501 Certified Entertainment and its honcho, Carl Crawford. As you know, she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was 20, and claims it's now blocking her from releasing new music because she wants to renegotiate.

A district judge in Harris County Texas granted Megan a temporary restraining order which prevents her label from blocking the music she plans to drop on Friday.

In the suit, Megan lays out the most outrageous terms of her contract, at least in her eyes. For instance, she claims the deal calls for 1501 Certified to get 60% of her recording income. The remaining 40% goes to her, but she has to use that to pay engineers, mixers and featured artists who work on the songs.

Point is ... MTS claims there's a very small slice of pie left for her when it's all said and done. She also says her live gigs currently benefit the label more than her.

According to the suit, the contract calls for all money from Megan's touring and live performances to be paid directly to 1501 Certified. She says the label is supposed to give her a proper accounting of what she's owed -- but claims what they've provided is incomplete, and "purposefully and deceptively vague."

Megan also claims Crawford has been using his relationship with Rap-a-Lot Records founder J. Prince to intimidate people in the industry. In the suit, she claims Crawford pressured a producer to hand over beats by saying Prince would be pissed. Megan claims, "Prince is notorious in the industry for strong-armed intimidation tactics, and the comment was taken as a physical threat of harm."

Megan thinks Prince has had a hand in an online smear campaign against her ... including the recent story about her getting arrested 5 years ago.

All of these headaches simply aren't worth it to Megan, who says in exchange for signing the contract she got a measly $10,000 advance. Hence, her desire to renegotiate.

She's suing Carl and 1501 Certified Entertainment for at least $1 million in damages. Megan is not suing J. Prince.

BTW, the temporary restraining order she got also prevents the label from attacking or abusing her on social media. Megan's attorney, Richard Busch, tells TMZ, "We are very happy the Court granted our TRO and thrilled that the world should be able to now hear Megan's new music on March 6. We will now proceed with the other claims set forth in the [lawsuit]."

Bill O'Brien probably ain't gonna love this ...

Here's Houston Texans linebacker Barkevious Mingo firing a cannon in Hungary ... and it's terrifying and awesome all at the same time!!

The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft is overseas this month to help bring football to underprivileged communities ... and while he was in Hungary on Monday, he decided to take a crack at firing a massive weapon.

We're told the action all went down at Eger Castle in Eger ... and the video of Mingo and the heavy artillery is nuts.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound NFL player -- who's instructed by a man with a sword -- puts his face right up to the cannon ... and as it fires, it kicks back at him like a BEAST!!

You can see in the footage ... Mingo looks pretty surprised by the explosion -- but once he realizes he's fine, he seems to love it!!

FYI, we're all pretty glad Mingo survived the blast ... 'cause he's still in talks to re-sign with the Texans before free agency kicks off later this month!!!

By the way, the American Football Without Barriers program that Mingo is a part of is a really cool experience for NFLers ... and stars like Austin Hooper, Alex Mack and Todd Gurley are all over there with Barkevious for the trip.

The public bashing of the Houston Astros is still going strong ... Anthony Rizzo just trolled the hell out of the team during a mic'd up at-bat in a spring training game!!

The Chicago Cubs superstar was talking with ESPN commentators live in an AB against the L.A. Angels on Monday ... when he was asked what pitch he thought was coming next.

"I have no idea," the first baseman said. "I wish I knew. Someone bang for me."

HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Of course, the Astros were busted by the MLB just a few weeks ago after they were found to have relayed illegally stolen signs to batters using banging noises from their dugout.

MLB players have RAILED against the 'Stros for the cheating ... with everyone from Cody Bellinger to Aaron Judge blasting the team for the cheating scheme.

In fact, it seems some players have already taken it upon themselves to punish the 'Stros ... because as of last week -- they had been hit by pitches SEVEN different times already this spring.

Clearly, Rizzo ain't much of a fan of what the Astros did either ... but at least he's down to have some fun with it -- and we're all grateful for it.

Great news from Leon Spinks' corner ... the Hall of Fame boxer is at home and recovering after a serious health scare in December.

As we previously reported ... 66-year-old Spinks -- who famously beat Muhammad Ali in '78 -- was fighting for his life after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, which spread to his bladder.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Spinks has made tremendous improvement and doctors recently cleared him to leave the hospital, which is a big deal considering how serious the situation was.

“Leon is home from the hospital and is slowly relearning his daily routine and getting physical therapy a few times a week," Spinks' rep tells us.

"He is in great spirits and has received an outpouring of love these past few months."

Matter of fact, Spinks tuned in to the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight alongside family and friends at his home last weekend ... and loved what he saw!!

"Leon thinks the heavyweight division of boxing is in great hands in the future with these two stars as well as guys like Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz who continue to put on great performances.”

Spinks is even getting back to work by doing a private autograph session with Inscriptagraphs in April ... where fans can get him to sign a bunch of awesome memorabilia.

Obinna Anyanwu -- a top H.S. basketball star who has offers from Arizona and USC -- was injured in a serious car crash this weekend ... just hours after his team's championship game.

The tragic scene went down in San Diego ... where the teenager was reportedly driving home from a friend's house shortly after leading his Cathedral Catholic squad to the Open Division boys basketball title Saturday.

Anyanwu was driving on the 163 when a car forced him to crash into a guard rail, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The report says after Obinna got out of the car ... he was hit by another vehicle -- causing major injuries.

The high school junior was rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung and other ailments. His current condition is unknown.

We've reached out to both Anyanwu's school and his coaches ... but so far, no word back yet.

The 6-foot-7 power forward is a high school hoops superstar who's considered one of the top recruits in the 2021 class. Rivals.com has him ranked as the No. 76 junior in the country.

Luka Doncic might have lost his Mavericks game on his 21st birthday ... but he DEFINITELY won the after-party!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the NBA superstar got after it Friday night for his bday despite losing to the Heat ... hitting up Miami hot spots with his Mavs teammates and other celebs.

We're told Doncic and the guys got dinner at Papi Steak in Miami Beach before ultimately spending the night at Club LIV.

And, you can see in photos we obtained of the festivities ... Doncic was having a blast -- even at one point getting some partying in with Bad Bunny!!

We're told Mavs owner Mark Cuban threw an especially big bash for his team's best player ... taking over LIV's stage area and popping champagne all night.

As for how the hangover went ... the Mavs were off Saturday -- but Luka still took Dallas' game off against the Timberwolves on Sunday.

The team says it was because of a previous thumb injury ... but we're not so sure we're buying that.

Ex-Astros pitcher Ken Giles says he's absolutely devastated by Houston's sign-stealing scandal ... and despite having no idea his teammates were cheating, he's willing to return his World Series ring.

Giles -- now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays -- revealed his feelings over the bombshell scandal, saying he was hurt to find out through the commissioner's report.

"It crushed me to learn about the stuff that went on when I was there," Giles said via the Toronto Sun.

"I had no idea. I had no clue whatsoever. I was blindsided by the commissioner's report. Up until then, I honestly didn't believe it. Just crazy."

Of course, bullpen pitchers rarely make it to the dugout with the other players ... so the findings of the investigation floored Giles.

There have been players and fans calling for the 'Stros to relinquish the 2017 World Series title ... and Giles says he's willing to give up his championship ring.

"Whatever they ask, I would oblige. Because what was going on at the time, was not OK."

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?!

NFL prospect Trey Adams says he wants a "bigger d**k!"

And, why do we know that?! Because the former Washington Huskies lineman said it ON CAMERA at the NFL Combine!!

The 6'8", 327-pound offensive tackle was doing the usual Q&A stuff with Combine staffers (not a specific team) when he got the layup question ... and thought he'd give a jokey answer.

Of course, these Q&A sessions are SUPPOSED to remain private, but someone leaked the footage ... and yeah, it's super-viral now!

Ya gotta wonder if Trey's stupid answer will affect his draft stock -- would you hire a guy who made a penis joke in his job interview?

Not everyone is laughing about the situation ... especially former NFL exec (and current NFL analyst) Gil Brandt who's pretty furious about the fact the footage was leaked in the first place.

"I hope the person who leaked the Trey Adams video is found out and punished to the fullest extent," Brandt said.

"These are supposed to be confidential meetings. Not fair to Adams or the process. Both players and teams rely on this confidentiality to have honest discussions.”

Deontay Wilder might want to pick up the phone and call Floyd Mayweather -- because TBE just suggested he could help Deontay beat Tyson Fury ... if Floyd trains him!

Mayweather was speaking at an event in Manchester, England over the weekend when he was asked straight-up -- "Do you think Wilder will win in a rematch with Fury?"

Floyd responded, "If I train him! If I train him, I can teach him how to win!"

Floyd has been especially supportive of Deontay after the Bronze Bomber lost that Feb. 22 heavyweight fight with Tyson Fury.

"Win, Lose or Draw ... Deontay is our brother that has accomplished many triumphs and as a community we should all uplift and support him throughout it all," Mayweather posted on social media.

"No matter what, you're still a winner in my eyes, King!"

Wilder has exercised his rematch clause with Fury and is expected to get back in the ring for a 3rd fight with the Gypsy King on July 18 in Las Vegas.

Wilder has been catching flack for suggesting his 45-pound ring entrance costume had a lot to do with his poor performance against Fury ... after he claimed the weight of the outfit burned out his legs.

Over the weekend, Wilder posted a new video assuring his fans he's doing okay now -- and he's laser-focused on defeating Fury.

Will he strike a deal to train with Floyd? They do have a connection ... Wilder is managed by Al Haymon, Floyd's business partner.