TMZ Sports - Page 50

Karl-Anthony Towns is honoring his late mother on a holiday dedicated to her and moms everywhere -- this less than a month after she succumbed to coronavirus and passed away.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star posted a touching tribute on social media Sunday, showing off a screenshot of an old text exchange he had with his mom, Jacqueline Towns, during Christmas last year ... where they shared some loving words between each other.

At the time, she wrote to her boy ... "My Son it seemed like I closed my eyes for just a moment and suddenly a man stood where a boy used to be, I (may) not carry you in my arms anymore but I always carry you in my heart. You are the sweetest present life has ever given me." KAT responded, "Love you mom Merry Christmas!"

Jacqueline then sent Karl a photo of herself in a Santa sweater. KAT wrote of the interaction on Sunday, "Miss you so much," while adding an animated heart with an arrow through it.

Karl's mother passed away last month after a long battle with coronavirus -- which she contracted around mid-March and later had her placed in a medically-induced coma.

A California beach has been abruptly closed, but not because of coronavirus ... it's because a surfer was killed by a shark.

A 26-year-old man was surfing in the Santa Cruz area Saturday, around Monterey Bay, when the attack occurred. As for what type of shark ... so far, authorities don't know, saying it was an "unknown shark species."

The surfer was pronounced dead on the scene.

Authorities immediately closed a 1-mile stretch of beach for at least 5 days. They will presumably monitor shark activity in the area before reopening. Interestingly, officials are not banning water sports -- like jet skiing or kayaking -- but they are "highly discouraged."

A photog for KRON-TV in the Bay Area says he's been seeing lots of great whites swimming near shore. On the day of the attack, he says he spotted 15 great whites while boating.

The first sporting event without a crowd went down Saturday night in Florida, and by all measures, it was a big success, according to many, including UFC announcer Bruce Buffer.

It was weird at first ... looking at an empty VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, but when the fighting started, it was easy to forget the seats were empty. You actually hear the punches, kicks and reactions crisply and clearly.

Donald Trump opened the show, congratulating his friend, UFC Prez Dana White, for pulling off the event.

All the fighters were tested, and the ones who tested negative for the virus fought like they would in front of a crowd, but there was a twist.

In the absence of a crowd, the voices of the announcers billowed through the arena, and the fighters could hear everything. Former NFL star Greg Hardy won his fight and said afterward he was taking his cues from the announcers, who were offering critiques in real-time!!!

HOLYFIELD-TYSON III COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN!!!

Evander tells TMZ Sports he's down to run it back again with Iron Mike -- but says a third match with Tyson ain't his first choice for his return to the sanctioned boxing ring.

"My manager, they’ve been talking and all that," 57-year-old Holyfield tells us, "but the fact is that with me personally, I think for me to ask, the only person that I would actually really ask is Riddick Bowe."

Holyfield says he's more open to a third fight with 52-year-old Bowe instead of Mike because frankly, "me and him are buddies!"

But, don't get it twisted ... Evander says he's still cool with Mike after the two got past their infamous beef over the 1997 ear-biting incident -- with Holyfield still seeming genuinely interested in an exhibition rematch with the guy.

Of course, as we previously reported, both Holyfield AND 53-year-old Tyson announced this month they're looking into fighting soon in an effort to raise cash for charity.

Tyson says he's hoping to gather money for drug addicts and homeless people ... while Evander is trying to raise funds for #Unite4OurFight, a campaign aimed at helping underprivileged students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neither side has given any indication of a timeline for a return ... but with nobody overtly against another Tyson-Holyfield tilt -- it seems it could really go down.

James Harrison might be the only man in America who wasn't surprised to see Rob Gronkowski return to the NFL -- he tells TMZ Sports he knew a Gronk comeback was in the works since at least November!!!

The former Steelers star says he and the future Hall of Fame tight end filmed a TV ad together more than six months ago ... and he could tell then Rob was gearing up to play again.

"I knew then that he was going to come back," Harrison says. "He was talking about it. He was itching then. He was feeling a lot better."

Harrison says taking 2019 off allowed Rob's body to heal up ... so Harrison could see the writing for a return on the wall.

But, James admits he NEVER saw Tampa Bay coming ... "because of course Tom [Brady] wasn’t there at the time, but once he got there it was like, 'Yeah, it makes sense.'"

As for Tom's departure from New England ... James says he WAS surprised to see his former teammate leave the Pats!!!

By the way, James is finding success in life after football ... he's set to have a role on Starz's new wrestling drama "Heels" -- and he says it's got him thinking about a possible WWE future!

LeRoy Butler says no player in the NFL should EVER wear Bart Starr's #15 again -- telling TMZ Sports it should be retired league-wide just like Jackie Robinson's #42 in the MLB!!

"Bart Starr is the best quarterback all time!" the Green Bay legend says. "Packer history, the guy was phenomenal."

Of course, no number in the NFL has ever been retired league-wide ... but Butler tells us Roger Goodell should consider it, saying Starr was just that legendary.

"He should be just like the 42 in baseball," Butler says. "He just did so much for the franchise having the smallest market."

The argument for it? Starr played in Green Bay from 1956 to 1971, earning MVP honors in 1966 and winning the NFL's first-ever Super Bowls in '67 and '68.

He also made the Hall of Fame in 1977 ... and is one of only 6 players ever to have their jersey numbers officially retired by the Pack.

But, the argument against it? Well, he ain't exactly Jackie Robinson.

Greg Hardy says UFC's "no crowd" rule at UFC 249 was a "game changer" -- because he could hear the TV announcers critiquing him during his fight ... and he adjusted accordingly to get the victory!

Hardy (6-2) was fighting Yorgan De Castro (6-1) in a heavyweight bout Saturday night -- with Hardy taking some serious leg kicks early in the match.

Daniel Cormier -- who's doing the announcing with Joe Rogan -- had said during the broadcast that Hardy needed to figure out a way to check those heavy kicks before they took a real toll on his body.

Of course, Cormier -- one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time -- was talking to the audience at home ... but since you can hear a pin drop in the arena thanks to the COVID-19 safety protocol, Hardy could listen too!

AND, HE WAS PAYING ATTENTION!!!

Hardy ended up winning the match by unanimous decision -- and during the post-fight interview, he gave all the credit to D.C.

"Thank God for not having the crowd," Hardy said ... "Shout out to D.C."

"I heard him tell me to check him, that I needed to figure out how to check it ... so I started trying to check him! Game changer!"

Shocker from Henry Cejudo -- the UFC superstar just unexpectedly retired from MMA after knocking out Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.

Cejudo -- aka Triple C -- fought like a champion against Cruz, ending the fight in the 2nd round with a devastating knee to the head, followed by roughly 11 unanswered punches. The ref finally stepped in and called it.

During the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, 33-year-old Cejudo dropped another bombshell ... he's hanging up his gloves.

"I'm happy with my career. I've done enough in the sport, I want to walk away, I want to enjoy myself," Cejudo said.

"Since I was 11 years old I sacrificed my whole life to get where I'm at today, I'm not gonna let nobody take that from me."

Cejudo essentially says he's young, he's healthy and he's got career options ... so he's going to quit while he's ahead.

And boy is he ahead -- he's the reigning bantamweight champ, the flyweight champ ... and he famously won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He's 16-2 as an MMA fighter -- victories over some of the best fighters of all time ... including Demetrious Johnson and Dominick Cruz.

Cejudo believes he's the greatest combat sports athlete alive -- and he's got a pretty solid argument.

So, what's next for Henry? There are rumors he could hook with the WWE down the road. And they'd be crazy not to sign him.

Also, you gotta think Dana White will try to convince Cejudo to think it over ... the guy is incredible.

President Donald Trump is fired up about UFC 249 -- making a special video to praise Dana White for finding a way to throw the event despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I want to congratulate Dana White and the UFC," Trump said while standing outside of the Oval Office at the White House.

"They're going to have a big match. We love it. We think it's important."

Trump added, "Get the sports leagues back. Let's play. You do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do. But we need sports. We want our sports back. And, congratulations to Dana White, UFC."

As we previously reported, Dana White said Trump would be watching the event as a blueprint for reopening the rest of the U.S.

The video was played at the beginning of the event broadcast on ESPN -- right before the prelim fights kicked off.

As for the card itself, it's been pretty solid -- amazing fights, Joe Rogan is handling the octagon interviews ... and it seems to be going off without a hitch.

Of course, there are no fans in the crowd at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL -- but the broadcasters, cornermen and other essential people in attendance are actually adding some energy to the event.

You can hear the coaches yelling instruction from the corner. You can hear the sound of every punch. And, you can hear the ooh and aah from everyone else.

There's even been a doctor's stoppage already when Vicente Luque busted up Niko Price.

How talented is Jamie Foxx? Talented enough to smoothly slip in and out of his Jay-Z, Dave Chappelle and Mike Tyson impressions ... without skipping a beat.

The actor/singer/comedian/all-around-renaissance-man broke down the most famous, and hilarious, voices he's known for doing -- and it's masterful to watch. He was talking to WNBA star Candace Parker on IG Live about his method approach to getting in character, and explained he uses music to help achieve the perfect tone for each celeb.

Then came a rapid-fire series of impressions, which did not disappoint. Check it out ... he shows off Jigga, Kermit the Frog and Sammy Davis Jr. -- and they're all basically the same voice, with slightly different twists. We'll let Jamie explain.

After that, JF presents us with 2 takes of Chappelle -- young and current -- and he couldn't be more spot-on if he tried. Seriously, easy to see why this was always part of his stand up act.

Finally, Jamie does his best Tyson ... which we're sure came in handy while he was portraying the iconic boxer for a new movie that's due to come out soon. He makes a stark distinction between people's caricature impersonation of Tyson and the real McCoy.

YouTube superstar-turned-fighter Jake Paul says he'll beat the living daylight out of MMA fighter Dillon Danis in a boxing match ... and tells TMZ Sports he has a UFC superstar on board to help him get it done.

Of course, Paul previously stated he was going to avenge brother Logan's controversial loss against KSI in a match at Madison Square Garden as soon as the coronavirus pandemic was over ... which KSI's team quickly denied, citing his focus being on his music career.

We spoke with Jake about his boxing future now that KSI is out of the question ... and he says Danis is the one opponent he wants BADLY.

"I hate to bring his name up because he's such a lowlife club rat who calls himself a jiu-Jitsu black belt," Paul tells us. "But, everyone in the jiu-jitsu community hates him, everybody in the fight community hates him. I hate him."

Despite all the hatred, Danis is widely considered one of the best ground fighters in the game ... but many people believe that his striking is the weakest part of his game.

"Dillon, if you're watching this, I'm going to kick the s**t out of you ... I'd make your life even f**king worse ... I'm coming for your head."

So ... how is Jake gonna get it done?? He says he's got the current UFC BMF belt holder on his side -- Jorge Masvidal!!

"Masvidal's gonna be in my corner," Jake says ... explaining they met up in Miami during JP's last fight against AnEsonGib ... and they both bonded over their hatred for Danis.

Jake says he's the Paul bro for Danis to fight -- not Logan -- because he's the better fighter ... and he will mess him up.

As for KSI, Jake tees off on his excuse for not taking a fight ... saying his music is wack and isn't a valid excuse to duck a meeting in the ring.

Former NBA player Cliff Alexander -- the top H.S. recruit in the country in 2014 -- was arrested Wednesday ... after cops say they found a loaded gun on him during a traffic stop.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Cliff was pulled over at around 9:30 PM CT in Chicago, Ill. after cops claim he failed to stop at a stop sign at an intersection.

Officers say when they questioned Cliff ... he admitted to having a firearm under his driver's seat -- and when officers checked, they say he did indeed have a loaded pistol in the car.

Cops say the 24-year-old told them he had the gun because he was on his way to Englewood and was nervous for his safety.

Cops also say Alexander admitted to having weed on him ... and claim they found a "clear plastic bag" with a green substance in it when they searched him.

Alexander, who cops say does NOT have a concealed carry license -- was arrested and booked on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

He was also hit with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign -- but he was NOT booked on drug charges. Jail records show the 6-foot-9, 245-pound basketball player was released from custody late Thursday afternoon.

Alexander was a MONSTER star in high school ... earning Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors in 2014 and receiving offers to play at nearly every college in the country.

But, Cliff never quite lived up to expectations after signing with Kansas ... only logging a cup of coffee in the NBA after going undrafted in 2015.

The fans wanted it ... and Nike listened!!

The epic "740" area code shirt Joe Burrow wore during the NFL Draft is hitting the market ... this, after Nike initially said it wouldn't see the light of day, TMZ Sports has learned.

Remember, we reached out to the Swoosh shortly after the draft to get all the info we could about Joe's look when he went #1 overall to the Bengals.

The white long-sleeved shirt featuring the outline of Ohio and his hometown's area code quickly became a fan favorite on draft night ... but unfortunately, Nike said it was a 1-of-1.

But, that's all about to change, because we're told the plan is to release the shirts on May 22 ... which is great news for fans wanting to cop Joe's look.

It's a smart idea, considering a bunch of knockoff websites made bootleg versions to get a quick buck after the draft ... but now, the legit shirts will take over.

Ted Ginn Jr. tells TMZ Sports if he wasn't so damn good at football ... he'd be an Olympic track athlete with a gold medal already on his resume -- saying he's beaten Usain Bolt before!

The new Chicago Bear spoke with us this week about his track past ... and says he had straight-up OLYMPIC speed in high school and college!!!

In fact, Ginn Jr. says he not only clocked a 4.22 40-yard dash back then ... he claims to have beaten track legends like Bolt, Jason Richardson and Kerron Clement as well!!

"I ran against Usain Bolt -- I got him when we was in the 12th grade," Ginn Jr. says. "All of the top guys that have won the Olympics between 2004 'til now, I basically had a chance to race them guys in high school."

Ginn tells us if he hadn't turned into a monster wideout at Ohio State and stuck with track instead ... he'd "for sure" have a gold medal by now.

As for his football future ... 35-year-old Ginn doesn't seem like a guy slowing down anytime soon there -- he spoke with us about his expectations for the Bears in 2020, and dude's clearly fired up for Chicago!