TMZ Sports - Page 50

Shakur Stevenson has only watched ONE ROUND of tape on the man he's fighting Tuesday night ... telling TMZ Sports it's obvious his opponent just ain't in the same class.

22-year-old Stevenson -- dubbed the next Floyd Mayweather -- is taking on Felix Caraballo at the MGM Grand in Vegas ... the first major boxing match since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Stevenson is undefeated (13-0) and the reigning WBO featherweight champ. Carabello is on a 5 fight win streak.

But, Shakur says this will be easy work -- and he's asking fans to tune in because he promises to put on a show!

"I'm real excited," Stevenson says ... "I like the pressure. I enjoy being the one that's got to put on the performance."

As for doing research on Caraballo, Shakur says 1 round of footage was enough to prepare.

"I've prepared in the gym ... but I honestly watched him and I did not think nothing of it. I'm just gonna beat him up."

We also asked Shakur how he feels about comparisons to Mayweather -- and man, check out his answer.

"I'm my own person the end of the day. I'm trying to out do what Floyd has done ... I'm trying to go past what he's done in boxing."

Can't say he lacks confidence!!

Matthew McConaughey's mission to do more to defeat racial injustice led him to an interesting chat with Emmanuel Acho ... where they broke down something referred to as "white allergies."

Matthew told the former NFL linebacker he recently learned of the term ... which he describes as white people's inherent prejudices -- ones they likely don't even realize -- based on their upbringing or history.

The actor suggests these "white allergies" apply to all white people -- even someone like him, who grew up in a diverse setting and has had black friends his whole life. He gives a prime example of one of these allergies too ... and says it SHOULD have been obvious to him.

Matty's eye-opening chat went down on Emmanuel's Instagram talk show, "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man."

BTW, Emmanuel said he's personally been exposed to a lot of "white allergies" -- he listed them off, and explained why they're really racist microaggressions in disguise.

Sugar vs. No Love!?!

UFC rising star Sean O'Malley tells TMZ Sports that's a fight that will "100% happen" -- even if it takes a few years to get there.

Of course, Sean and Cody both fought at UFC 250 on Saturday -- and KO'd their opponents with unbelievable 1-hitter quitters!

They each got a $50k performance bonus -- and now, the hype to get these guys into the Octagon TOGETHER has begun.

"He's a dangerous fight, for sure," O'Malley tells us ... "Anyone that throws a right hand like that is dangerous."

"We'll fight someday. 100% fight someday. He's still pretty young so I think that's gonna be a potential big, BIG fight, that's a big pay-per-view fight here in the next years."

"He keeps winning, I keep winning. That's a big f**king fight."

O'Malley says he's got tons of respect for Garbrandt after he came back from a 3-fight skid to KO Raphael Assuncao ... but he did notice one interesting change about Cody's look.

"Grew his beard out a little bit, try to add maybe a little cushion there and it might have worked -- but I'll slice right through that f**king beard!"

As for Sean's killer KO of Eddie Wineland -- "Sugar" breaks down the punch that ended the fight ... and it's awesome.

Crossfit CEO Greg Glassman reportedly told his staff "we're not mourning George Floyd" in the wake of the 46-year-old's tragic death ... this according to Buzzfeed, which says it has the audio proof.

Glassman -- the man credited for creating the super-popular CrossFit fitness routine -- made the comments while on a Zoom call Saturday with employees and affiliate gym owners, according to BuzzFeed

Glassman was reportedly asked about CrossFit's radio silence on the issues raised by Floyd's death -- and his response is shocking.

"Can you tell me why I should mourn for him?" Glassman allegedly said on the call. "Other than that it’s the white thing to do -- other than that, give me another reason."

The call reportedly lasted for over an hour ... with Glassman allegedly repeatedly bashing "Black Lives Matter" protesters, spewing wild conspiracy theories and slamming COVID-19 lockdowns.

"We're not mourning for George Floyd," Glassman reportedly said. "I don't think me or any of my staff are."

In fact, one of the participants allegedly on the call told Buzzfeed, "it turned into a sh*t show, really, where the guy is just -- conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory."

As we previously reported ... Reebok and several of the nation's biggest CrossFit affiliate gyms vowed to sever ties with the fitness org. over the weekend because of Glassman.

The CrossFit founder posted an insensitive tweet about George Floyd on Saturday evening -- purportedly hours after the Zoom call -- which caused tremendous backlash.

Glassman eventually apologized late Sunday for the tweet, saying, in part, "My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake."

Air Jordan has just conquered another element -- WATER -- 'cause Michael Jordan's Catch 23 boat just caught a 442.3-pound blue marlin in a fishing tourney!!

Jordan is currently dukin' it out in the 62nd Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City, North Carolina this week ... a big-time competition with $3.4 MILLION in prize money.

His Airness has participated in huge fishing comps in the past ... including the White Marlin Open in 2019.

MJ was all smiles when his crew brought in the huge blue marlin on Tuesday ... which is good enough to put them in 5th place for the heaviest marlin (the first place boat reeled in a 494.2-lb fish!!!)

Remember, MJ's Catch 23 ride is a beaut -- it's even got the signature elephant print from his Jordan 3's on the back.

Jordan did a "post-game interview" after getting off the boat ... saying he hopes to get back out on the water and bring back a bigger fish.

The crowd went wild when MJ pulled up to the dock ... and the legend even agreed to sign a few autographs after celebrating the huge catch.

Rafael Nadal just dropped MILLIONS on a ridiculously awesome 79-foot luxury yacht with a fold-out balcony ... and TMZ Sports has the photos.

Nadal -- one of the greatest tennis players of all time -- hit up Sunreef Yachts and ordered a customized 80 Sunreef Power ... a catamaran (a boat with 2 hulls).

SY wouldn't say exactly how much the tennis superstar spent ... but they told us a previous yacht that was used -- and had less customization -- sold for $7 mil.

So, do the math ... Nadal likely plunked down somewhere near $10 MILLION!!!

The boat is 79 feet long, 39 feet wide, and has 4 guest cabins. Nadal's master cabin has a private balcony that folds out.

In total, the yacht has nearly 4,000 square feet of livable space.

So, yeah, Rafa's boat is bigger than most homes.

Sunreef delivered the yacht to Nadal in Mallorca on his 34th birthday.

"Mine was way better. Way vicious. My dude couldn’t get up."

That's Cody Garbrandt spelling out why his violent walk-off knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 was better than Sean O'Malley's KO ... and yeah, they take this stuff seriously!

No Love reached back and smacked the daylights out of Assuncao with just seconds left in the 2nd round ... sensationally ending his 3 fight losing streak.

"I knew that as soon as I started that punch, the trajectory of where it was going, the force and the speed, it was going to connect and knock him out," Cody tells TMZ Sports.

"It was a picture-perfect punch and just a nice walk off."

Earlier in the night, O'Malley finished Eddie Wineland with a 1-hitter quitter of his own.

Both Cody and Sean got $50k performance bonus checks from the UFC ... but we had to ask the question -- which KO was more impressive?

Garbrandt's breakdown is pretty great ... explaining that his opponent is "leap years ahead of any adversary [O'Malley] has ever fought."

"Hats off to him. He did good, went out there and performed, got a knockout victory ... but you can’t compare when you’re fighting the Top 5 in the world."

"[O'Malley has] never fought anybody in the Top 15, so that’s a huge difference when you’re able to starch people like that at each level."

We also asked Cody if that punch was hardest he's ever hit anyone -- and got another great answer.

Bubba Wallace -- the only black driver at NASCAR's highest level -- is calling for an official ban on confederate flags at race tracks ... saying there's just no place for them in the sport anymore.

"No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race," Wallace said. "So it starts with confederate flags. Get them out of here."

The 26-year-old told CNN on Monday he's going to have conversations with NASCAR officials soon, to lay down a plan to permanently remove the flags from the sport.

As for why ... while the flag represents southern pride and roots for some -- for others, according to the Anti-Defamation League, it's been used as a symbol of slavery and white supremacy.

Still don't get it?? WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin recently spelled it out for someone defending the flag on social media.

"That's nice and all but if I recall, it don't matter what it means to you because to African Americans everywhere it's a symbol of oppression hatred and inequality so your little 'heritage not hate' story don't mean sh*t because your stupid little 'heritage' was built on the backs of slaves and identifying with that kinda sorta definitely makes you trash in the Texas Rattlesnake's eyes. So you can continue to spew your bullish*t but just know that none of us care ya dumb sumbitch and that's the bottom line."

Bubba says he never had an issue with the flags until recently ... but now says after he's done his homework -- it's clear to him NASCAR needs to officially rid itself of the flags.

"Diving more into it and educating myself, people feel uncomfortable with that," Wallace said. "People talk about that. That's the first thing they bring up."

"So there's going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly, but it's time for change. We have to change that. And I encourage NASCAR -- and we will have those conversations -- to remove those flags."

NASCAR has made efforts to crack down on the flags in the past ... recently they've invoked a trade-in program at tracks, agreeing to swap an American flag for a confederate one.

But, the flags are still prevalent at almost all stops on the race circuit ... and Bubba is clearly ready for that to end.

"There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something that they have seen -- an object that they have seen flying."

"As a brother with a good heart, I say 'f*** you' if you racist or white staying quiet, you disabling the changes."

NBA superstar Damian Lillard -- AKA Dame DOLLA -- is sending a strong message about police brutality and the recent peaceful protests across the country ... dropping a spoken word track titled "Blacklist," in honor of George Floyd.

Here are some notable lyrics ...

"We in a pandemic, thought getting out I’d be more joyed, then I watched a cop knee to the neck kill George Floyd"

"As a rich black man living in this country, it’s hard being comfy when the hate your people get is coming from the ones amongst me"

"Used to call us 'monkeys' and 'slaves' and we overcame. Still our work is just beginning, protests look like parades."

"The kind of sh*t we experience, how we felt when the country turned on Kaepernick after he knelted."

Lillard also calls out President Donald Trump for saying, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" ... calling POTUS a "clown" and a "trust fund baby."

Lillard has personally taken the streets of Portland to protest the recent deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery ... vowing to bring change to the country.

Al Sharpton just unleashed the Holy Spirit on Roger Goodell at George Floyd's funeral in Houston -- blasting the NFL commish for his "empty apology" and demanding the league to get his job back!

A charged-up Sharpton said it's "nice" seeing how people have rallied around and encouraged protests against police brutality and racial injustice ... but he's not impressed with the video Goodell posted on Friday admitting the league bungled the way it handled peaceful protesters like Kap.

"The head of the NFL said, 'Yeah, maybe we were wrong. Football players -- maybe they did have the right to peacefully protest.'"

"Well, don’t apologize -- give Colin Kaepernick his job back!"

Sharpton continued, "Don’t come with some empty apology. Take a man’s livelihood?! Strip a man down of his talents?! Then four years later when the whole world is marching, all of a sudden you go and do a FaceTime talking about you sorry?!"

The Rev. said if Goodell is REALLY sorry, he should "repay the damage you did to the career you stood down ... because when Colin took a knee, he took it for the families in this building."

NFL superstar Von Miller is ready for the league to take the next step in its pledge to support social justice ... urging owners to make a peaceful protest policy and "walk the walk."

Miller made the statement in a powerful and emotional letter for TIME.com on Tuesday ... saying while he appreciated Roger Goodell's video last week, he said there's still more work to be done for the league.

Specifically ... seems Miller wants every NFL player to have the right to kneel during national anthems without the fear of backlash or future blackballing from league ownership.

"While it’s great that the NFL made an official statement in support of Black Lives Matter and the right to peaceful protest," Miller said, "it will ultimately be up to the team owners to put league policy into action and walk the walk."

Von never mentions Colin Kaepernick by name, but it's obvious he's referencing the QB and other players like Antonio Cromartie, who believe teams conspired to blackball them for taking a knee during the national anthem.

Miller seemed hopeful the NFL and the nation as a whole will continue to make the right steps toward social equality ... writing, "This time may be different. I pray that it is different."

"This time, many of the protesters are not black," Miller said. "This time, the entire country is engaged. This time, the entire world has taken notice. We have really begun to talk with each other, not just “at” each other."

NFL superstar J.J. Watt and Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien are among those mourning George Floyd's death on Tuesday ... with several members of the team attending the funeral service in Houston.

The Texans coach spoke at length last week about his frustrations over Floyd's death ... and vowed not to hold any off-season activities so players could attend the service.

Watt -- alongside former teammate D.J. Reader -- paid their respects to Floyd at the Fountain of Praise Church ... as well as Texans chairman Cal McNair and other staffers.

Watt recently spoke out following Floyd's death ... saying, "I've seen the video and I think it's disgusting. I don't understand how that situation can't be remedied in a way that doesn't end in his death."

Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are stepping up BIG for a local high school's football program ... joining forces to replace the team's equipment and storage shed after a tragic fire.

A blaze broke out on Blake High School's campus in Tampa last month ... with an estimated $15k-worth of supplies destroyed, according to tampabay.com.

The team said it would be nearly impossible to replace all the equipment in time to prepare for the 2020 season ... saying it simply isn't in the school's budget.

But, there's GREAT news for the Yellow Jackets -- the 31-year-old tight end and the Bucs are teaming up to get the program back on its feet ... with Gronk announcing their decision to help out in a WWE promo-style video on Instagram.

"Hey everyone, last week we heard about an unfortunate incident in Tampa where a fire burned down a high school storage shed full of their team's football equipment," Gronk says in the vid. "Sadly, they lost it all."

"Well, the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation and my new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are all about helping youth reach their full potential."

"So, we're gonna do just that. To the Blake High School Yellow Jackets, you're getting a brand new storage unit and new football equipment to replace everything that was lost."

Gronk gives the team a bit of encouragement ... and even hints he may hit up a practice with his Bucs teammates.

The PGA Tour will NOT have 8:46 AM tee times this week ... the golf org just announced it'll hold moments of silence instead -- and it's all to honor George Floyd.

The Tour said in a statement Tuesday the tributes will go down in its return to the national spotlight this weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday through Sunday.

"As the PGA Tour commits to amplifying the voices and efforts underway to end systemic issues of racial and social injustices impacting our country," Tour officials said, "we have reserved the 8:46 a.m. tee time at the Charles Schwab Challenge to pay our respects to the memory of George Floyd."

"We will pause at 8:46 a.m. during each round for a moment of silence, prayer and reflection."

It's a big honor ... this weekend's tournament -- the first official one since the coronavirus pandemic suspended play back in March -- is expected to draw potentially millions of eyeballs.

Stars like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka are all listed as participants ... and according to the Tour, they'll all pause at 8:46 AM for the moment silence following three horn blasts from Tour officials.

As we previously reported ... Floyd died on May 25 after police officers knelt on his back and neck for 8:46 seconds.

A bunch of Tigers will be flooding the booths in Baton Rouge this November ... 'cause LSU head coach Ed Orgeron says ALL of his players decided to team up and register to vote.

The leader of the reigning national champs revealed the team's decision on the "Off The Bench" show on ESPN Radio Tuesday morning ... saying he's working alongside his players to come up with ways to fight the issues they face every day.

"We had a great team meeting with our football team and I talked to them about specific stuff that was going on in the world today," Coach O said.

Orgeron added the team's leadership committee -- consisting of 12 players and several coaches -- came up with the idea to make their voices heard by hitting the voting booths.

"One of the solutions that they came up with as a group and to represent the team, that we're gonna register to vote. The guys wanted to take action."

Orgeron spoke out after the killing of George Floyd in an interview with Sports Illustrated last week ... saying, "My players and former players are hurting, and they let me know they’re hurting."

Roger Goodell has been a key figure behind the scenes in helping NFL players in their fight for social justice ... so says former NFL star Anquan Boldin, who's now praising the commish for his efforts.

The ex-Arizona Cardinals receiver broke it all down on 'The Daily Show' with Trevor Noah this week ... explaining Goodell has had his and others' backs when it comes to lobbying for equal rights.

Boldin says Goodell has taken trips with the NFL Players Coalition -- a group established by the league to help address social issues -- to key meetings over the years, and Boldin says he's grateful for it.

"When we're asking for support of the NFL, it's not just monetary," Boldin says. "It's coming to us when we have these meetings with congressmen and senators and those that are in positions of power because then those conversations change because there are a lot of owners in the NFL that can guarantee that some of those people are in the seats that they're in because of their support."

"When we ask the NFL to lend us your platform, it's coming to these meetings with us. It's understanding what exactly it is that we're fighting against."

Boldin added, "I can tip my hat to Roger because he's come along on several of those occasions. He's come along with us when we've spoken to people in position of power. He's come and tried to see, while we were doing court hearings, like what's the process."

Anquan says that's huge ... because having a guy who wields as much power as Goodell in their corner changes perceptions.

"I can give him kudos for trying to understand what exactly it is that we're talking about, trying to step outside of his self and put his self in our shoes and understand the issues that we're screaming about."

As we previously reported ... Goodell said last Friday he'll do even more for NFL players -- admitting to bungling the kneeling protests and vowing to do better going forward.