TMZ Sports - Page 50

Cristiano Ronaldo is off the hook in his Vegas rape case -- the civil one, for now -- because a judge just threw out the lawsuit against him ... and kinda admonished the accuser too.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey dismissed the case entirely Friday, but not because she found there was no merit in the accusations ... but because the lawyer repping Kathryn Mayorga (the alleged victim) was apparently leaking like a sieve throughout the proceedings.

The attorney who got a forceful berating is Leslie Mark Stovall, whom the judge accused of disseminating stolen documents in the case, containing sensitive info being shared by Ronaldo and his own lawyers ... which the judge said utterly tainted the case.

The order read in part, "I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith, and simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo because the misappropriated documents and their confidential contents have been woven into the very fabric of Mayorga's claims." The judge added, "Harsh sanctions are merited."

While the suit won't move forward at this point, Mayorga can appeal to a higher court if she wants. It's unclear if they plan to do so -- neither Mayorga or Ronaldo have commented.

As we reported ... Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in 2009 after a night of partying. She claims he paid her hush money in the amount of $375k ... but went public a few years ago, launching a criminal probe against the soccer star ... and which was ultimately dropped.

Blac Chyna's already heated before she even steps into a boxing ring tonight ... thanks to the well-timed Kardashian-related jab fired off by her opponent, Alysia Magen.

The Celebrity Boxing combatants, who are fighting in a Saturday night PPV event, came face-to-face for the traditional weigh-in and trash talk moment. They didn't disappoint.

Chyna flexed for cameras as she stepped on the scale, and definitely looks like she's been training hard.

First, Chyna grabbed the mic and told Alysia, "I seen your little rap. It was trash" ... referring to an IG post Alysia made to hype the fight.

Chyna's right. It was trash. However, props to social media influencer Alysia for hitting BC with the best comeback possible.

She said, "Hey, I'm not Kim Kardashian. I'm going to knock you both out!" Chyna lunged at her, but a bunch of people stepped in to break it up.

For the record: Chyna weighed in at 140 lbs. ... one more than Alysia.

Alysia was taking a shot at Chyna and her trainer, Tamara Frapasella-Fortune ... who beat Kim in a 2010 charity boxing match.

Anyway, after Chyna lost the $100 million defamation trial against the whole Kardashian family ... Alysia knows how to hit her where it hurts. At least outside the ring.

Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is one big step closer to becoming a reality ... 'cause "Iron" Mike tells TMZ Sports he'd absolutely love to fight the Irish superstar.

"Obviously, there's a lot of big fights that Conor could take. A lot of big names, and I'd love to be the other guy on the other side of the Octagon when that cage door closes, and then go out there and make something special," Chandler says.

Of course, earlier this week, Dana White told us he "really likes" the idea of pitting CM and MC against each other when Conor returns to fighting.

Chandler, 36-years-old, is the #5 UFC lightweight ... and is coming off a devastating knockout of future Hall of Famer Tony Ferguson.

33-year-old Conor, he hasn't fought since July ... when he gruesomely snapped his leg while fighting Dustin Poirier.

It's a fight that Chandler has wanted for some time ... but don't expect a whole lot of trash talk coming from the former Bellator champ -- Michael has a lot of respect for McGregor.

"We may never see another talent, another combat sport like Conor McGregor, and not just until when I retire, we're talking about the next couple of decades."

And, Michael isn't looking for an easy fight with Conor ... he wants him at his absolute best.

"I want him at his biggest, his baddest, his best, and his most dangerous."

As for the weight class where the fight would take place ... Chandler's open to moving up from 155 pounds, where both fighters now fight.

"Looking at him, he's looking big, he's looking beefy, he's looking strong, he's looking fast as he always is at 180 pounds, so let's do it at 170. If not, I can always make 155," Michael tells us.

Before we hung up with Mike, we asked him if he had a message for Conor. Here's what he said.

"Number one, I want the opportunity to compete against you. There's no ill-will. There's a ton of respect. The sport of mixed martial arts is a better place when Conor McGregor is a part of it and when you can put yourself in a position to be his opponent, to be his dance partner in the build-up, the lead up, the hype and then the actual contest, its a dream come true for mixed martial artist."

Big fan of Steph Curry and have half a mil layin' around? Good news -- a super rare SC rookie card has hit the auction block, and it could sell for over $500K!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2009 National Treasures autographed patch piece is up for sale at PWCC Marketplace -- and it's such a gem, bidding is already up over $400,000.

The front of the card has a photo of a young Steph in his road Warriors jersey -- and features a cutout of his threads. It also has Curry's autograph in bold, blue ink.

On the back, Curry's stats are displayed ... as well as a nod to one of his most famous triple-doubles.

Officials at PWCC tell us the card is ultra hot right now because it's super rare (it's numbered to just 99) and because Curry -- in addition to already being one of the greatest point guards ever -- is in yet another NBA Finals.

With a series win over the Celtics, Curry would be a four-time champion -- putting him in seriously rare air.

There's absolutely no way Mike Scioscia returns to manage the Angels following Joe Maddon's firing ... the former Halos coach tells TMZ Sports he's officially done with that part of his life.

The 63-year-old, who coached L.A. from 2000 to 2018 -- winning one World Series -- told us out at LAX that even though his ex-team is looking for another manager after canning Maddon this week, he won't be a candidate.

"No, man," he said with a laugh. "No, I'm relaxing now. I'm retired."

Scioscia is still hanging around the game -- he coached the U.S. Olympics team to a silver medal in Tokyo last year -- and he's slated to be a manager for one of the teams in the All-Star Futures Game next month.

He made it clear, though, dabbling here and there on the end of the dugout bench is as far as he'll go these days.

"I've done my time," he said. "I loved it. But now, I'm in a little different scenario."

The Celtics and Warriors are currently duking it out in an intense series ... but let's take a second to show love for the wives and girlfriends of the NBA Finals!!

By now, we're sure you know Steph Curry's wife, Ayesha, who's been one of his biggest backers throughout his career ... especially on social media.

Steph is already a 3-time NBA champ ... but his wife will certainly be cheering for him as he tries to capture his first Finals MVP.

Draymond Green's wife, Hazel, has also been outspoken this series ... she came to her man's defense after Celtics fans chanted "F*** You Draymond."

Draymond has admittedly played like "s***" at points this series ... but his wife has been there for her man through it all.

Damion Lee's wifey is Sydel Curry-Lee, a 27-year-old volleyball player ... who also happens to be the sister of his teammate, Steph.

Call a timeout and take in yet another amazing shot of Golden State Warriors player Steph Curry. Do you have the handles to dribble down the court and figure out the differences between these two snapshots?

Staying true to his scoring skills, the pro-baller racked in 31 of the 100 points for his team. The point guard was driving to the basket during the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics. The Warriors took an L during Game 3 of the series, but Chef Curry is always keepin' the court hot!

Wrestling star Paige says she's leaving the WWE after more than a decade with the org. ... but she added that she has plans to return to the ring someday.

The 29-year-old -- whose wrestling story was so unique it actually was adapted into the 2019 flick, "Fighting with My Family" -- shared the emotional news in a statement on her Twitter page Friday.

"July 7 will be my last day with WWE," Paige said. "I'm so thankful and I appreciate the opportunities that the company has given me."

"I know after my neck injury taking me out of in-ring status, it was pretty hard to keep me around for as long as you did and for that I'm thankful too."

Paige -- real name Saraya-Jade Bevis -- made her WWE main roster debut in 2014, the night after WrestleMania XXX, and would quickly make history ... defeating AJ Lee to become the youngest Divas champion ever at age 21.

Unfortunately, her promising career was cut short after she sustained a neck injury from a Sasha Banks kick during a six-man tag team match in 2017.

The British superstar retired from in-ring competition onscreen in 2018, but later received exec roles with the org.

Paige -- who has wrestling in her blood (her parents, Julia and Patrick, as well as her brothers, Roy and Zak, were all wrestlers, and even run a promotion in England) -- said in her statement she was sad to close the chapter of her life ... but did tell her fans she'd be inside the squared circle again one day.

"Thank you to the WWE Universe," Paige said. "You guys are the most passionate group of fans I've ever seen. Hope you continue to stay on this journey with me."

The case against five suspects who were charged with murdering Puerto Rican boxer Hector 'Macho' Camacho in 2012 has been dismissed ... after the key witness took off to Florida.

As we previously reported, the 50-year-old former champ was shot in the face while sitting with his childhood friend in a Ford Mustang outside a bar in Bayamon in November 2012 ... and later died from his injuries.

His friend, Adrian Mojica, was also killed in the shooting.

Almost 10 years after the murder, five men were charged for the tragedy in March 2022 ... three of who were already serving time in a Florida prison.

But, a judge in Puerto Rico dismissed the case on Friday ... after authorities say the witness fled the island.

Prosecutors requested to get a second chance for the case to be heard ... as they reached out to Florida law enforcement to assist in locating the witness.

Camacho -- who boxed from 1980 to 2010 -- was a three-weight class world champ ... winning the WBC super featherweight and lightweight, and WBO junior welterweight title.

It's officially official, Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are no longer married ... their divorce has been finalized.

A judgment was entered in the case Friday, meaning the two are donezo, we don't yet have specifics on their agreement ... but that'll come soon.

Julianne filed for divorce from the former NHLer back in November 2020, about 6 months after the couple had split and after lots of speculation there were issues in the couple's marriage. The two married in 2017, but did not have any kids together.

You might remember, when things were allegedly sour between the two, Brooks had posted he wanted to be "open to all things and present in my relationships." Julianne had revealed she was "not straight" but still wanted to be with Brooks.

Blueface will be looking to break face on July 30 -- the rapper is slated to fight ex-NBA player Nick Young in a boxing match.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the "Thotiana" MC and NBA champ are going to face off in the ring at Crypto.com Arena as part of the Social Gloves event starring YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib.

Blueface has a bit of history in the ring -- he beat up on TikToker Kane Trujillo in July 2021 ... and ended up having to throw hands that same night after a fan attacked him in the ring.

Young is less experienced ... but he's never shied away from calling people out for a fight in the past. He's previously voiced interest in boxing Logan Paul, Gilbert Arenas and Chad Ochocinco.

We broke the story -- ex-NFL star Le'Veon Bell is also slated to take a fight on the same card ... although his opponent has not been announced.

A Tampa Bay Lightning fan was sucker-punched in the jaw following an argument at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night ... and the blow was so violent, it knocked the man out cold.

The incident happened at around 10:50 PM, some minutes after the Rangers had lost to the Lightning at the famous venue.

According to the NYPD, a witness says the two men in the video were involved in a verbal dispute ... before the man in the red shirt reared back and threw his fist at the Lightning fan's face.

In the footage, captured by a bystander, you can see the punch landed flush -- and knocked the Tampa Bay supporter out cold.

Cops say a witness told them the puncher then attempted to flee the scene. When a witness tried to stop him, the suspect allegedly punched the witness in the face too.

Eventually, police arrived on the scene and arrested the puncher, who they ID'ed as 29-year-old James Anastasio. Cops say he was booked on multiple charges of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.

The Lightning fan who was KO'd, meanwhile, reportedly woke up several minutes following the punch ... and is in stable condition.

Jack Del Rio won't lose his job over his Jan. 6 comments earlier this week ... but his wallet will be lighter -- the team just fined him $100,000 for the remark.

Head coach Ron Rivera just announced the punishment ... saying Del Rio's comments "do not reflect the organization's views and are extremely hurtful to our great community here in the DMV."

Rivera added that Del Rio's money will now be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

"I feel strongly that after our conversation this morning," Rivera said, "[Del Rio] will have a greater understanding for the impact of his language and the values that our team stands for."

Del Rio initially made the controversial comments on Wednesday ... when he was trying to explain to a throng of media members why he believed the riots following George Floyd's death in 2020 should be investigated in the same way as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

"I see the images on TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed. Businesses are being burned down -- no problem," Del Rio told reporters at Washington practice. "And then we have a dust-up at the Capitol, where nothing burned down. And we're going to make that a major deal."

Del Rio eventually apologized for the remarks ... but the backlash was still swift, with many slamming him over the words.

In fact, NAACP president Derrick Johnson said he believed the coach should have lost his job over it all.

Jack Harlow is turning into quite the method actor -- the rapper was spotted working his ass off on the basketball court on the set of the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot.

Of course, Jack is no stranger to hoop ... but his Billy Hoyle character is a former college baller, so the dude's gotta look the part when the cameras start to roll.

Harlow can be seen backing down his defender and whizzing by him for a layup in one of the clips ... and appears to be laser-focused on immediate feedback from a trainer.

As we previously reported, Harlow has been hanging around on set in Venice this week ... as TMZ Sports obtained video of the "Nail Tech" MC walking around on a court.

Now, we get a chance to see the guy with a ball in his hand ... which will obviously be a big part of the flick.

Harlow has recently showed off his basketball skills during celebrity basketball games ... and he's got some solid range.

Brooks Koepka's new wife, Jena Sims, is taking a shot at her lifelong dream ... by throwing her hat in the ring to be a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie.

The 33-year-old former "Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader" star-turned-model announced her goal in a TikTok this week ... saying she's a "firm believer in going after what you want."

Sims notes her mindset helped her get her now-husband's attention by sliding into his DMs ... which started a romance that went public at the U.S. Open in 2017.

The couple got engaged in 2021 ... and got hitched at an extravagant Turks and Caicos ceremony this past weekend.

Now, the former pageant contestant has her eyes set on gracing the pages of the iconic magazine ... and using the SI Swim platform to help kids all over the world notice their inner beauty.

Many other WAGs have been featured in the issue over the past years -- including Jared Goff's GF, Christen Harper, Russell Wilson's wife, Ciara, Rob Gronkowski's GF, Camille Kostek, Kevin Love's fiancée, Kate Bock, and Christian McCaffrey's GF, Olivia Culpo.

Simiso Buthelezi's opponent has terrifyingly admitted he's having suicidal thoughts after the boxer tragically died following their fight last weekend.

Siphesihle Mntungwa made the troubling admission this week to Sowetan Live, a daily newspaper in South Africa, saying he's received threats and horrible messages accusing him of causing the 24-year-old's death during their sanctioned bout on Sunday.

"I came under heavy criticism and insults on social media platforms when Simiso was hospitalised," Mntungwa said, "it has taken another level now that he has passed away."

"I just can't take it anymore. One thing is left for me -- I am going to kill myself."

Mntungwa went on to say that he did not kill Simiso, nor was it his intention to end the fighter's life. Rather, the 27-year-old said he was just competing in a boxing match, focusing on winning the title so he could provide for his family financially.

"I did not kill Simiso," he said. "We may have been involved in a boxing fight but it was not a matter of life and death."

"All I wanted was to win the title, which maybe was going to help change my life and that of my family."

As we reported, Simiso became so disoriented during the 10th round of the contest with Mntungwa in South Africa that he began punching thin air -- forcing the referee to end the match.

Simiso, who collapsed in the ring following the scary scene, was rushed to the hospital ... but unfortunately, later died there.

Mntungwa's trainer, Mmeli Mkhize, said he's seeking professional help for Mntungwa following the fighter's disturbing admission to the outlet.

He added that the threats against Mntungwa have been so bad, they can't even pay their respects to Simiso out of concern for what people might try to do them there.

"We will not even be able to attend the funeral because we are scared," he said.