Boxing

The long-standing feud between boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and hip hop star 50 Cent has apparently come to an end.

According to TMZ Sports, 50 Cent revealed during an appearance on The Breakfast Club that he made amends with Mayweather at a comedy show earlier this year. He said when he apologized to Mayweather, the 50-0 boxer responded, "What took you so long?"

Mayweather and 50 Cent had a close relationship up until a falling out in 2012 stemming from a money dispute. The rapper would constantly call out Mayweather over the ensuing years, including a viral video in which he challenged the former multiple-division world champion to prove he could read.

That all appears to be water under the bridge now. Their renewed friendship is also social media official, with 50 Cent posting on his Instagram that Mayweather would be attending his upcoming Tycoon Weekend comedy event.

Le'Veon Bell and Adrian Peterson will face off in the boxing ring after all.

TMZ Sports reported the bout between the former NFL running backs will take place on Sept. 10 at Banc of California Stadium as part of the undercard for the fight pitting Austin McBroom against AnEsonGib.

While the fight was initially scheduled for July 30, it was nearly canceled and ultimately pushed back because Gib needed medical clearance.

They aren't the only notable athletes who will be on the undercard, as former Los Angeles Laker Nick Young will fight Blueface.

The first game of the 2022 NFL season is Sept. 8 between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. That the fight between Peterson and Bell is two days later suggests neither one will probably be playing football at the highest level this year.

"I know I'm not going to be playing this year because I want to focus on boxing," the 30-year-old Bell told Grant Gordon of NFL Media last month.

Yet Peterson sang a different tune while promoting the fight and said he doesn't want to entirely rule out playing in the NFL this season in part because training for boxing will keep him in shape:

"But since I've started, this is something that I'll continue to do. I'll continue to stay in the ring, continue to practice, get my skills right because it's a different ball game when you step in that square. Fortunately for me, I have some great guys around me that are experienced. My gym in Houston, we have a ring in there. We have a lot of guys sparring all the time, and I've had the opportunity in the past to get in there with those guys a couple times and here recently, obviously, getting ready for the fight. I just been kind of grinding, so I might see this continue to do something going forward.

"So, even after this fight, I will still be on my same routine, waiting for that next opportunity to present itself."

Even if the next opportunity doesn't come, Peterson will go down as one of the best running backs of his generation. The 37-year-old's resume includes a league MVP, an Offensive Rookie of the Year, four All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowl nods and three different seasons when he led the league in rushing.

The Oklahoma product suited up for the Minnesota Vikings from 2007 through 2016 and then played for the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Washington, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

Peterson played four games last season, and his final appearance came during Seattle's victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 5.

As for Bell, he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is a four-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. He appeared in eight games last season, with the final one coming in Tampa Bay's win over the Carolina Panthers on Jan. 9.

Adrien Broner announced he will withdraw from his scheduled fight against Omar Figueroa Jr. due to mental health issues:

"Man, I'm going thru a lot at this moment in my life but I ain't go give up I set some more goals and I ain't stopping until I finish what I started but sorry to say this but I'm not fighting #August20th," Broner wrote on his Instagram account.

Broner was slated to face Figueroa Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It would have been his first fight since his Feb. 2021 win over Jovanie Santiago.

Sergey Lipinets will replace Broner in the main event Saturday against Figueroa, per Mike Coppinger of ESPN.

Figueroa wasn't happy with Broner's "excuse" for dropping out of the fight, calling for proof that he saw a mental health professional:

Broner said in his initial post that he has struggled when his mind wasn't 100 percent, and he doesn't care what people think about his decision.

"I have nothing to prove to nobody I’m a 4 time world champion in 4 different weight classes and if I never lace up a pair of gloves again I feel like it’s safe to say I will be inducted into the #BoxingHallOfFame," he wrote in the caption.

The 33-year-old has won WBO, WBC and WBA belts at different times in his career, going 34-4-1. He has struggled in recent years, with just a 1-2-1 record since July 2017. He lost to Mikey Garcia and Manny Pacquiao before taking more than two years off, returning for his fight against Santiago.

Broner recently said he wants to face Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition, but that plan might be delayed after Monday's announcement.

Fresh off a dominant performance in his junior welterweight debut, Teofimo Lopez is already setting his sights on the top of the division.

"We want Josh Taylor ... We want [Regis] Prograis, we want [Jose] Zepeda, we want all the belts. That's really what we want. We want to become a two-time undisputed world champion," Lopez said Saturday after his seventh-round TKO of Pedro Campa. "I'll take all them boys and take they whole dreams away. I'm here to be their nightmare."

Lopez made his reputation in the lightweight division before a shocking loss to George Kambosos Jr. last November. He said maintaining the 135-pound weight limit at lightweight was "killing" his body, leading to him making the leap up to junior welterweight.

Mike Coppinger of ESPN noted it's unlikely Lopez gets to make a major statement with his next fight. Taylor is likely to fight Jack Catterall in November, and a Prograis vs. Zepeda bout is also slated for later this year.

Lopez said he plans to fight again Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden, where he'll look to make another statement in his new division. If he's successful and able to improve on the power that was somewhat lacking Saturday against Campa, his shot at glory at junior welterweight could come early next year.

A quarter-century later, the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield rivalry is officially over.

Holyfield says he has no interest in a potential third fight against Tyson after the pair previously discussed comeback bouts in 2021.

"Too late now. ... I'm done now," Holyfield told TMZ Sports.

Tyson most recently returned to the ring in November 2020 for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. In the aftermath of that largely well-received exhibition between legends, there was talk of Tyson and Holyfield getting into the ring. The fight never happened, and Holyfield revealed Tyson turned down a potential $25 million purse.

Holyfield instead made his boxing return against Vitor Belfort in September 2021, losing in the first round via technical knockout. It seems his poor performance against Belfort was enough for the 59-year-old Holyfield to hang up the gloves for good.

Holyfield, of course, has nothing to prove against 56-year-old Tyson. He defeated Iron Mike via TKO in 1996 and then again via disqualification a year later when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear.

Tyson Fury's boxing comeback is over after a mere three days.

The lineal heavyweight champion announced he is walking away from the sport Friday, coinciding with his 34th birthday.

Fury, who initially announced his retirement after his April victory over Dillian Whyte, previously posted a video Tuesday announcing plans to fight Derek Chisora.

The proposed bout would have been the final in a trilogy between Fury and Chisora, concluding a rivalry that began in 2011 when the pair were up-and-coming fighters. Fury earned a unanimous decision win during their first bout and defeated Chisora in the rematch via corner stoppage three years later.

"I've decided to come back to boxing, because I can be the first heavyweight champion in history to have two trilogies—one with Deontay Wilder, a second one with Derek Chisora,” Fury said in the initial video announcing his comeback. "I always said I would fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career."

Fury, should this actually be the end of his career, retires with a record of 32-0-1. His only blemish was a controversial draw against Wilder in 2018, and Fury went on to defeat Wilder two more times to take the rivalry.

Chisora would have been a seismic underdog in a Fury rematch. The 38-year-old is coming off a win over Kubrat Pulev last month but lost his previous three fights.

Earlier this year, Oscar De La Hoya expressed the desire to end his long feud with UFC President Dana White. While White was willing to accept De La Hoya's apology, he said he has no intentions of rekindling their friendship.

"I feel like De La Hoya’s apology was sincere, but there’s no way that he and I can ever be friends again,” White said during a fan Q&A with GQ Sports (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “He and I were actually friends. I used to go to his fights. I used to watch his fights. I used to promote his fights. That guy did way too much damage for us to ever be friends again. I appreciate his apology. I get it. We’re cool, but we’re never going to be that cool."

White and De La Hoya's feud dates back to the 2017 fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, which White helped co-promote. De La Hoya said the matchup was "disrespecting the sport of boxing," which obviously didn't sit well with White and sparked their rivalry.

De La Hoya had challenged White to a fight several times during their back-and-forth. White has said a slew of disparaging remarks about the former boxing world champion over the years.

Ryan Garcia confirmed on Twitter Wednesday that he's hoping to fight Gervonta Davis in December and is optimistic an agreement can be worked out.

That doesn't come as a surprise—Garcia said in late July after his knockout of Javier Fortuna that he wanted a piece of Davis.

"I'm never going back down to 135. I'm going to stay at 140. I'm going to fight 'Tank' Davis if he wants it at 140," he said. "And if he doesn't, then I'll go fight some 140-pounder. But he's going to want to do it ... there's going to be riots if he don't want to do it. I know that I'm committed to it and I told everybody that that's where my heart's positioned and I'm not going to waver for nobody."

Garcia has made the move to 140 pounds—competing at that weight for his last two fights—while Davis has remained at 135.

That's one obstacle to overcome in negotiations. Another one, as ESPN's Mike Coppinger noted, is that Garcia fights exclusively on DAZN, while Davis has partnered with Showtime.

Other issues, such as how the purse would be split or the inherent politics that come when different promoters get involved—Garcia is repped by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, Davis by Premier Boxing Champions—could stand in the way of a highly anticipated fight.

"That's going to get me the respect I deserve," Garcia said of the potential matchup. "And I'm never afraid. I have the spirit of competition in me, and you'll see that come out when I fight Tank and whoop his ass."

Garcia, 24, is a perfect 23-0 in his professional boxing career. Davis, 27, is also unblemished at 27-0. It's the potential superfight that the sport is craving.

But despite that clear appeal, De La Hoya told Coppinger on Wednesday that talks have stalled, and his hope is to pit Garcia against Teofimo Lopez at 140 pounds. Whether Garcia agrees remains to be seen.

It's clear he wants Davis. Whether the feeling is mutual—and whether the always murky business side of the sport allows for it—remains unknown.

Former UFC women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg's next fight will not take place in a cage, but rather in a boxing ring.

Cyborg announced on Wednesday's episode of The MMA Hour that she will compete in a boxing match against Simone Silva on Sept. 25 in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. Cyborg officially signed her contract live on the show.

According to MMA Fighting, the fight between Cyborg and Silva will be under the Fight Music Show (FMS) and the promotion's middleweight championship will be on the line. The fight will take place at the Athletico Paranaense Arena, which was the site of Cyborg's UFC debut in 2016.

The reigning Bellator MMA featherweight champion, Cyborg most recently defended her title for the fourth time in a unanimous decision victory over Arlene Blencowe in April. She has also held titles in Strikeforce and Invicta FC. The knockout artist is currently on a six-fight win streak after losing her UFC belt to Amanda Nunes in 2018.

Cyborg (26-2, 1 NC) has been vocal in the past about her desire to test her skills in boxing while still competing in mixed martial arts. She recently called it "one of my dreams" to step into a boxing ring.

The 37-year-old will face a veteran boxer in Silva, who has a 17-21 record with six knockouts. However, she's riding an eight-fight losing streak dating back to 2019.

While Cyborg is set to get her feet wet in boxing, it's unclear who will be her next MMA opponent. There isn't yet a clear No. 1 contender at featherweight in Bellator. There has been speculation that PFL would pursue a deal with Cyborg to match her up against two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison, but Cyborg said she has not had any contact with the promotion.