Boxing

Longtime boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. said Monday he's been in communication with the NBA about joining an ownership group to purchase a team.

The former five-division world champion told Sam Gordon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal he's avoided public discussion about the idea, which he's worked on throughout the year.

"I've been talking to certain individuals for the last six months," Mayweather said. "That's something I've been working on behind the scenes, but I've never came out and publicly talked about that with the media. Me and my team have been working behind the scenes with the NBA. I can't say exactly where, but I'm working on getting a team."

Mayweather is one of the world's richest athletes, but he doesn't have the wealth to become a solo NBA team owner based on current valuations.

Forbes projected the league's "cheapest" franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, was worth $1.5 billion for the 2021-22 season.

Mayweather claimed in August his net worth surpassed $1.2 billion, but Celebrity Net Worth estimates his holdings at a more modest $450 million.

Regardless, the 45-year-old Michigan native would need fellow investors to become a partner in an NBA ownership group.

"I've been working on that for a good while now," Mayweather told Gordon. "I've been working behind the scenes. I didn't want to bring it out until it was engraved in stone."

While he could join a current team, his comment about not being able to discuss "exactly where" the squad plays suggests he could be talking about an expansion franchise.

It adds more smoke to the fire that started last week when LeBron James said on The Shop he's aiming to bring an NBA organization to Las Vegas:

Forbes recently reported James became the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status.

James and Mayweather, two of the biggest sports stars of the generation, could combine to form the foundation of a Vegas ownership group, though there would likely be numerous others involved in the process.

That said, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver dismissed talk of imminent expansion during a press conference before the start of the 2022 NBA Finals.

"That talk is not true," Silver said in early June. "At least maybe there are people talking who are not at the league office about us potentially expanding after the 2024 season. We are not discussing that at this time. As I said before, at some point, this league invariably will expand, but it's not at this moment that we are discussing it."

Although he pushed aside the short-term speculation, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if there are expansion teams in at least two cities—Las Vegas and Seattle are the popular candidates—before the end of the decade.

ESPN announced Tuesday that Vitali Klitschko—former heavyweight boxing champion and current mayor of Ukrainian capital city Kyiv—will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2022 ESPYs in July.

Klitschko, who has been Kyiv's mayor since 2014, took up arms when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and he has continued to fight for his country ever since. He has been joined by his younger brother and fellow former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, as well as current boxing stars Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

Klitschko said the following in response to winning one of the most prestigious awards in sports:

"It is a great honor for me to receive this award. I am convinced that this is a recognition of the courage and inviolability of the Ukrainian people, who have been bravely resisting the Russian aggressor for more than three months. This is an award for everyone who defends the independence and freedom of Ukraine."

ESPN executive editor-at-large Rob King also commented on honoring Klitschko:

"Vitali's poise and strength as his city and country faces unfathomable tests have far surpassed the incredible resolve he demonstrated as one of boxing's top heavyweight champions. His commitment to the people of Ukraine has been a global inspiration, and his bravery is a prime example of the resilience of the human spirit. It is our privilege to bestow him with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award."

Before embarking on a political career, Klitschko established himself as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in the history of boxing.

He turned pro in 1996 and fought through 2012, going 45-2 with 41 wins by way of knockout. He twice held the WBC heavyweight title and was also the WBO and The Ring heavyweight champion during his illustrious career.

As a result, Klitschko was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.

The 50-year-old will join a long list of sports stars who have been honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award over the years. NC State head men's basketball coach Jim Valvano was the first recipient in 1993, followed by the likes of Muhammad Ali, Dean Smith, Billie Jean King, Bill Russell, Kevin Love and Maya Moore, among others.

The Arthur Ashe Award presentation will occur at the 2022 ESPYS, which will air live on ABC on July 20, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence Jr. pleaded guilty to DWI in an October 2019 car crash in Texas.

The Dallas County District Attorney's Office confirmed Monday to TMZ Sports that Spence was sentenced to three days in jail, which was covered through previous time served.

Police said Spence, who grew up in Texas after being born in New York, wasn't wearing a seat belt and got ejected from his Ferrari after it flipped over several times before striking a light pole on Oct. 10, 2019. He was treated for serious injuries.

He was charged with DWI, a class B misdemeanor, after being released from the hospital six days after the crash.

In April, Spence said on The Good Fight with Kate Abdo podcast (via Michael Benson of TalkSport) he was involved in another car crash a few months after the initial incident.

"I actually got into another accident three months after my accident," he said. "Somebody hit me from behind. It shook me up a little bit, but it's really hard to get to me. I'm always on an even keel."

The 32-year-old boxer added he's dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the crashes.

"When I was driving I would have like different flashes of a car running into me. Or I'd be at a red light and I'd just have flashes of cars hitting me and getting into car crashes all the time," Spence told Abdo.

Spence is the IBF, WBA and WBC welterweight champion. He owns a 28-0 career record with 22 knockouts.

His most recent fight was a 10th-round TKO of Yordenis Ugas in April. His next bout hasn't been confirmed, though there have been rumors of a potential clash with Terence Crawford to determine an undisputed welterweight champ.

Blac Chyna's boxing debut ended in a draw.

The model was knocked down once but went to the judges' scorecards with fitness model Alysia Magen during a celebrity boxing match Saturday night.

Both women called the decision "bulls--t" after the bout, which will not be confused with the Thrilla in Manila anytime soon.

"Maybe they should check the scores again," Chyna said after the fight.

The two very amateur fighters threw their equivalent to haymakers throughout but rarely landed with much force—if at all—though Magen did score the match's only knockdown.

Neither woman seemed particularly enthused at the idea of a rematch when asked about the possibility after the fight, which is probably a positive for all parties involved.

Tyson Fury denied speculation he's in talks to face the winner of the August rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail reported Friday an announcement was expected next week to confirm Fury would accept a December fight against either Joshua or Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

The longtime heavyweight boxing champion responded to the rumor on Twitter:

Fury said after his sixth-round TKO of Dillian Whyte in April he was going to retire, a stance he reiterated a few days later on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show (h/t ESPN).

"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth, I'm done," he said. "You know every good dog has his day and like the Roman leader said, there will always be someone else to fight."

While that may be an honest statement, anybody who's followed the fight game for more than 10 minutes knows retirements rarely stick for the sport's biggest names. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on his third retirement, and he's still doing exhibition fights.

So Fury is going to face endless speculation about a potential return to the ring, especially since he's only 33 and continued to perform at a high level in recent fights.

The British superstar owns a 32-0-1 career record with 23 knockouts. He won back-to-back bouts against Deontay Wilder before the triumph over Whyte to keep himself firmly atop the heavyweight division.

He's never faced Joshua or Usyk, so either one would represent a fresh challenge if the rumors he's shot down ultimately come to fruition.

Usyk won the first meeting between that duo in September by unanimous decision to capture the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles.

The 35-year-old Ukrainian could represent a threat to Fury's reign atop the division if he takes down Joshua again, and there would be a lot of fan interest in that fight.

For now, however, it doesn't sound like Fury is anywhere close on agreeing on a return.

Jake Paul has set a date and location for his next boxing match.

The YouTube personality announced a double-main event card featuring himself and boxing superstar Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 6.

Promoter Eddie Hearn recently told Sean O'Brien of TalkSport that he has "heard" a bout between Paul and Tommy Fury was in the works.

While an opponent has yet to be announced, it would make sense if Fury ends up getting the spot. The English boxer was originally supposed to fight Paul on Dec. 18, but he was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a bacterial infection and a rib injury.

Tyron Woodley, who lost to Paul by split decision in August, stepped in as a replacement. Paul defeated the former UFC welterweight champion by knockout in the sixth round.

Paul has a 5-0 career record as a professional boxer. He has yet to square off against a classically-trained boxer since entering the sport. The 25-year-old has defeated Woodley twice, former UFC fighter Ben Askren, former NBA player Nate Robinson and YouTuber AnEsonGib.

Serrano is returning to the ring coming off her first loss in a decade. She lost a split decision to undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden on April 30.

The defeat was just the second of Serrano's career and snapped her 28-fight winning streak dating back to April 2012.

Serrano has also dabbled in mixed martial arts at various points in her career. The Real Deal has a 2-0-1 record in MMA since 2018. She most recently defeated Valentina Garcia via first-round submission at the iKON Fighting Federation 7 event on June 11, 2021.

The first teaser trailer for the upcoming series Mike was released Wednesday and indicates fans will get a wide-ranging look at the life of Mike Tyson.

Trevante Rhodes, who is best known for his role in Moonlight, portrays Tyson in the eight-episode limited series on Hulu. In just over a minute of the trailer, it's clear the show will take on the good and bad, from Tyson winning a heavyweight title to being convicted of rape. Some iconic moments are also seen, including Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ear and spending time with his pet tiger.

As showrunner Karin Gist told Entertainment Weekly's Ashley Boucher, Mike "is not meant to glorify his life":

We were never trying to say that Mike Tyson is a hero or Mike Tyson is a villain. Our goal was to take a very complicated and controversial figure and try to get under the hood of what he was praised and vilified for while staying true to our North Star of 'no one person is one thing.'

Other notable characters are seen in the trailer, including Russell Hornsby as legendary promoter Don King and Harvey Keitel as trainer Cus D'Amato.

Boxer Simiso Buthelezi died on Tuesday at the age of 24 as the result of injuries suffered in a fight against Siphesihle Mntungwa on June 5.

Boxing South Africa and Buthelezi's family released a joint statement (h/t MMAFighting.com) announcing his death as the result of internal bleeding stemming from a brain injury.

"At the hospital Mr. Buthelezi was given the best care possible but he however succumbed to the injury last night as aforesaid," the statement said. "Boxing South Africa will conduct an independent medical review of the injury and will then make public the results of that medical review."

During the 10th round of the fight, Mntungwa fell through the ropes after being hit by Buthelezi.

After the referee gave Mntungwa time to stand up and compose himself to resume the bout, Buthelezi walked toward an empty corner of the ring and started throwing punches.

The referee waved off the bout at that point. Tim Boxeo of the Unprofessional Boxing Pod noted Buthelezi was removed from the ring under medical care.

Per ESPN's Lindsay du Plessis, Buthelezi was placed in a medically induced coma at the hospital in Durban, South Africa.

Dr. Buyi Mabaso-Dlamini, who was ringside for the fight, told Bongani Magasela of Sowetan Live on Tuesday that doctors "discovered that he bled on the brain and sadly his condition does not allow the doctors that are treating to operate at the moment due to the condition."

Bheki Mngomezulu, Buthelezi's trainer, told reporters "there wasn't anything untoward in the fight and in training."

"I really can't explain what happened to be honest," Mngomezulu added. "It was bewildering, but in his training and in the build-up to the fight, there was nothing untoward with regards to his condition."

Buthelezi had five professional bouts in his boxing career. He had a 4-1 record with two knockouts.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis is a hot commodity in the world of professional boxing, and Oscar De La Hoya is attempting to make him an offer he can't refuse.

Davis, who is coming off an impressive sixth-round TKO victory over Rolando Romero on May 28 to remain undefeated and retain his WBA "regular" lightweight title, is free to negotiate with promoters, as his contract with friend Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently came to an end.

De La Hoya isn't pushing to sign Davis but rather is trying to put together a lucrative fight offer for Davis to face fellow undefeated lightweight Ryan Garcia.

"Tank, I know you had your last fight with Floyd Mayweather, and I respect Floyd Mayweather. I think he did a tremendous job with your career," De La Hoya said during an appearance on TMZ Sports. "But I'm ready to offer you a multi, multi, multi, multimillion-dollar offer to fight Ryan Garcia."

De La Hoya went on to guarantee that this fight would be "the biggest purse that Tank Davis has ever made."

A fight between Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) and Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) would pit two of the most exciting young lightweights in all of boxing against one another. However, not everyone believes that De La Hoya wants to put his top talent against someone like Tank.

"The closest he's going to get to Gervonta Davis is where he was tonight," Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said May 28 after Garcia was in attendance for Davis' win over Romero. "He don't want to fight Tank. It's all talk. All talk."

Before a fight between Davis and Garcia can be made, Garcia first has to get past veteran boxer Javier Fortuna (37-3-1, 2 NC, 25 KOs) on July 16.

De La Hoya has confidence in Garcia, and he reiterated his plea to Davis to agree to the fight, which would surely draw a ton of public interest.

"Let's make this fight happen," De La Hoya said. "Everybody makes a s--tload of money, and we give the fight fans what they want to see."

Two-time All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell is going to make his boxing debut on July 30 at Crypto.Com Arena.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, YouTube star Austin McBroom specifically mentioned Bell as appearing on the card as he was teasing several other celebrities who would have fights.

McBroom also said the card will have "some ex-NBA guys" who he can't mention today, including a "former Laker."

This will be the second boxing card under McBroom's Social Gloves promotions banner. The first event, held June 12, 2021, featuring YouTubers vs. TikTokers was a disaster. Several fighters on the card claimed they did not get paid.

Streaming platform LiveXLive filed a $100 million lawsuit against McBroom and Simply Greatness Productions for defamation, breach of contract and fraud, among other things.

McBroom and LiveOne (formerly known as LiveXLive) eventually agreed to a $3 million settlement in February.

"This time around, we're working with people who have been doing this for a while. We have a new team, new streaming partner, everything is new," McBroom told TMZ about the differences for the event this time around. "Guys that are really experienced, and I've been very blessed and fortunate to have another shot at this."

It's unclear at this point who Bell is going to fight. The 30-year-old has previously teased stepping into the boxing ring. He told reporters in December he "was going to be done" with football before an opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers presented itself.

"I was at the point where I wasn’t really going to play football," Bell said. "I was going to focus on boxing. Once you get that phone call—it was like, ‘Oh yes, this is it.'"

Bell tweeted a challenge to Jake Paul for a fight after Paul's victory over Tyron Woodley on Dec. 18.

The Bucs signed Bell to a one-year deal in December after Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring injury during a Week 15 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Bell played a total of eight games during the 2021 season between the Bucs and Baltimore Ravens.