A heavily anticipated exhibition match between undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III, grandson of a notorious American mob boss, took a shocking turn on Sunday night.
Mayweather, renowned for his perfect 50-0 professional record, has recently turned his sights toward high-profile exhibition matches across the globe. These fights have drawn mass attention, with Mayweather facing a diverse array of opponents, including MMA fighters, internet sensations, and now the descendant of one of America’s most notorious organized crime figures.
Gotti III, son of John A. Gotti and grandson of John Gotti, both former bosses of the Gambino crime family, surprised fans by tipping the scales at a solid 181lb, brought an impressive, albeit brief, boxing background to the ring, including a previous knockout victory in one of his two professional fights.
The bout, held in a buzzing Florida arena, took an unexpected turn into chaos after the referee stopped the fight early. Gotti approached Mayweather, and the two continued to trade punches despite the referee’s decision, which led to an all-out melee between camps.
The exhibition fight ended with no declared winner.
WATCH:
Pure chaos erupted after the Mayweather-Gotti III stoppage 😬 @betrcombat
— betr (@betr) June 12, 2023
Si.com reported, “In the sixth round, referee Kenny Bayless had enough of Gotti’s jaw-jacking with him, the holding he and Mayweather did, and the constant verbal insults between the two. Bayless stopped the fight.”
MAYWEATHER IS HAVING THE TIME OF HIS LIFE DOING THESE EXHIBITIONS 🤣🤣🤣#Boxing #MayweatherGotti🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊
— Danny (@dantheboxingman) June 12, 2023
Mirror reported:
Mayweather started strongly, clearly irritated by a minor fracas with Gotti at the weigh-ins after a light joke, flying out of the traps like he hasn’t before for an exhibition. And he didn’t let up throughout, blasting his rival with powerful shots throughout the night that almost saw the fight stopped.
And in the sixth, with Mayweather raining down pressure on Gotti, the bout was stopped by referee Kenny Bayless, much to the New Yorker’s annoyance. He lashed out at the legendary fighter with a series of punches after getting around Bayliss, causing the ring to be swarmed with team members from both sides.
The melee saw a number of fights break out throughout the crowd and backstage, but the extent of injuries suffered is unknown at this time. Mayweather appeared unbothered by the carnage, unlike Gotti, whose father John II was brought backstage shortly after the incident.
Chaos was brought from the ring into the crowd where punches could be seen being thrown between fans and spilled over backstage, with a number of fighters and musicians caught amongst the action. The arena was cleared out by police, who threatened charges for anybody who did not leave immediately.
More videos:
Different angle of Joseline Hernandez fighting backstage at the Mayweather vs Gotti III fight pic.twitter.com/Mo1iWGCqZr
— Uncut Circle (@UncutCircle) June 12, 2023
This Team Money Mayweather vs. Gotti Family feud is out of control pic.twitter.com/ZWtrlRSzr5
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) June 12, 2023