In his eighth exhibition bout since retiring from boxing, former undefeated five-division world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather will return to the ring to face John Gotti III on Saturday night, August 24, in Mexico City, streamed live on DAZN.
Mayweather and Gotti faced off in the ring at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida in June 2023. The fight was stopped and declared a no contest after an incident in the sixth round. Gotti is now preparing to face Mayweather for a second time.
John Gotti III is the grandson of the late mobster John Gotti. He made his mixed martial arts debut with a first-round TKO win over Johnny Adams in October 2017. After five straight wins, Gotti suffered his first loss inside the Octagon in October 2020.
Two years later, Gotti made the transition from the Octagon to the ring, defeating Albert Tully by unanimous decision, then scoring a first-round knockout victory over Alex Shitlovski. Soon after, Gotti got the chance to face a boxing legend.
Typically in exhibition bouts, Floyd Mayweather starts off easy on his opponents, but in his bout with John Gotti III, Mayweather started off very aggressively. In the first round, Mayweather constantly landed jabs, followed by a hard right to the body.
In the second round, Mayweather displayed his defensive skills by constantly swearing while dodging Gotti's punches. Between the third and fifth rounds, Floyd Mayweather continued to show off by landing sharp and accurate punches on John Gotti.
With 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the sixth round, Gotti forced a clinch. He continued to hold Mayweather down as the referee called multiple breaks. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout, but Gotti was not happy about the stoppage.
Gotti maneuvered around the referee and attempted to land a right hand on Mayweather, Gotti missed, but Mayweather landed a counter right hand, and members of both camps entered the ring, sparking a massive brawl.
A year later, Floyd Mayweather Jr., the 47-year-old boxing Hall of Famer, announced his return fight against John Gotti III on social media, using the hashtag “#UnfinishedBusiness” to highlight the fight as a can't-miss affair.
