Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III will square off once again in an exhibition bout during Super Bowl weekend.
The two initially faced each other on June 11th, 2023, in a fight that had many controversial talking points. Mayweather dominated proceedings as he hit his opponent at will whilst also avoiding anything that was coming his way. As the fight progressed, Mayweather taunted his opponent with verbal shots, given the ease with which he was winning.
Things began to escalate, with both fighters using unsavory language, which resulted in the referee, Kenny Baylis, giving a warning. The warning was not heeded, as the fight was stopped. In response, Gotti swung towards Mayweather after the bell as both sides’ entourage entered the ring. Thereafter, there were question marks over whether the brawl was staged. Meanwhile, the incident resulted in Gotti receiving a six-month suspension.
“The DBPR Florida Athletic Commission took immediate action the evening of Sunday, June 11, and suspended John Gotti III for six months,” a representative for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said.
But now that the dust has settled down somewhat, Mayweather confirmed that a rematch would be happening.
Breaking news: Floyd Mayweather will rematch John Gotti III during Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas. Their last exhibition bout famously ended with a brawl between both teams. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/E9xYG3iocv
— InsideFighting (@InsideFighting_) November 17, 2023
Despite this being the case, the enthusiasm to see Mayweather in another exhibition appears to have gone. The boxer’s pulling power is no longer the same following his retirement. Meanwhile, has admitted that the bouts are in part to secure more paydays, which are in reality against non-professional boxers.
Reaction
that fight was so bad! no one buying that
— Unknown (@UnknownUser_115) November 17, 2023
Nobody asked for this
— clk (@romopm1) November 17, 2023
Please no
— Alessandro Gelke (@AlessandroGelke) November 17, 2023