It’s rare for an exhibition fight to receive so much media attention. It’s extremely rare for a rematch to happen and generate more interest than the original fight. However, it wasn’t what happened in the ring between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III that fueled interest in the August 24 rematch, but what happened afterward.
Their rematch will take place in Mexico City and will be broadcast on DAZN PPV.
WATCH: Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III 2, live on DAZN
Last June, I attended the first Mayweather-Gotti clash at the home of the Florida Panthers. Like most Mayweather shows, it was a relaxed evening of low-key fights between the likes of Hector Lombard, the controversial Jarrell Miller and Ulysses Diaz. The crowd filled up before the main event began, a rarity in boxing these days.
There was a certain excitement in the air as Mayweather returned to Florida for the first time since his fight against Logan Paul in 2021. Mayweather and Paul were surrounded by the media all week, with the former doing what he does best and Paul surviving a rainy night. The same was to be expected with Gotti III, as he was an MMA fighter who had just started professional boxing.
Mayweather came with his entire family, making his appearance very long. Gotti, the grandson of notorious gangster John Gotti, kept it simple. The action in the ring felt like the usual of a Mayweather exhibition match, the Hall of Famer dominating every aspect of the contest while playing with his food.
Here comes Floyd Mayweather and makes his way to the ring with his entire entourage. #MayweatherGotti @sn_fights pic.twitter.com/c0rywO9Stu
– Daniel Yanofsky (@DanYanofsky) June 12, 2023
Unlike his previous opponents in the shows, Gotti seemed confident against Mayweather at times. Still, Mayweather is Mayweather. In the sixth round, he bullied his opponent, but Gotti got back at him. Suddenly, in a strange moment, referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight because Gotti kept holding him. This infuriated the New Yorker, who thought he had a chance to beat Mayweather at his own game.
MORE: Analysis of the entire pre-fight program of Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III 2
An angry Gotti attacked Mayweather after the stoppage. This prompted the ex-champ’s entourage to come into the ring and before you knew it, they were fighting with Team Gotti. It was complete chaos.
The fans became angry, the ring and the arena floor were full of fights. The ring was packed and Mayweather quickly left the scene via the ring ramp before things got serious. After he left, both teams continued to brawl in the stands, which led to skirmishes in the backstage area.
At the moment it is CHAOS, there is a brawl going on in the ring while Mayweather is running to the back. Fights everywhere. #MayweatherGotti @sn_fights pic.twitter.com/giNK1BLjer
– Daniel Yanofsky (@DanYanofsky) June 12, 2023
A prominent media representative filmed the backstage action, which also involved family members. For about 15 minutes, it felt like a rerun of Malice at the Palace.
“From the beginning, there was a lot of tension between me and Floyd,” Gotti told DAZN via Boxing Social. “He had come into the fight with a lot of negative energy, as did I. He tried to trash talk right at the start of the fight, and when I was on the defensive for the first four rounds of the fight, I just let it go. As I got more comfortable in the fight, I started doing a little trash talk.
“If I had laid down, shown him my stomach and submitted to him, they would have badmouthed him all night long, but the fact that I was fighting back suddenly became a problem and the referee warned us in the fifth round going into the sixth round. Only one warning though, he didn’t give us many warnings. We went into the clinch, we said a few words and then he stopped the fight.
“I was upset, I felt like I was comfortable in the fight at that point and I was in the fight, I was starting to get my second wind and I felt like they had robbed me of my best round so I just relied on my emotions.”
MORE: Why is Floyd Mayweather fighting again?
Towards the end of the evening, the tension eased. Some fans were taken with the unsavory chaos and social media was much more active than during the main event.
As everyone knows, in entertainment and sports, money can be made through controversy. With a net worth of over $400 million, Mayweather understands better than anyone how to take advantage of a financial opportunity. That’s why this rematch is happening.
Since Mayweather has a large fan base and almost everyone has access to streaming services, there will be more eyes on the rematch because of what happened last time. It was adequately promoted with several press conferences and a lot of hype.
What happens when Mayweather and Gotti face each other for a second time?
