Floyd Mayweather announces rematch against John Gotti III after ugly end to first fight
Floyd Mayweather recently announced that he'll be running it back with John Gotti III following the contentious conclusion of their first encounter. According to a post on Mayweather's Instagram, the rematch with his former adversary is set for Aug. 24 in Mexico City, although the specific venue has not yet been disclosed.
Check out Floyd Mayweather's post below:
The two fighters faced off in an exhibition bout last June at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, which culminated in pandemonium. Referee Kenny Bayless struggled to control their constant clinching.
With rising tensions and the situation spiraling out of control, Bayless decided to stop the fight. In the sixth round, he disqualified both Mayweather and Gotti III for their incessant verbal provocations and failure to adhere to the bout's rules, sparking a chaotic melee as both camps stormed the ring.
Consequently, the Florida State Athlete Commission imposed a six-month suspension on Gotti III. In contrast, 'Money' faced no disciplinary action.
Mayweather has participated exclusively in exhibition bouts since boosting his professional record to 50-0 with a stoppage win over former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017. This includes fights against Logan Paul, Deji, and Aaron Chalmers.
Meanwhile, Gotti III secured two boxing victories before accepting the bout with Mayweather, which came after he suffered his first MMA loss for the New England regional promotion CES in October 2020.
Last November, Mayweather had announced a rematch scheduled for Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, coinciding with the city hosting the 2024 NFL championship game at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. However, the fight failed to materialize for unspecified reasons.
When John Gotti III expressed surprise over referee's decision in Floyd Mayweather fight
During an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani last June, John Gotti III discussed the controversial moment when referee Kenny Bayless stopped his fight against Floyd Mayweather, attributing it to their continuous verbal onslaught:
"Kenny Bayless came over to my corner and Floyd's and warned us the round before and said, 'You guys have to stop cursing at one another. Otherwise, I'm gonna pull up the fight.' Next round comes up and we pick where we left off, I'm cursing at him, he's cursing at me... and then Kenny Bayless waves the fight off."
He also expressed his bewilderment at the referee's decision to stop the fight due to trash-talking during the bout:
"You can hear Kenny after the fight on audio, saying he warned Floyd and me numerous times to stop or we gonna call the fight. That's exactly what happened, but I have never seen anything like that. It was very weird."
Check out John Gotti III's comments below: