Is John Gotti III related to a mob family? All about his family history, MMA record, and more
John Gotti III will take on Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 24 in a rematch at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Their first encounter in June 2023 ended in a no-contest after referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight for excessive trash-talking.
Gotti tried to attack Mayweather after the fight was stopped, resulting in an all-out brawl between the teams. He has also competed in two professional boxing bouts, registering victories over Albert Tulley and Alex Citrowske.
Is John Gotti III related to a mob family?
John Gotti III is the grandson of John Gotti, known as 'The Teflon Don', the former head of the Gambino crime family. The American mafioso orchestrated the murder of former Gambino boss Paul Castellano in December 1985 and took over the family shortly thereafter.
He earned the moniker because, like Teflon, no charges seemed to stick to him despite high-profile trials. He was charged with numerous crimes including murder, and racketeering, while his legal team secured acquittals in several trials, partly due to jury tampering and other tactics.
The MMA fighter's father, 'Junior' Gotti, allegedly took over as the acting boss while his father was in prison serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole following his conviction for murder, racketeering, and other charges. He was convicted and imprisoned for racketeering in 1999, and between 2004 and 2009 he was a defendant in four racketeering trials, each of which ended in a mistrial.
John Gotti III carved a path for himself by venturing into combat sports. He turned to professional MMA in Oct. 2017 registering a TKO victory over Johnny Adams. He holds a 5-1 record in the sport with four finishes. He has only lost to Nick Alley via unanimous decision.
John Gotti III weighs in on rematch against Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III will reignite their rivalry when they lock horns in a rematch on Aug. 24 at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
For the Long Islander, the second fight with Mayweather involves greater stakes at play. He also claimed that "fate" has given him a second chance to prove himself and he plans to make the most of it. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, he said:
"This fight can dictate the course of my future in the fight game. He’s going to be met with bad intentions. After everything that happened last time, we’ll see who backs up first. This is going to be a hell of a fight. It’s going to be a very interesting night. Don’t let Floyd fool you–he’s taking this seriously, he’s coming to fight.” [H/t: Sports Illustrated]
He added:
“I’ve seen his best, he hasn’t seen mine. Last time, I was timid. He’ll see the real me on August 24, and I’m intrigued to see how he handles that. Fate gave me a second fight, and I’m making the most of it.”
The ring walks for Mayweather vs. Gotti III are scheduled for midnight EST/ 5 AM BST with the event set to start at 7:30 PM EST / 12:30 AM BST on Saturday, Aug. 24.