Between his first life as one of the most decorated boxers in history and his second life as a YouTube-friendly exhibition draw, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been in a lot of fights. None, however, have ended in quite the fashion as his exhibition against MMA fighter John Gotti III Sunday night.
With a minute left in the sixth round of the eight-round fight in Sunrise, Fla., veteran referee Kenny Bayless motioned to stop the bout. Gotti III appeared to take exception, seemingly yelling "F--- you" at Mayweather.
Bayless went to separate the two boxers as they continued to talk smack, only to have Gotti III dance free and attempt to continue punching Mayweather.
Madness erupted after the Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III fight was stopped early😳 pic.twitter.com/1ddZ0qliTc
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 12, 2023
The ring quickly became a war zone, as representatives of both corners streamed in to try to mitigate a full-scale brawl.
Mayweather, 46, is a four-time lineal world champion who retired undefeated in 2017. Gotti III is the son of John A. Gotti and grandson of John Gotti, both former bosses of the Gambino crime family, and has a 5–1 record in his professional MMA career as well as a 2–0 boxing record entering Sunday.
No winner was declared in the exhibition bout, which seemed fitting for what devolved into an ugly scene.
