Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III will officially participate in a non-essential exhibition bout on August 24th in Mexico City, Mexico. The two appeared together in an introductory press conference held yesterday [August 1st] that verified the match would occur, and DAZN has been confirmed as the primary broadcaster for their upcoming fight―signaling a shift from Mayweather Jr.’s usual exhibitions which were mostly broadcast on The Zeus Network.
Floyd Mayweather Jr had revealed he would be fighting John Gotti III last month through a poster he shared on his social media, but an actual confirmation of the fight by the then-purported broadcaster, DAZN, had notably been lacking then.
The two fighters fought last year on June 11th, but the exhibition match was abruptly canceled by the referee presiding over the match, Kenny Bayless, after the two preferred exchanging verbal insults rather than fighting. Though both fighters were disqualified, the nature of their bout being an exhibition match meant the disqualification decision had no bearing on the outcome.
The August 24th match between the two will also not amount to an actual result due to it being an exhibition, meaning that there will be no judges to officiate the fight and the end result won’t be counted onto either fighter’s professional record. While stoppages or knockouts can occur, those will also not be officially counted.
This upcoming event marks the second time Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be working with DAZN after previously having fought under the broadcaster when he faced social media influencer Deji Olatunji in 2022.
Mayweather had previously been linked with rematching Victor Ortiz, presumably also in an exhibition, who he defeated by knockout (KO) in 2011. However, Mayweather seems to have wanted a different opponent which likely prompted his lack of appearance at a presser meant to officially confirm a fight between the two.
John Gotti III has fought professionally in boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but does not appear to be a prevalent competitor in either sport. He is the son of former mobster John A. Gotti [who was present during yesterday’s presser] and the grandson of John Gotti who is regarded as one of the most notorious mob bosses in American history.
The match in itself is insignificant to the sport of boxing due to it being an exhibition, allowing it to be safely regarded as a money-grab for the two fighters, DAZN, and other involved parties which draws questions as to the willing participation of certain individuals and entities in this event. Figures such as Jill Diamond, the WBC International Secretary and the co-founder of the WBC’s humanitarian organization of WBC Cares, also made an appearance during the press conference in what seemed to be an effort to legitimize the circus show between Mayweather and Gotti III.
