Floyd Mayweather forced a referee change in the middle of a round in his last exhibition fight last night.
The boxing icon rematched John Gotti III in Mexico City after their first meeting ended in chaos last June. He dominated proceedings and was considered the unofficial winner by fans, but there were no official scorecards as it was an exhibition fight.
It was the last stop on Mayweather’s world tour, which has taken him to Japan, London, Miami and Dubai, and he comically expressed his power midway through the second round when he objected to a referee’s decision.
Floyd Mayweather dominates John Gotti III as the pair settle their dispute in exhibition fight
Floyd Mayweather’s last clash with John Gotti III ended in an absurd disqualification that sparked major riots at the FLA Live Arena in Florida last summer. After being stopped in the sixth round for excessive holding, Gotti refused to give up the fight and continued to pound away at his rival.
This caused a mass rush of teammates from both sides to flood into the ring and the fighting spread to all sections of the crowd. It was enough to spark interest in a rematch between the two, which took place last night in Mexico.
Mayweather was a shadow of his former self, weighing in at just over 150 pounds and seemingly not throwing his punches with full power. However, he was still much better than MMA fighter Gotti, who only boxed twice as a professional.
Although the New Yorker, whose father and grandfather are John Gotti Jr. and Sr. of the notorious Gambino crime family, had a weight advantage of over 20 pounds, he was unable to land any big power punches. And Mayweather ultimately made it to the final bell with ease, with no winner being declared.
Floyd Mayweather fires referee during round of John Gotti III rematch
The highlight of the action was a bizarre moment in the second round when Mayweather was penalized by Panamanian referee Hector Afu for a punch he ruled to be behind the head. The boxer was outraged by the decision, leading to a brief exchange of blows between the two in the ring.
Mayweather raised a fuss and demanded a change of referee, probably thinking back to last year’s controversy, and after Afu became annoyed at the former world champion’s protests, Mexican referee Alfredo Uruzquieta was brought in instead.
Fans on social media immediately noticed the bizarre situation, with one writing: “Mayweather fired the referee mid-fight. He’s worth a fortune.” The MVP Updates page also pointed out that Afu hasn’t experienced anything unusual in previous fights.
The Panamanian referee deducted a point each from Tommy Fury and Jake Paul at different stages of their crossover boxing match in February last year. His refereeing performance on the night was called into question as the Briton won by split decision after being sent off late in an otherwise dominant performance.
Floyd Mayweather apparently rejects exhibition fight offer from Julio Cesar Chavez
After the final bell last night, Mayweather was approached by sporting legend Julio Cesar Chavez. The Mexican icon turned 62 last month but was still competing in exhibition fights and seemed interested in a superfight with the American.
“He’s older now and if I do an exhibition match with him, it’s not going to look good for me,” Mayweather told fans in the arena after facing Chavez.
“He paved the way for me and he does so much for boxing and for all the young Mexican fighters after him. He’s one of the guys who paved the way, he’s one of the best fighters of all time.”
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