Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti III-The Rematch: Who Wins?

The first fight ended in a melee, and don’t expect the second fight to be any different. Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his debut in Mexico City when he takes on John Gotti III in an eight-round exhibition rematch live on DAZN pay-per-view and PPV.com ($49.99) at Arena Ciudad de México Saturday night.

In their first meeting, Mayweather dominated and outboxed Gotti III, the grandson of the famous New York mob boss John Gotti, repeatedly tagging his opponent with one-two combinations and clubbing right hands. After referee Kenny Bayless grew tired of Gotti holding and fouling, he called a halt to the bout with less than a minute to go in round six of their scheduled eight-round contest. However, the decision sent Gotti into a rage, as he charged at Mayweather but continued to take punches as both fighters’ respective teams jumped into the ring to defend their man, and chaos ensued.

What To Expect

Not to be callous, but some things have changed, and others haven’t. Both men are a year older, and as far as skill is concerned, Mayweather is still a former five-division world champion and a hall of famer, and Gotti III is, well, Gotti. To his credit, the latter has natural power that has translated well for him in the MMA world. He is 5-1 in that respective class, but all of his bouts have taken place under the banner of CES MMA, so we’re not talking UFC or Bellator, but more of a club-level-esque organization headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. In other words, Gotti isn’t the best in his own sport, and Mayweather was a top pound-for-pound talent when he won his first world title in 1998. Although the 47-year-old Mayweather is far from his best days, his once-elite skills have not eroded to the point that he’ll allow an amateur in Gotti to get the best of him.

We all know Mayweather will get the best of Gotti, but the intriguing question is, what strategy will his adversary employ? It appears Gotti is entering this fight with the delusion that he was robbed in the previous fight, albeit he was thoroughly outclassed from the onset. Being passive didn’t work in the first fight, but Mayweather didn’t allow him to get comfortable. “Money” was setting him up with the jab to the head and the body, and he followed up with his signature right cross with pristine accuracy to the point it seemed that Mayweather was beating up on a heavy bag. The only point in which Gotti fought on the front foot was when the fight had already been waved off, and yet still took punishment on the way in.

The second rendition will likely play out in a similar fashion, but expect Gotti to be aggressive and reckless from the opening bell. What does he have to lose? Gotti knows he’s not going to beat Mayweather in a boxing match, but if he can grab him and do some dirty work on the inside, that’s his only hope. But if you’re asking me how we avoid a situation like last year, hire Herb Dean as a referee. Yes, he’s not a boxing referee normally, but if Gotti tries to replicate what he attempted last year, don’t be surprised if a guy like Dean takes him down to the canvas himself. It’s clear that Gotti is an all-out war, let’s fight in the center of the ring type of fighter, but we know how Mayweather is , and he will continue doing what made him the best in his sport for nearly two decades. Hit, don’t get it, and grin and joke along the way to victory. And to boot, a more aggressive Gotti could mean a possible TKO victory for Mr. Mayweather. We’ll go out on a limb and say “Money May” by TKO.

Ryan O'Hara

Ryan O’Hara is an award-winning sportswriter based in Denver, Colorado. The 30-year-old has been recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America three times for his accomplishments, with a best finish of 2nd at the 2022 awards ceremony.

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