August 26, 2024
Floyd Mayweather Fires Referee During Rematch With John Gotti III
The undefeated boxer was so upset with a call made by the ref that he had him replaced while they were in the boxing ring.
When Floyd Mayweather first faced off against John Gotti III, grandson of the infamous mob boss, the match erupted into chaos after the referee’s decision to stop the fight. This led to a brawl as both fighters’ teams stormed the ring in response to Gotti’s anger. In their rematch, tensions flared again when Mayweather, dissatisfied with the referee’s decision, abruptly fired him and brought in a replacement during the match.
The New York Post reports that the exhibition match occurred at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Aug. 24. Mayweather landed what appeared to be a legal right hook to Gotti’s head in the second round. However, referee Hector Afu intervened, stopping the fight and citing Mayweather for an illegal punch. This decision infuriated Mayweather, who was seen pushing Afu’s arm and gesturing for him to step aside. As Mayweather continued to dispute the call, he angrily yelled at the referee to move out of the way.
As Mayweather circled the boxing ring, shouting at his corner and the scorer’s table, Afu eventually moved to a corner of the ring and exited. After a few minutes, a new referee stepped in, and the fighters reconvened in the center as the match resumed under the new official’s direction.
Floyd Mayweather just fired the ref for a bad call in the middle of the fight 😭😭
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 25, 2024
The boxing match continued, and although there were no judges, Mayweather had the best match between the two, and the fight actually went the distance.
The last time the two combatants met, the referee, Kenny Bayless, stopped the match in the sixth round after warning Gotti about his trash-talking. When the fight ended, Gotti got angrier, and although the match was over, he continued to attack Mayweather after the bell rang, causing both teams’ corners to jump in, and a brawl ensued.