The one thing that wasn’t reported about Floyd Mayweather’s recent exhibition fight that turned into a spectacle was that the retired boxer received a Juneteenth belt.
According to TMZ Sports, after Mayweather and John Gotti III “brawled” and the referee stopped the fight during the June, 11 matchup,
the undefeated boxer received a custom Juneteenth belt. The presentation was supposed to take place in the boxing ring but due to Gotti going after Mayweather, the fracas caused it to be held in another part of the venue.
The commemorative World Boxing Council Championship Freedom Belt was presented to Mayweather by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, who also gave one to Limitless X CEO Jas Mathur. The WBC stated that Mathur’s belt acknowledged “the remarkable achievements and visionary leadership demonstrated by Mr. Mathur and Limitless X for their contributions to the sporting and business community.”
Billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith, a friend of Mayweather’s, also received the Freedom Belt, which features broken chains, hands shaking, and the usual “WBC World Champion” etched on the front with “Juneteenth” underneath.
“Thank you to Mauricio and the WBC for creating and presenting me and my partners with this unique freedom belt to commemorate Juneteenth,” Mayweather told TMZ Sports. “The WBC has always led by example. I am honored to receive the belt along with Robert Smith, who is the largest civil rights activist in our history, and Jas Mathur my dear friend and partner.”
During the exhibition match between Mayweather and the grandson of crime boss John Gotti, the referee stopped the match, giving the victory to the undefeated boxer. When that took place, Gotti exploded and tried to attack Mayweather, and both corners came in to try to control the chaos that erupted. Mayweather stayed in the ring and protected himself while fighting off Gotti. Due to Gotti’s behavior, the Florida Athletic Commission placed him on a six-month suspension.