Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti III Preview
It’s the rematch that nobody knew they wanted. Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face John Gotti III again on Saturday, August 24th in Mexico City. Technically, this is an exhibition, but there’s no love lost between these men.
Their last meeting came to a chaotic end after a brawl broke out in Florida. Now both men hope to take revenge in a genuine grudge match. They don’t like each other, so they’re aiming to end this in style.
This match won’t go on their official records, but betting odds are available. It won’t feel like a regular exhibition because it is such a toxic rivalry. These two fighters want to knock each other out.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti II Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Everybody knows about Mayweather’s legendary career. ‘Money’ retired from competitive professional boxing in 2017 with an undefeated 50-0 record. He fought the best boxers of his era, including Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Álvarez, and Manny Pacquaio.
However, despite retiring, he hasn’t hung up his gloves yet. Mayweather has fought in seven exhibition matches since he quit. His opponents ranged from genuine fighters like Tenshin Nasukawa to reality TV stars and influencers such as Logan Paul.
His opponent, Gotti III, is most famously the grandson of a New York mob boss. He’s a professional MMA fighter and boxer, but nowhere near the same level as Mayweather. Gotti is 2-0 in boxing and 5-1 in mixed martial arts. However, he has never fought for a major promotion.
Their first fight was one of the most farcical events of the year. The pair trash-talked from the opening bell. Mayweather had more skill, despite his age. Gotti resorted to dirty and desperate tactics as he tried to upset the legend.
Complete chaos after the Floyd Mayweather-John Gotti III fight was stopped 😳
(via @The_ZeusNetwork)pic.twitter.com/SLys8fI4as
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2023
Referee Kenny Bayless stopped this fight in the sixth round because they kept using abusive language. Gotti attempted to punch Mayweather again after the bell and ignited a brawl. Both corners entered the ring and there were fights in the crowd. Mayweather didn’t engage in the fracas and hung back against the ropes with a big smile.
Both men fight out of an orthodox stance, while Gotti is naturally heavier. However, he could not use his size to his advantage in their last match-up. Mayweather doesn’t take his preparation seriously for these exhibitions. But that’s because he doesn’t need to. This is only the third rematch of Mayweather’s illustrious career. Gotti joins Marcos Maidana and Jose Luis Castillo to fight ‘Money’ twice.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti III Predictions
There’s no doubt that Mayweather would win this fight if it was a regular boxing match. His pedigree is far beyond Gotti’s. Mayweather has held 15 titles across multiple weight divisions and fought some of the greatest of all time.
However, this is an exhibition, not a regular professional bout. We saw what happened the last time these men met. The referee brought the night to a premature end as neither man deserved an outright victory. There’s a good chance that similar chaos erupts in Mexico City.
Despite this, our boxing prediction is that Mayweather will win this exhibition. He is a far superior boxer with supreme technical skills. It doesn’t matter that he’s operating at about 50% of his abilities in his prime. He has more than enough to wipe the floor with Gotti. That’s why the younger man kept trying to put him in headlocks and use dirty tricks.
There is a chance age will finally catch up with Mayweather. Now he’s closer to 50 than 40 and isn’t taking these exhibitions seriously. We still think he’d crush Gotti if he did a regular training camp. But we don’t believe he’s prepared as well as he could.
It may not affect the result, but we could see a shock at a future exhibition. Father Time waits for no man as we saw when Kevin McBride stunned Mike Tyson in 2005. But we still expect this match to end with a Mayweather win.
The biggest question is if this fight will have a satisfying result. Nobody wants to pay their hard-earned cash to watch the referee stop a match early for foul language. The fighters must give the fans what they paid for. ‘Money’ is a master of making cash, so we think he’ll try to prolong this one.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
HAS ARRIVED IN MEXICO FOR HIS FIGHT THIS WEEKEND‼️🛬
🕺🕺🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽#Boxing #MayweatherGotti
🤣🤣🥊🥊🥊 pic.twitter.com/D7LSauBD8o— Danny (@dantheboxingman) August 20, 2024
Gotti’s best hope of pulling off a shock is to follow Logan Paul’s approach. The YouTuber fought Mayweather in an unscored exhibition and survived the full match. He was much bigger and desperately hung onto the former champion to avoid the knockout. We don’t think Gotti can win, but he could survive if he is smart.
Gerald Tucker is in Mayweather’s corner again for this match. Meanwhile, former kickboxing champion Derek Panza is coaching Gotti. Gotti’s primary tactic should be to get inside and make this as ugly as possible. We don’t think it will be enough to defeat one of the greatest of all time.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti III Betting Tips
It won’t shock anybody that Mayweather is a massive favourite to win this exhibition boxing match. Gotti III has to prove he belongs in the same ring as this legend. This fight is scheduled for eight rounds with no weight limit.
If you are going to place a boxing bet on this event, Mayweather is a staggering 1/30 favourite to win this fight. A €10 wager would only make €0.03 in profit. But there are still some interesting options available for punters. We may never get another chance to bet on Mayweather again.
First, consider over-under betting on the total number of rounds. We don’t expect a knockout because Gotti is going to hang on for dear life. If this fight reaches a proper conclusion, it will probably go to a decision.
However, everybody knows what happened last time when these fighters met. The referee intervened after six rounds and called the fight off. It may be worth wagering on this fight to go past six at our bookmaker. This is a risk because there was carnage when they last fought.
Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III Face Off#MayweatherGotti pic.twitter.com/fHdvNk8Z56
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 1, 2024
Betting on boxing is often unpredictable, which could make it worthwhile to back the underdog. It’s 9/1 for Gotti to shock the world and defeat the unbeaten legend. This time, a €10 stake would earn €90 if successful. Stranger things have happened in the boxing world. We’ve seen Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson and Andy Ruiz stun Anthony Joshua. Can Gotti add his name to this illustrious list?
Check the in-play odds during this fight. Even if Gotti catches Mayweather early, we expect ‘Money’ to rebound and earn a decision. However, the odds may be more lucrative for a Mayweather win if he experiences some early adversity.
Every boxing fan wants to see a highlight reel finish. Gotti has power, but better fighters have tried and failed to knock out Mayweather. We think ‘Money’ is more likely to finish his opponent. Gotti’s corner could throw in the towel or he may retire in the corner if he takes too much damage. We don’t expect a clean knockout in this fight.
Mayweather has stoppage wins over elite combat sports athletes, including Conor McGregor and Tenshin Nasukawa. These fighters proved their pedigree in other sports, but ‘Money’ taught them a harsh lesson about boxing. Gotti isn’t on the same level as either of these names and could be easy work for Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather Jr vs John Gotti III Outcome
Mayweather’s main aspiration for this boxing match will be to look decent. If he shows signs of being a fading force, it could affect interest in future exhibition bouts. There are already low sales for this expensive pay-per-view card, so he can’t risk alienating fans anymore. A highlight reel knockout is the dream, but a dominant decision is the most likely outcome.
‘Money’ is probably already identifying future opponents. He has a good relationship with Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN and could fight on their New Year’s Eve event again. Jake Paul is probably the most lucrative match-up. Mayweather already defeated his older brother Logan and Jake is a genuine draw. However, Paul is massive, so this could be a riskier bout.
Win or lose, Gotti is likely to fade back into obscurity after this match. Nobody will give him credit for beating Mayweather because of his age. It’s unlikely to cause the cultural ripple that he hopes for. He’ll probably look for another exhibition opponent regardless of the result. We’ll almost certainly see him against a YouTuber at some point.
