Floyd Mayweather is fighting on Saturday. It doesn’t even sound right, does it? For context, Mayweather competed in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and won his first world title two years later. His last serious fight took place in September 2015 when he outpointed Andre Berto in Las Vegas.
Since then, Mayweather has engaged in a series of lucrative and cringeworthy exhibition bouts, though one of them — a 10th-round stoppage of former UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017 — was disguised as a professional prizefight.
Almost a decade has passed since Mayweather, 47, was regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. However, the ex-champ will climb between the ropes for a gaudy eight-round exhibition bout against John Gotti III (grandson of the late notorious crime boss John Gotti) at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
When one asks why Mayweather is doing something, it always sounds like a rhetorical question. After all, the former five-weight world champion said it all himself when he changed his ring moniker from “Pretty Boy” to “Money” in 2007.
However, as Mayweather heads into this latest farce, there’s a tinge of melancholy and almost sadness about it. Even if you weren’t a fan of him during his prime, only a fool would deny how special the Grand Rapids native was as a boxer. Mayweather now runs the risk of being remembered more for meaningless exhibition bouts than for all the great things he did in the sport.
Why is Floyd Mayweather still fighting?
Money, money, money.
Decades ago, former heavyweight champions Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali fought exhibition bouts for very little money or, in Ali’s case, for charity. The world has changed, and a percentage of consumers are willing to pay top dollar to see a great old fighter move around against literally anyone.
As a professional, Mayweather faced Diego Corrales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez among others. Since his foray into the exhibition circuit, the ex-champ has mixed with Tenshin Nasukawa, Logan Paul, Don Moore, Mikuru Asakura, Deji and John Gotti III.
That’s the equivalent of a chess grandmaster switching his attention to a game of Connect 4 with preschool children… and being paid for it.
Why is Floyd Mayweather fighting John Gotti III?
Mayweather and Gotti III fought in June 2023 in a bout that ended in a mass brawl. The exhibition took place in Florida and was largely one-sided before referee Kenny Bayless halted the action in round six as Mayweather teed off.
Feeling that the bout was stopped prematurely, Gotti’s team protested bitterly and ended up in a melee with Team Mayweather. The violence and stupidity spilled out into the crowd and it took a long time for order to be restored.
It was an embarrassing end to an embarrassing event, but in this day and age, you can repackage craziness and resell it. That’s what’s happening here.
Is Floyd Mayweather tarnishing his legacy by fighting John Gotti III?
Hardcore fans are more likely to hold a grudge.
The bottom line is that Mayweather will still be an undefeated all-time great, a former five-weight world champion, and a Hall of Famer when he finally quits this exhibition tour. Nothing can cancel out what he accomplished as a professional.
Mayweather achieved a 50-0 record (26 world title fights) between 1996 and 2017. He faced some of the biggest names in the sport during that time, won multiple titles between super featherweight and super welterweight, and set pay-per-view records that stand to this day.
While most of us in the boxing business could do without Mayweather vs. Gotti III, it’s hard to refuse free money.
The Sporting News takes a deep dive into the exhibition chapter of Mayweather’s career.
