Every so often, a “boxing is dead” crowd forms if given the opportunity. It could be from a bad result or a boxer doing something outlandish in or out of the ring. One small sample will result in a declaration that the sky is falling.
On June 11, that crowd woke up with a smirk following the farce that unfolded at the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III exhibition.
The FLA Live Arena is home to the Florida Panthers, who defied the odds and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, beating some of the best teams in the sport. A multi-division champion, Mayweather, the best in his sport, competed in another one of his exhibitions. This time, it was against the grandson of John Gotti.
As he has done in his last bouts against the likes of Don Moore, Deji, and Aaron Chalmers, Mayweather had fun vs. Gotti. The Hall of Famer had his hands down, wasn't wearing a guard in his mouth, and got into Gotti's head. Gotti tried to play 'Money's' game, but referee Kenny Bayless didn’t like the trash-talking between the two. Following a hold by Gotti in the corner (he has competed in MMA), Bayless called off the fight after the sixth round.
MORE: Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III results, highlights
An enraged Gotti went on to try to still fight Mayweather, with Mayweather landing a clean shot to the former. Both teams, including a large Mayweather entourage that brought him down to the ring and initially delayed the fight, brawled. The ring was full of people, and everyone wanted a piece of the action. A fight later spilled to the outside, where audience members and, allegedly, the camps of both fighters fought near the backstage tunnel.
The Sporting News was live at the scene.
.@FloydMayweather is rolling deep for his ring walk 😳 #MayweatherGotti pic.twitter.com/2wYGwyL681
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) June 12, 2023
It is CHAOS right now, as there’s a brawl in the ring while Mayweather runs to the back. Fights everywhere. #MayweatherGotti @sn_fights pic.twitter.com/giNK1BLjer
— Daniel Yanofsky (@DanYanofsky) June 12, 2023
Unplanned fights in boxing and combat sports, in general, in and out of the ring aren’t new. There was a brawl between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield's camps when the former bit the latter’s ear in 1997. When Anthony Joshua fought Jermaine Franklin earlier this year, there was a brief melee following the final bell. Outside of boxing, one can't forget the infamous scuffle between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov flew out of the cage to McGregor's team.
During a weekend where Teofimo Lopez returned to form against Josh Taylor, Jaime Munguia and Sergiy Derevyanchenko had a Fight of the Year candidate, and the great Amanda Nunes retired from MMA, all anyone can talk about is the anarchy that unfolded following this bout.
MORE: Teofimo Lopez returns to elite level, proves himself once again
The actions at Mayweather vs. Gotti were a new low for a sport that features questionable judging, among other detractions. However, these actions have seemingly been accepted in a, “Well, that happened, move on” manner.
It is not to say exhibitions or influencers boxing is something that should stop. These events, featuring Jake Paul and KSI, bring in an audience, including younger fans, that boxing needs to continue to grow. Outside of actually boxing, Paul has helped the sport by promoting Amanda Serrano (he was a part of the build-up for Katie Taylor vs. Serrano), while highlighting fighters like Ashton Sylve through the Most Valuable Prospects format.
The Mayweather event did come with some positives. It gave new fans a first look at young fighters like Kani Burnside and J'Hon Ingram. Gotti's MMA and boxing experience showed he can be a relevant figure in combat sports.
However, while not the main culprit, exhibitions like this one raise cautionary points about an acceptance of said bouts in the sport. That is especially true when there are those who thought this fight was “fixed,” and the end result was a plan to create a rematch between the two.
MORE: Will Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua actually fight in 2023?
Over the past few years, boxing has had a real boost in interest. Women’s boxing is thriving, while fans got to see fights like Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia and are finally going to see Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford. When the topic around the water cooler is the Mayweather-Gotti brawl, there may need to be an evaluation of what’s wrong with that picture.
The brawl at Mayweather vs. Gotti does not and should not represent what the sport is about. Boxing, while brutal at times, can be a beautiful sport when it wants to.
The future of the sport is bright, despite detractors and what happened in Florida. It is up to everyone within boxing to assure fans of that before recent events sway their thoughts the other way.