2024-08-25 06:55:01
In Mexico City this week, Floyd Mayweather Jr. sat next to John Gotti III, the grandson of the New York crime boss, in a room full of boxing officials, dignitaries and inquiring minds.
“Why did you decide to come out from retirement?’’ a reporter asked.
Mayweather, 47, grinned.
“This is retirement for me,’’ he said.
This Floyd Mayweather Jr. Exhibition Tour – now on stop No. 8, a rematch vs. Gotti, is scheduled for eight rounds Saturday night. The billionaire boxer still is throwing punches and cashing sizable checks.
Though Mayweather ended his professional boxing career in 2017 with a 10th-round TKO of Conor McGregor, his gloves never had time to collect dust. Mayweather has fought in seven exhibitions, including one against Logan Paul, and proven to be as savvy a businessman as a boxer.
Case in point: John Gotti Jr. said it was Mayweather who reached out to them years ago after Mayweather learned the grandson of the late mobster was competing in MMA. Mayweather, who’s as skilled at selling a fight as winning one, offered Gotti III a chance to fight him in the boxing ring, according to Gotti Jr. Why?
In what sounded like an appeal to PPV customers, he said, “If youse know anything about the Gotti family, you know we’re fighting son bitches,’’ John Gotti Jr. said earlier this week. “We fight the government. We fight anybody that wants to fight us.’’
On rolls the Floyd Mayweather Jr. Exhibition Tour.
Round 1: Arlenn Sanchez steps into the ring less than a week after taking the fight. She stays busy with body shots, but Cecilia Rodriguez capitalizes on her reach advantage. Rodriguez 10, Sanchez 9.
Round 2: Sanchez unloading punches, but not with much force and she already looks fatigued. Rodriguez lands enough clean shots to win the round. Rodriguez 20, Sanchez 18.
Round 3: Sanchez might as well put pillows on the end of her boxing gloves. Rodriguez showing no fear of her punches and she’s landing a barrage of clean shots, including several uppercuts. Rodriguez 30, Sanchez 27.
Round 4: Sanchez out with more authority. Spirited exchanges commence. Sanchez leaning in and finding more power. Rodriguez answers with a solid left, but Sanchez dictated most of the action. Rodriguez 39, Sanchez 37.
Round 5: Sanchez the aggressor and again leaning in. Rodriguez connecting with the left but struggling to slow Sanchez. Rodriguez 48, Sanchez 47.
Round 6: Rodriguez using her length again. Sanchez warned for landing punches behind Rodriguez’s head. Sanchez slowing again, and Rodriguez lands a flurry. Rodriguez 58, Sanchez 56.
Round 7: Rodriguez unloading fierce punches. Sanchez still coming forward. Definitely paying for it. Lands punches, but eats more. Rodriguez 68, Sanchez 65.
Round 8: Sanchez looks lively and remains the aggressor. Takes two uppercuts from Rodriguez and yet still moving forward and throwing punches. But Rodriguez firing the harder and more precise punches. Rodriguez 78, Sanchez 74.
Sanchez took the fight on short notice. She won admiration, but not the fight.
Though Sanchez showed spirit and determination, Rodriguez landed more shots and with precision in the eight-round, light flyweight bout.
The judges scored it 78-74, 80-72 and 79-74 in Rodriguez’s favor.
Rodriguez, 24, earned a unanimous decision and improved to 14-1-1. Sanchez, 26, fell to 5-7-4.
Round 1: Cesar Vaca wearing pink gloves and Luis Rodriguez wearing bright yellow ones. More yellow lands, slightly. Rodriguez 10, Vaca 9.
Round 2: Vaca opens up and absorbs a big left from Rodriguez as a result. Vaca stays aggressive and lands two uppercuts. Lands another combo and evades any punishing blows. Rodriguez 19, Vaca 19.
Round 3: Vaca showing good footwork and quickness, and it’s spared him from Rodriguez’s powerful left. Vaca throwing punches and staying on the move. Vaca 29, Rodriguez 28.
Round 4: Vaca comes out staying on the move, bouncing left and right, and firing punches. Rodriguez patiently looking for an opening. Too patiently, perhaps. Vaca tags Rodriguez, but crowd lets loose with a few boos as Vaca backpedals. Vaca 39, Rodriguez 37.
Round 5: Referee quickly stops the action to mop up Vaseline from Vaca’s forehead. But that’s not what’s making Vaca look so slippery. Still bouncing on his toes and landing the right. Rodriguez looks baffled. Vaca 49, Rodriguez 46.
Round 6: Rodriguez targeting the body, with minimal success. Vaca sticks with his game plan. He’s moving side to side and firing quick punches. Rodriguez lands several rights to the body. Vaca 58, Rodriguez 56.
Round 7: Rodriguez waving Vaca forward. He wants action. Vaca stays on the move. Rodriguez waves his arms in frustration. Vaca now going to be a stationary target. Rodriguez lands a combination late. Vaca 68, Rodriguez 65.
Round 1: Alberto Artiga took the fight on 24 hours’ notice, according to DAZN, and he looks like he’s been in training for, well, several hours. Aaron Silva, on the other hand, clearly has spent more time in the gym than at the buffet. He hands a powerful right. Silva 10, Artiga 9.
Round 2: Silva stalking and lands a big shot. It’s a hard left that almost drops Artiga. The ropes may have saved Artiga, but those ropes might not be so generous moving forward. Silva 20, Artiga 18.
Round 3: Silva comes out quick and punishes Artiga with a barrage of punches, prompting the referee to stop the fight. As predicted, the ropes do not save Artiga again as Silva wins by TKO.
Artiga came out wearing trunks that on the front read: “Pollo.’’
He was no chicken, taking the fight on 24 hours’ notice, and he had no chance.
Silva bloodied Artiga in the third round of their super middleweight fight and after a barrage of punches the referee stopped the fight.
Silva, 27, improved to 15-1. Artiga, 33, fell to 6-14.
The main card starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight is expected to begin at about midnight ET.
Mexico City
The Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight is expected to begin at about midnight ET.
DAZN. PPV is $49.99 (plus subscription).
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
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