Floyd Mayweather fires referee mid-fight

Bizzare scenes unfolded during the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III grudge match. Unhappy with the officiating, Mayweather fired the referee in charge of the bout and requested a replacement.

Controversy surrounded the legendary boxer throughout his career, and that has seemingly followed him into his spell of exhibition bouts. The 47-year-old has welcomed YouTubers, elite MMA fighters, and the grandson of a notorious crime boss into the ring.

On Saturday evening, Floyd Mayweather put on a flawless display, dominating John Gotti III from start to finish. While the performance was great, that wasn’t the major talking point of the fight.

During the action, Mayweather hit Gotti with a shot that the referee deemed to be illegal — a shot to the back of the head. Though, the punch broke Gotti’s guard and landed clean, causing Mayweather to lash out and fire the official mid-fight.

A replacement referee stepped in and took charge of the matchup for the remaining four rounds.

Watch the unusual series of events below.

Floyd Mayweather fired a ref in the middle of a fight 💀🤣pic.twitter.com/FV9B72q6uh

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) August 25, 2024

With no knockdowns, moments of real brilliance, and even no judges to score the fight, the referees dismissal was the standalone talking point on the night. 

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Despite the affair going the distance and not having ring-side judges, it was a one-sided showout in favor of Floyd Mayweather.

Strangely enough, this wasn’t the first controversial moment between Mayweather and John Gotti III.

The pair witnessed their fight in June last year cut short. As it often does in combat sports, things got heated between the two in the ring and trash talk was exchanged back-and-forth.

The referee was so unhappy with Mayweather and Gotti’s excessive talking that he called an end to the fight. Once the bout was canceled, anger got the better of Gotti, subsequently forcing a brawl to break out as he attempted to attack Mayweather.