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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ben Davies

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather announces next exhibition fight against ex-MMA star

Floyd Mayweather will take on MMA fighter John Gotti III in his latest money-spinning exhibition fight.

Since retiring, Hall of Fame and undefeated boxing legend Mayweather has been blazing a campaign trail in the exhibition fighting industry having shared the ring with the likes of Logan Paul, Deji and ex-sparring partner Don Moore. Mayweather made his maiden appearance in the UK in his last fight, cruising the distance with Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers at London's O2 arena.

It was expected that Mayweather could face a period away from the boxing showcases after suggesting he had suffered a significant hand injury while taking on the reality TV star. However he will be back in the ring in an event branded 'Last Names Matter' against Gotti.

Gotti is primarily known for his stint in MMA where he fought six times as a professional, suffering one defeat. However he has recently made the switch over to professional boxing at the age of 30 where he has already picked up two wins since the turn of the year.

He first outpointed Albert Tulley at the back end of 2022 before recently stopping Alex Critowkse in the opening round of his second appearance. But he will now face a unique opportunity to step in with arguably the best to do it in the modern era. Gotti's name may be familiar to fans given his grandfather ran organised crime family Gambino before his death.

Mayweather has earned hugely lucrative purses for his recent appearances, but his latest outing will be in dedication to the memory of Marikit “Kitchie” Laurico, his longtime assistant who passed away suddenly in April. The event will be a homecoming for Mayweather in America having not fought on home soil since going the distance with Paul.

Floyd Mayweather has announced his latest exhibition fight (PA)

Will you watch Floyd mayweather's latest exhibition? Let us know in the comments section below

He announced that his latest event will be part of a wider plan to continue his travels around the world with further exhibition events. He posted: "This is what my 2023 looks like so far. 5 exhibitions in 5 countries in 9 months and if any of these exhibitions don’t happen, I still get paid. I’m the most active hustler in boxing, my money is guaranteed."

He added: "Then in 2023 we are doing Japan again, then Hawaii, Saudi Arabia, Africa and Abu Dhabi. We get calls every day and it all depends on what I want to do. But I have a great team and everyone played a major role in this event happening. They are getting me up every day and making sure is in certain positions so I am able to live comfortably."

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