Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III's exhibition fight in Florida ended in carnage last night after a controversial call incited an arena-wide brawl.
Legendary 50-0 boxer Mayweather took on the grandson of infamous mobster John Gotti in the latest of his farcical showcase fights. And after the referee stepped in to disqualify Gotti III and stop the bout in the sixth round, all hell broke loose as up to 60 people stormed the ring.
Gotti III, who had previously boxed as a professional, was unhappy with the stoppage and continued to throw punches. Referee Kenny Bayliss attempted to intervene but was quickly swatted aside. Gotti III's team then climbed through the ropes and hauled their man away from Mayweather who looked nonplussed by proceedings. The former world champion's team then dragged him away as Gotti III disappeared under a mass of bodies.
Mayweather has been touring the world to take part in farcical showcase fights in which he takes on MMA fighters, YouTubers and other celebrities. He had opted not to weigh in publicly before this bout, instead opting to pose and discuss his charitable endeavours on stage the day before. But assuming he came in at his career-heaviest around 156lb, he would have been almost two stone lighter than his MMA veteran rival.
Mayweather started the fight itself strongly, clearly irritated by a minor fracas with Gotti at the weigh-ins after a light joke, flying out of the traps like he hasn't before for an exhibition. And he didn't let up throughout, blasting his rival with powerful shots throughout the night that almost saw the fight stopped.
And in the sixth, with Gotti continuing to hold his opponent despite being warned, the bout was stopped by referee Bayliss, much to the New Yorker's annoyance. He lashed out at the legendary fighter with a series of punches after getting around Bayliss, causing the ring to be swarmed with team members from both sides.
The melee saw a number of fights break out throughout the crowd and backstage, but the extent of injuries suffered is unknown at this time. Mayweather appeared unbothered by the carnage, unlike Gotti, whose father John II was brought backstage shortly after the incident.
Chaos extended from the ring into the crowd where punches could be seen being thrown between fans and spilled over backstage, with a number of fighters and musicians caught amongst the action. The arena was cleared out by police, who threatened charges for anybody who did not leave immediately.
The undercard featured a series of outlandish match-ups, including a bare-knuckle scrap between 45-year-old UFC legend Hector Lombard and Eric Turner. The hard-hitting duo both hit the deck, and almost broke the ring at the end of their four-rounder, which saw the veteran come out on top.
The boxing legend offered a platform for his prospects Kamari Burnside and J'Hon Ingram in the early portion of the card, with the youngsters taking on exhibitions of their own. They both showed off their skills, with particular interest in Ingram's appearance after being branded the next Mayweather by the man himself.
And perhaps the crown jewel of the undercard was former Anthony Joshua rival and notorious drugs cheat Jarrell Miller's return to American pay-per-view in a four-rounder against Antonio Zepeda. The hard-hitting Brooklyn native rapped his own ring walk, making his way to the ring with an hysterically large entourage.
Miller and Zepeda had been clear about their intentions heading into the bout, insisting that they wouldn't be out to hurt each other and opting to wear 16oz gloves in what was a glorified sparring session. But fans were unimpressed, booing the duo out of the building throughout the uneventful spar.
