Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition fight against John Gotti III ended in a mass brawl on Sunday after the referee called an early end to the bout.
Mayweather has been fighting exhibitions since retiring from professional boxing in 2017 with an unbeaten 50-0 record and was facing Gotti III, grandson of infamous crime boss John Gotti, in Sunrise, Florida.
From the outset, the pair were trash-talking inside the ring. Mayweather outclassed and teased his opponent, and Gotti III subsequently resorted to rough tactics, such as clinching and headlocks.
After warning both fighters for using abusive language, referee Kenny Bayliss stopped the fight in the sixth round. But Gotti III, who turned professional last year, ignored his disqualification and continued to attempt to throw punches at Mayweather.
His reaction sparked a mass brawl with people from both teams jumping into the ring.
As Gotti III was pinned into his corner by dozens of people, a smiling Mayweather was seen watching the incident while bouncing on the opposite top rope.
Videos show the fighting continuing backstage at the FLA Live Arena between both entourages.
“That’s why they pay the big bucks, because I put on a show,” Mayweather said in a YouTube video posted after the fight.
On his Instagram story, Gotti III said Mayweather was his “enemy for life,” adding that Mayweather “never put me down or stopped me.”
“It was a DQ for no reason,” Gotti III added.
According to BBC reporting, police cleared the venue and threatened charges against fans who did not leave immediately.