Floyd Mayweather will not fight on Pay Per View when he returns to the ring for a rematch with John Gotti III.
The streaming platform DAZN has confirmed they will televise the latest Mayweather exhibition in Mexico on August 24.
The five-weight former world champion turned entrepreneur will enter the ropes at 47, a year after his last fight, despite the promise of a busy ‘Heist Tour’ in 2023.
Despite failing to turn up at the press conference, Mayweather outlined via social media that his clash with Gotti is heading for the Arena Ciudad de México this late summer.
The ‘Money’ man struck a deal with DAZN after previously trying out several other networks without any apparent success. He now heads to where his recently departed CEO Leonard Ellerbe berated for months upon inception. Ellerbe had said no fighter connected with him would ever ‘fight on an app’ when panning the DAZN formula. A lot has changed in the years since then.
Floyd’s opponent, Gotti, is sixteen years his junior, but judging by the first fight, he is no match for Mayweather – even approaching his fifties. The former MMA fighter is 2-0 as a boxer in a combat career blighted by inactivity.
Mayweather and Gotti fought in June 2023. Referee Kenny Bayless ended the fight before a brawl kicked off inside the ring. The fighting spilled out into the crowd, and several people were injured.
Jared Kass, SVP of North America DAZN, doesn’t seem worried about a repeat.
He said, “Floyd Mayweather is synonymous with boxing. When fans think of these massive fights, they know they will be broadcast on DAZN.
“With an unprecedented number of top-tier fights every year of DAZN, we are pleased to add this blockbuster rematch to the schedule. We look forward to fans enjoying the card and all the behind-the-scenes on the platform.”
DAZN stated that a Mayweather vs Gotti III undercard announcement will follow shortly.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
