Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III: Underdog in awe of Hall of Famer but confident
Floyd Mayweather has another exhibition opponent who thinks he has what it takes to get the better of the Hall of Famer.
John Gotti III, the grandson of the famous gangster of the same name, is scheduled to tangle with Mayweather on June 11 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. And he says the all-time great had better be ready for a challenge.
Gotti was asked during a news conference to compare himself to Mayweather’s other opponents.
“I’m better than all of them,” said Gotti, who is 2-0 as a boxer and reportedly 5-1 as a MMA fighter. “… Logan Paul and Deji were in the ring pleading with Floyd, ‘It’s an exhibition. C’mon champ, chill.’ These are boxers?
“… They’re a joke with a big following on Instagram or whatever they got. I established my own identity in MMA and now boxing. I’m not here to play. I’m here to fight.”
Mayweather sat on the same stage as Gotti made his comments. And the 46-year-old approved.
“I love his confidence,” he said of Gotti. “It doesn’t matter, whenever you compete at the highest level, at any level, you have to believe in yourself. And what’s great about him is he believes in his skills, in his talent.
“He built his own name. All you can do is respect that.”
Gotti’s confidence doesn’t mean he isn’t in awe of his famous opponent. He is.
He said he grew up idolizing Mayweather. The fact he will share a ring with him is surrealistic.
He was asked whether he could’ve imagined this opportunity before he went into the fight business.
“Not in a million years times 10,” he said, which made Mayweather chuckle. “Like I said, before YouTube, I was watching Floyd videos ad nauseum. … To be up here getting ready to fight him is a pinch-me moment.
“Like I said, I have to take advantage of this opportunity [because] it only comes so often. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
That’s what they all say.
