Boxing fans were shocked and amused on Saturday when it was reported that Floyd Mayweather Jr. had “fired” the referee during his bout with John Gotti III, with a new official taking charge of the remainder of the bout.
Mayweather and referee Hector Affleck during the second round in Mexico City. There were words Aff ruled that Mayweather landed an illegal punch to the back of Gotti’s head, Fox News reported.
After Aff awarded the decision, Mayweather brushed off the referee and the two appeared to be arguing.
Aff finished the second round, but as the third round began, referee Alfredo Ursquieta suddenly appeared in the ring and adjudicated the bout.
Fans quickly took to social media to laugh it off, claiming that Mayweather, 47, had “fired” Aff and named a replacement.
Floyd Mayweather fired the referee who called a stupid rabbit punch during his boxing match against John Gotti III. #MayweatherGotti#boxing pic.twitter.com/NW1hoYoPFQ
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) August 25, 2024
Mayweather fired the referee during the fight. That was crazy to watch (laughs). That grin at the end…#FloydMayweather #Gotti #boxing #Misfits #FightingVideo #UFCVegas96 #KSI #JakePaul pic.twitter.com/oSKtJv2Tr4
— South African MMA (@MMASouthAfrican) August 25, 2024
Floyd Mayweather has the power to fire the referee during a fight! #FloydMayweather #BoxingNews #boxinghttps://t.co/dYTsayMWLM
— Ringside Intel (@RingsideIntel) August 25, 2024
At the end of the second round, both Gotti and Mayweather and their teams spoke out about Aff, and the judges apparently agreed to take Aff off the field and replace him with Ursquieta.
Mayweather fought eight rounds on Saturday and emerged the clear winner despite retiring seven years ago. His last professional fight was against Conor McGregor in 2017, but he was a total mess in the ring against Gotti in an exhibition bout last year.
Still, Mayweather continues to accept exhibition bouts, facing three Japanese fighters since 2018, including Logan Paul.
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