WHAT THE REF
Fuming Floyd Mayweather appears to AXE referee mid-fight as he is swapped out and John Gotti III bout ends in farce
It was shades of their disastrous first fight
FUMING Floyd Mayweather appeared to AXE the referee during his rematch with John Gotti III which once again ended in a farce.
Last summer, Mayweather's exhibition with the grandson of notorious New York crime boss John Gotti finished in an all-out brawl.
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Gotti III was disqualified for holding and trash-talking before a melee broke out in the ring leading up to a rematch more than 12 months in the making.
And after just two rounds of the rematch in Mexico, it looked to be heading for the same outcome.
Mayweather, 47, landed what looked to be a perfectly legitimate hook on Gotti, 31 - only for the ref to step in and deem it illegal.
Arguments erupted in the ring with the so-called billionaire boxing icon Mayweather left fuming and seemingly sacking the official by demanding he got out of his way so he could carry on.
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The two corners then looked to be getting involved from either side of the ring as a case of deja vu threatened to ensue.
Suddenly the action resumed - but with a totally different ref taking charge of the fight inside the ring.
Off camera, the officials were remarkably swapped over and the action carried on.
The fight went the full eight-round distance and it was largely one-way traffic.
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Mayweather hammered Gotti with looping right hooks to the head and body while sinking in lefts to the stomach.
He did show glimpses of his vintage defence and counter-punching but it was a shadow of his former self.
Floyd Mayweather, 47, flashes wads of cash before flying out to exhibition fight against John Gotti III on private jet
Still, three years off his 50th birthday and Mayweather had flashes of greatness with fast combinations and head movement.
The boxing legend is an old friend of Gotti's dad, a once-acting boss of the Gambino crime family made famous by his feared father.
Mayweather and Gotti III shared an embrace post-fight before Mexican icon Julio Cesar Chavez, 62, entered the ring.
Chavez appeared to call for an exhibition fight himself.
But Mayweather responded: "He's older now and if I do an exhibition with him, it's not going to look good on me.
"He paved the way for me and he does so much for the sport of boxing and for all the young Mexican fighters after him.
"This is one of the guys who paved the way, he's one of the best fighters of all time."
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Mayweather officially retired in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 36, in 2017 but he has continued to box in exhibitions.
He even revealed before rematching Gotti that he has a deal to fight at least three more times.
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