Do personalities like Jake Paul make fighting better? Michael Bisping speaks out
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping talks about personalities like Jake Paul who want to get into combat sports and the pros and cons associated with it.
This week in Mexico City, Floyd Mayweather Jr. sat next to John Gotti III, the grandson of the New York crime boss, in a room full of boxing officials, dignitaries and inquisitive people.
“Why did you decide to come out of retirement?” asked a reporter.
Mayweather, 47, grinned.
“This is retirement for me,” he said.
This Floyd Mayweather Jr. exhibition tour – now stop No. 8, a rematch against Gotti – is scheduled for eight rounds on Saturday night. The billionaire boxer is still throwing punches and collecting sizable checks.
Although Mayweather ended his professional boxing career in 2017 with a 10th-round TKO of Conor McGregor, his gloves never had time to gather dust. Mayweather has competed in seven exhibition fights, including one against Logan Paul, and proved that he is as accomplished a man as he is as a business person and a boxer.
Case in point: John Gotti Jr. said it was Mayweather who approached them years ago after Mayweather learned the late mobster’s grandson was competing in MMA fights. Mayweather, who can sell a fight as well as win one, offered Gotti III the chance to face him in the boxing ring, according to Gotti Jr. Why?
In a statement that sounded like a plea to PPV customers, he said: “If you know anything about the Gotti family, you know we fight some damn bastards,” John Gotti Jr. said earlier this week. “We fight the government. We fight anyone who wants to fight us.”
The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Exhibition Tour continues.
Round 1: Arlenn Sanchez enters the ring less than a week after the fight. She’s busy with body shots, but Cecilia Rodriguez takes advantage of her reach advantage. Rodriguez 10, Sanchez 9.
Round 2: Sanchez is throwing punches, but not with much power and she already looks exhausted. Rodriguez lands enough clean punches to win the round. Rodriguez 20, Sanchez 18.
Round 3: Sanchez might as well be hanging pillows from the ends of her boxing gloves. Rodriguez shows no fear of her punches and lands a barrage of clean strikes, including several uppercuts. Rodriguez 30, Sanchez 27.
Round 4: Sanchez is out with more authority. Heated exchanges begin. Sanchez comes forward and finds more power. Rodriguez responds with a solid left, but Sanchez controls most of the action. Rodriguez 39, Sanchez 37.
Round 5: Sanchez is the aggressor and is moving forward again. Rodriguez lands a left but struggles to slow Sanchez down. Rodriguez 48, Sanchez 47.
Round 6: Rodriguez uses her length again. Sanchez is warned for landing punches behind Rodriguez’s head. Sanchez slows down again and Rodriguez lands a flurry of punches. Rodriguez 58, Sanchez 56.
Round 7: Rodriguez is throwing punches hard. Sanchez is still moving forward. This is definitely his downfall. He is landing punches but taking more. Rodriguez 68, Sanchez 65.
Round 8: Sanchez looks alert and remains the aggressor. He takes two uppercuts from Rodriguez but continues to move forward and throw punches. Rodriguez, however, is hitting harder and with more precision. Rodriguez 78, Sanchez 74.
Sanchez accepted the fight on short notice. She won admiration, but not the fight.
Although Sanchez showed fighting spirit and determination, Rodriguez landed more and more accurate punches in the eight-round light flyweight bout.
The judges scored it 78-74, 80-72 and 79-74 in favor of Rodriguez.
The 24-year-old Rodriguez won by unanimous decision and improved his record to 14-1-1. The 26-year-old Sanchez fell to 5-7-4.
Round 1: Alberto Artiga took the fight with 24 hours’ notice, according to DAZN, and it looks like he’s been training for, well, several hours. Aaron Silva, on the other hand, has clearly spent more time in the gym than at the buffet. He throws a powerful right. Silva 10, Artiga 9.
Round 2: Silva goes after him and lands a heavy blow. It’s a hard left that almost drops Artiga. The ropes may have saved Artiga, but they may not be so generous in the future. Silva 20, Artiga 18.
Round 3: Silva comes out quickly and punishes Artiga with a barrage of punches, causing the referee to stop the fight. As predicted, the ropes don’t save Artiga again as Silva wins by TKO.
Artiga came out wearing swim trunks that had “Pollo” written on the front.
He was no coward, he accepted the fight with 24 hours’ warning and had no chance.
Silva bloodied Artiga in the third round of their super middleweight bout and after a series of punches the referee stopped the fight.
Silva, 27, improved to 15-1. Artiga, 33, fell to 6-14.
The main card begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight is expected to begin around midnight ET.
Where will the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight take place?
Mexico City
When will the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight take place?
The fight between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III is expected to begin around midnight ET.
How to watch the Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III fight
DAZN. PPV costs $49.99 (plus subscription).
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
