Tag: Floyd Mayweather

Video: What’s with Dana White’s fixation on Tyson Fury vs. Jon Jones?

All of a sudden, Dana White seems very interested in booking a fantasy fight between Jon Jones and boxing champ Tyson Fury. Why?

UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] may be out on some crossover fantasy matchups, but there is one that he has recently shown a lot of interest in.

Just a few days removed from declaring “gimmick fights” are not a part of the UFC’s matchmaking playbook, White openly challenged boxing champ [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] to step up for a fight against UFC heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] in the octagon.

While White admitted he has a great relationship with Fury and knows he would easily win a fight against Jones in the boxing ring, the UFC boss believes things would be different in the cage – and rightfully so. Throughout the brief history of MMA fighters stepping into the boxing ring and vice versa, the victory typically goes the way of the fighter competing on his home turf.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] took on [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] in the ring, and despite the box office smash, the result was no surprise as “Money” finished “The Notorious” Irishman in the 10th round. When boxing champ James Toney entered the octagon to face two-division champ [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag], things also went as expected: Couture quickly and easily took Toney down for the submission win.

So why is White so interested in this fantasy matchup for “the baddest man on the planet” instead of working with the PFL to create Jones vs. now-former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou? Is White’s interest in the fight with Fury genuine to create a potentially massive event, or is all of this a way to get the UFC audience to forget about Ngannou?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura answer those questions with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

 

 

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III: Underdog in awe of Hall of Famer but confident

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III: The underdog is in awe of the Hall of Famer but confident he’ll perform well in their exhibition.

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.

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Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III: Underdog in awe of Hall of Famer but confident

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III: The underdog is in awe of the Hall of Famer but confident he’ll perform well in their exhibition.

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.

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Floyd Mayweather to face John Gotti III, grandson of gangster, in exhibition in June

Floyd Mayweather is scheduled to face John Gotti III, the son of gangster John Gotti, in an exhibition bout in June.

Editor’s note: In an earlier version of this article, John Gotti was described as the son of the late gangster John Gotti. The fighter is his grandson.

The Floyd Mayweather exhibition road show rolls on.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer is scheduled to face professional boxer and MMA fighter John Gotti III – the grandson of gangster John Gotti – on pay-per-view June 11 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The promotion has been dubbed, “Last Names Matter.”

This will be Mayweather’s seventh exhibition since his last sanctioned bout, fifth within the past year.

He was last in the ring on Feb. 25 in London, when he faced TV star and former MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers in London. He had previously faced Tenshin Nasukawa (2018), Logan Paul (2021), Don Moore (last May), Mikuru Asakura (September) and Deji Olatunji (November).

Gotti, a 30-year-old New Yorker, is 2-0 (1 KO) against raw opponents as a professional boxer, in October and January. He reportedly has a record of 5-1 in MMA.

The elder Gatti was the head of the Gambino crime family in New York. He died of cancer in a hospital for prisoners in 2002.

Musical performers Ozuna and Romeo Santos also will perform on the pay-per-view show.

Mayweather’s last sanctioned bout took place in August 2017, when he stopped UFC star Conor McGregor in 10 rounds. He has said he’s not interested in making a genuine comeback.

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Floyd Mayweather to face John Gotti III, grandson of gangster, in exhibition in June

Floyd Mayweather is scheduled to face John Gotti III, the son of gangster John Gotti, in an exhibition bout in June.

Editor’s note: In an earlier version of this article, John Gotti was described as the son of the late gangster John Gotti. The fighter is his grandson.

The Floyd Mayweather exhibition road show rolls on.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer is scheduled to face professional boxer and MMA fighter John Gotti III – the grandson of gangster John Gotti – on pay-per-view June 11 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The promotion has been dubbed, “Last Names Matter.”

This will be Mayweather’s seventh exhibition since his last sanctioned bout, fifth within the past year.

He was last in the ring on Feb. 25 in London, when he faced TV star and former MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers in London. He had previously faced Tenshin Nasukawa (2018), Logan Paul (2021), Don Moore (last May), Mikuru Asakura (September) and Deji Olatunji (November).

Gotti, a 30-year-old New Yorker, is 2-0 (1 KO) against raw opponents as a professional boxer, in October and January. He reportedly has a record of 5-1 in MMA.

The elder Gatti was the head of the Gambino crime family in New York. He died of cancer in a hospital for prisoners in 2002.

Musical performers Ozuna and Romeo Santos also will perform on the pay-per-view show.

Mayweather’s last sanctioned bout took place in August 2017, when he stopped UFC star Conor McGregor in 10 rounds. He has said he’s not interested in making a genuine comeback.

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Floyd Mayweather wants to sign Francis Ngannou: ‘He can make some noise’ in boxing

Floyd Mayweather wants to sign Francis Ngannou, helping launch the former UFC heavyweight champion’s career in the world of boxing.

[autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] is very much interested in working with former UFC heavyweight [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

The former boxing champion and promoter recently revealed his interest in signing Ngannou to Mayweather Promotions, helping to launch a career in the “sweet science.”

“I would love to work with (Ngannou),” Mayweather said speaking to Bet Online. “I would love to sign him to Mayweather Promotions. He’s a very skilled guy, unbelievable, and if he wants to fight one of the top heavyweight guys, he should do it.”

Ngannou left the UFC as heavyweight champion earlier this year. In an unprecedented move, the 36-year-old fought out his UFC contract, thus becoming a free agent.

Since then, Ngannou has been extremely vocal with his desire to venture into boxing, while also keeping a door open for an MMA return. A fight against heavyweight champion and British star Tyson Fury has long been teased, but nothing formal has been finalized.

Mayweather thinks Ngannou has what it takes to hang with the best in the world in boxing.

“Absolutely,” Mayweather said when asked if Ngannou could compete with the elite at heavyweight. “With his size, strength and power – anything can happen. With his power and his toughness, he can make some noise in the heavyweight division.”

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Jose Aldo: Floyd Mayweather boxing match ‘could go down in Saudi Arabia’

Former UFC champ Jose Aldo says he’s been in negotiations to box Floyd Mayweather after his Gamebred Boxing 4 fight with Jeremy Stephens.

It appears [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] already has something in the works beyond his fight this Saturday at Gamebred Boxing 4.

The former UFC and WEC featherweight champion says he’s in negotiations to fight boxing star [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] in Saudi Arabia sometime in the near future. Aldo, who recently retired from MMA to compete in boxing, will make his second professional boxing appearance on Saturday as he takes on former UFC rival Jeremy Stephens.

Aldo is focused on Stephens but said a boxing match against Mayweather is already in the works.

“Yeah, we’ve been negotiating that fight for a good while,” Aldo told reporters Thursday at the Gamebred Boxing 4 pre-fight news conference in Milwaukee through an interpreter. “Floyd already knows about the fight. I first need to think about my fight this Saturday, and then I can see what’s going to happen. But yeah, we’ve been in negotiations for a long time, and that fight could go down in Saudi Arabia.

“So yeah, it’s all true. We’re going to do the work on Saturday, and after that we’ll sit down again with everyone to book the fight.”

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Gamebred Boxing 4 goes down at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and streams on UFC Fight Pass pay-per-view for $49.99. A bout between boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. and former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis headlines the card.

This is Aldo’s second professional boxing fight since putting an end to his UFC career in September 2022. He defeated Emmanuel Zambrano by unanimous decision in his boxing debut back in February in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“This is my second fight, and I had already been training boxing for a long time, more or less since I made the drop to bantamweight,” Aldo said.  “I’ve had much more emphasis on boxing. So when I stopped my (MMA) career, it’s been almost a year just training boxing. I want to see how far I can go. This is the second fight. I want to defeat Jeremy and then take the next step in my boxing career.”

Like boxing? Be sure to visit Boxing Junkie for all your coverage of the sweet science and follow @BoxingJunkie2 on Twitter.

Jake Paul challenges Floyd Mayweather to box after running from altercation with ’50 dudes’ outside Heat game

Jake Paul tells Floyd Mayweather: “You want to run it one on one, no problem, but I’m not dumb.”

A brawl almost ensued between [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] and [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] outside of a Miami Heat basketball game Wednesday night.

Both Paul and Mayweather were in attendance for the Heat’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at FTX Arena, and tempers flared afterward when Mayweather and a large crew of men approached Paul. A member of Mayweather’s entourage filmed the altercation (video obtained by TMZ) and was heard saying, “Are we going to bust him up, guys?” He then proceeded to say, “Where you running, Jake?” A a few moments later, Paul took off running.

Paul explained that he wasn’t going to get into a fight while he was largely outnumbered but would be happy to settle his differences with Mayweather in the ring. The pair’s beef started when Paul snatched Mayweather’s hat at a press event leading up to the boxing match between Mayweather and Paul’s older brother, Logan, in 2021.

“Floyd Mayweather and 50 dudes pull up out of nowhere, out of some side alley waiting for me outside of the stadium,” Paul said on Instagram. “And they’re like, ‘So what’s up? What’s all that talk now?’ I’m like, ‘First of all, what did I say to you Floyd? I just took your hat, and you’re still mad about it? Come on, bro.’ Then 50 dudes literally start surrounding me to try and jump me.

“I’m out that b*tch. Floyd, you want to run it one on one, no problem, but I’m not dumb. I’m tough. I don’t need to prove my toughness, but I’m not f*cking dumb. I’m not going to sit there and try to fight 50 dudes. Dipped out of that b*tch.

“Floyd, you’re a hoe, bro. You’re mad cause I took your f*cking hat. Are you serious? Get over it, bro. Move on.”

Paul is coming off his first professional loss in boxing after he dropped a split decision to Tommy Fury last month in Saudi Arabia.

7 boxers on list of 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, led by No. 8 Floyd Mayweather

Seven boxers are on a Sportico list of the 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, led by No. 8 Floyd Mayweather at $1.41 billion.

Boxers have always been among the highest-paid athletes. A Sportico report confirms that.

Seven boxers made the sports business media outlet’s list of the 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, including income from salary, purses, endorsements and other sources that is adjusted for inflation. That’s 14%, or around one in seven athletes on the list.

Floyd Mayweather is the highest-ranking boxer at No. 8, with $1.41 billion in earnings ($1.11 billion non-inflation adjusted).

Other boxers on the list are:

  • 16 Mike Tyson, $875 million ($455 million)
  • 21 Manny Pacquiao, $725 million ($560 million)
  • 24 George Foreman, $680 million ($355 million)
  • 27 Oscar De La hoya, $665 million ($410.3 million)
  • 38 Evander Holyfield, $600 million ($310.2 million)
  • 48 Canelo Alvarez, $525 million ($460 million)

Alvarez, 32, remains active, meaning he presumably will climb the list in the coming years.

Former National Basketball Assocation star Michael Jordan is No. 1 with $3.3 billion ($2.37 billion) in earnings. The NBA has 13 players on the list, more than any other sport.

Sportico explained how it arrived at its figures:

“Our earnings estimates are based on conversations with industry insiders. Sportico research and historical estimates in media outlets, such as Forbes and Sports Illustrated. Earnings include salaries, bonuses, prize money, purses, endorsements licensing, royalties, memorabilia, book deals, media, appearances and golf course design fees. We included cash earned from equity stakes in sponsor companies, like LeBron James’ stake in Beats Electronics, Kevin Durant’s share of Postmates and James Harden’s piece of BodyArmor.

“We did not factor in traditional investment income. Sportico included earnings during playing careers and retirement through 2022 and adjusted them for inflation. Earnings are calculated up until the time of death for Arnold Palmer and Kobe Bryant. All earnings are pre-tax and before any fees for agents and lawyers.”

7 boxers on list of 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, led by No. 8 Floyd Mayweather

Seven boxers are on a Sportico list of the 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, led by No. 8 Floyd Mayweather at $1.41 billion.

Boxers have always been among the highest-paid athletes. A Sportico report confirms that.

Seven boxers made the sports business media outlet’s list of the 50 highest-paid athletes of all time, including income from salary, purses, endorsements and other sources that is adjusted for inflation. That’s 14%, or around one in seven athletes on the list.

Floyd Mayweather is the highest-ranking boxer at No. 8, with $1.41 billion in earnings ($1.11 billion non-inflation adjusted).

Other boxers on the list are:

  • 16 Mike Tyson, $875 million ($455 million)
  • 21 Manny Pacquiao, $725 million ($560 million)
  • 24 George Foreman, $680 million ($355 million)
  • 27 Oscar De La hoya, $665 million ($410.3 million)
  • 38 Evander Holyfield, $600 million ($310.2 million)
  • 48 Canelo Alvarez, $525 million ($460 million)

Alvarez, 32, remains active, meaning he presumably will climb the list in the coming years.

Former National Basketball Assocation star Michael Jordan is No. 1 with $3.3 billion ($2.37 billion) in earnings. The NBA has 13 players on the list, more than any other sport.

Sportico explained how it arrived at its figures:

“Our earnings estimates are based on conversations with industry insiders. Sportico research and historical estimates in media outlets, such as Forbes and Sports Illustrated. Earnings include salaries, bonuses, prize money, purses, endorsements licensing, royalties, memorabilia, book deals, media, appearances and golf course design fees. We included cash earned from equity stakes in sponsor companies, like LeBron James’ stake in Beats Electronics, Kevin Durant’s share of Postmates and James Harden’s piece of BodyArmor.

“We did not factor in traditional investment income. Sportico included earnings during playing careers and retirement through 2022 and adjusted them for inflation. Earnings are calculated up until the time of death for Arnold Palmer and Kobe Bryant. All earnings are pre-tax and before any fees for agents and lawyers.”