During the exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III, a remarkable incident occurred, making the match more dramatic than ever.
Specifically, this incident involved a punch from Mayweather and the referee’s fierce reaction, leading to a change of referees in the middle of the match.
In the second round, Floyd Mayweather performed a powerful punch in the style of “back punch front hand” and then threw a back hand.
However, this punch caused controversy because John Gotti III felt punched in the back of the neck. The referee, upon witnessing this situation, stopped the match and made a decision that Mayweather’s punch violated the rule on punches to the back of the neck. He intervened, pushed the two fighters away and warned that this punch was illegal.
But in fact, when reviewing the situation, it can be seen that Gotti III lowered his head and tilted his neck, creating conditions for Mayweather’s punch to hit the back of the neck. Although the punch may have made contact with the back of the head, the way Mayweather delivered the punch did not appear intentional. However, the referee’s reaction caused the match to be interrupted for quite a while. Floyd Mayweather, who was already very frustrated, reacted violently and even pushed the referee away in his anger.
This tense situation led to the referee in white being replaced by another referee in blue. Mayweather expressed satisfaction with the decision, and the new referee took over the duties of officiating the match fairly and professionally until the end of the match.
Changing referees in the middle of a match is a rare but not unheard of situation. In tense and dramatic matches, it is inevitable that the referee and the parties involved will have to make difficult decisions. In this case, Floyd Mayweather showed his determination and at times strong emotions, which also showed the high level of competition in the fight.
The fight continued under the control of a new referee, and despite the interruption, Mayweather showed his superiority throughout the rest of the fight. This further highlighted Mayweather’s skill and professionalism, even in a tense and controversial situation.