In an electrifying revelation from a recent interview with MMA Hour, John Gotti III, grandson of the notorious crime boss, admits to having been dazed and caught off-guard. He had been feeling so in the very first seconds of his infamous exhibition bout against boxing titan Floyd Mayweather. Recalling the adrenaline-fueled confrontation, Gotti III alludes to an astonishing, hidden detail from the fight. This bout escalated into chaos and made headlines worldwide.

The suspense thickens as he hints at a surprising facet of Mayweather’s game plan, something he never saw coming. Despite a career marked by his talent in the ring, the typically unflappable Gotti III confesses to a rare moment of vulnerability against Mayweather. An unlikely confession from a man of steel, the revelation is bound to raise eyebrows and set tongues wagging in the combat sports world.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his profound influence on Gotti III

The young prodigy Gotti III candidly discussed the pivotal moments of the encounter with MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani. He stated, “I did a school project on Floyd Mayweather when I was in eighth grade. So that’s how much you know he kind of dictated my life. Made me fall in love with combat sports you know and made me start boxing from a young age.” Here, he makes it clear the extent of Mayweather’s influence on his career, even shaping his very decision to step into the boxing ring.

As he went on to describe the moments leading up to the fight, his respect for Mayweather became apparent. He said, “So the fact that I’m getting ready to fight Floyd, you know it was surreal and it was even more surreal when I see him step in the ring, just standing across from me. But it got real pretty quickly in there.” The young boxer’s admiration for ‘Money’ took a backseat once the fight commenced. It was replaced by the raw survival instinct inherent in every fighter.

Revisiting the Mayweather-Gotti III encounter

When asked if he was nervous, Gotti III shared, “I actually was was relaxed and that put me off guard because Floyd came out with bad intentions quick. I thought he was gonna just ease into the fight and we were gonna do we had to do. He came out with vicious intent right off the bat and he hurt me quick, he hurt me within like 25-30 seconds.”

He continued, “So you know I just had to recover the next several rounds. And by the time I got going, I got my rhythm by the end of the fourth, fifth, sixth round, you see me slowly picking it up and landing here and there.” His words give us a blow-by-blow account of the tense first moments of the fight. They also reveal Mayweather’s aggressive strategy and Gotti’s struggle to regain his footing in the ensuing rounds.

Read more: Watch: Joe Rogan’s “Crazy” Reaction to Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III Ugly Brawl

While this encounter demonstrated Mayweather’s domination in the ring, it also underscored Gotti’s resilience and his passion for the sport. Given all the events that transpired, we are left pondering the future for both these fighters.

Watch this story: Who is the next potential opponent for Deontay Wilder?