Retired champion and former no. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be returning to the ring 14 months after his last appearance. After last facing John Gotti III in June 2023, Mayweather is expected to walk out for his eighth exhibition bout against one of his former opponents in August.
Mayweather, 47, last competed professionally in a blockbuster crossover fight with then-UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017. The 10th-round TKO win improved his record to 50-0 in one of the most-sold pay-per-view events in combat sports history.
Since his retirement, Mayweather has continued his monetary success through several notable exhibition fights beginning the year after his fight with McGregor. However, Mayweather’s last outing against Gotti strayed far from the success promoters had hoped for, causing many to believe it would be the final fight in the former champion’s legendary career.
Floyd Mayweather expected to face Victor Ortiz in August
Mayweather en 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
Me dicen que Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather anunciará una pelea de exhibición vs Víctor ‘Vicious’ Ortiz para agosto 24 en la Plaza de Toros México… miércoles dan más detalles.
Mayweather puso KO4 a Ortiz en 2011 al agarrarlo con la guardia abajo tras cabezazo. pic.twitter.com/phx7UPXhnH
— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) May 14, 2024
In a May 14 tweet from ESPN Boxing reporter Salvador Rodriguez, Floyd Mayweather is expected to return for another exhibition against Victor Ortiz on August 24. The report has yet to be confirmed, with Rodriguez tweeting that he has been informed that the boxer will soon announce the matchup himself.
“They tell me that Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather will announce an exhibition fight against Victor ‘Vicious’ Ortiz for August 24 at the Plaza de Toros Mexico,” Rodriguez tweeted in Spanish. “Wednesday they give more details. Mayweather [knocked out] Ortiz in 2011 by catching him with his guard down after a headbutt.”
Since their initial meeting in 2011 resulted in another championship belt for Mayweather, the undefeated champion would go on to retain and defend the title until his second retirement in 2015.
Ortiz would never return to his status as a champion, going 4-4-1 for the remainder of his career after fighting Mayweather before officially hanging up his gloves in 2022.
Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz’s first fight
Floyd Mayweather has a largely unblemished professional boxing record, but one fight still sticks out to most fans with an asterisk. In his 42nd career win, Mayweather knocked out Victor Ortiz to win the WBC welterweight title in a bizarre and semi-controversial ending.
With Mayweather ahead on all judges’ scorecards late in the fourth round, the crowd began to ignite as a desperate Ortiz was finally able to put together minimal success and push the undefeated phenom against the ropes. After taking a couple of clean shots, Mayweather covered up in the corner, but as Ortiz attempted to clinch, the Mexican inadvertently caused a clash of heads.
The referee rightfully stopped the action and deducted a point from Ortiz, who appeared apologetic and hugged his opponent. Upon return to the action, however, the two touched gloves in the center of the ring before Mayweather unleashed two heavy hooks on an unsuspecting Ortiz, sending him down to the canvas before he could even lift his guard.
Ortiz did not beat the count, thus leading to a knockout win for Mayweather.
With many pushing for a rematch at the time that never materialized, Ortiz will presumably get his second opportunity to avenge the loss on August 24, albeit in an exhibition setting.
About the author
Jaren Kawada is a freelance sports writer from Indianapolis, Indiana with a strong passion for MMA and sports betting. Kawada has also written for Sportskeeda MMA, FanSided MMA, and BetSided as a combat sports analyst.
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