John Gotti III Breaks Down Rematch W/ Floyd Mayweather, Bad Blood??

Boxer John Gotti III admits he was "caught off guard" by the hoopla surrounding his first fight with Floyd Mayweather ... but, with their rematch just a week away, John Gotti ' s grandson is warning the 50-0 fighter, don't expect a repeat in the rematch!

"It was a big moment. It was the biggest crowd I've ever fought in front of before. It was against a living legend. And, [Floyd] came out with bad intentions, caught me completely off guard," 31-year-old Gotti III told TMZ Sports of the June 2023 scrap.

The fight was ultimately stopped during the 6th round after a ton of trash talk between the men. Despite the bout being stopped, Floyd and John weren't done scrapping just yet, with a melee kicking off in the ring and around the arena .

Now, Mayweather and Gotti III are set to rematch in Mexico City on August 24 ... and things will be different, according to John.

"Now I know what to expect. I didn't really know what to expect the first time around," Gotti III said, adding, "I mentally prepared myself for the last year, and I've been training for this moment. So, you know, all I can do is show up and I'm going to fight as hard as I can fight."

Gotti III started out as an MMA fighter (he's got a 5-1 record, last having fought in 2020) ... while Mayweather is arguably the greatest boxer of all time. So, does John believe he can actually win?

Damn straight he does.

"I really do [believe I can win]. The improvements I made from last year up until now, as far as even mentally, I'm a whole new fighter."

As for the postfight antics, John says don't expect any of that this time around. The fight starts and ends with the ring of the bell ... but, that doesn't mean there aren't some hard feelings between the guys.

"It's a boxing match but it's I think it's between me and him as men you know, it's a little personal, and we want to settle this like men you know we want no interference, no-nonsense that happened the last fight, just me and him and and after it's done, we'll shake hands and we'll go our separate ways."

Gotti III made it clear ... "in the ring it's personal, obviously, between the two of us, but outside, no, I wish Floyd nothing but the best."

There's much more with John, including ... what would his infamous grandfather have thought of his grandson fighting one of the most legendary fighters ever?

"I'm sure he would have got a kick out of it. From the things my father told me about my [grandfather], he would've wanted to rip Floyd's head off when all that stuff's going down, but I'm sure he would admire my fighting spirit and my heart and appreciate the fact that I'm on the front lines for my name."

"You know, I'm fighting to get respect for my name and make a positive impact on my family. So I'm sure he could appreciate that."