Highlights and results: Mayweather plays around, stops Deji in sixth round

Floyd Mayweather didn’t even pretend to take his “fight” with Deji seriously today.

Floyd Mayweather spent the bulk of six, two-minute rounds laughing in the face of anyone who paid $35 to watch his exhibition today with Deji, forcing a stoppage in the final round when referee Kenny Bayless decided it was the right time to do that.

Even for an exhibition, this was nothing, as Mayweather played around from the opening bell and didn’t give even the hint of taking this seriously. This was no Chavez vs Arce or even the other exhibitions Mayweather has done. If this was what you’d call “entertaining,” your bar is very low.

“I couldn’t do this without my dancing partner. Deji, you’re a tough competitor. I’m proud of you, keep up the great work,” Mayweather said. “Your brother KSI, he’s a hell of a fighter also. I want him to keep up the great work.”

“It was an early stoppage, I wanted to carry on,” Deji said. He was reminded about 14 times that he just “fought” Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather vs Deji highlights

Undercard highlights and results

• Tommy Fury exhibitioned with Rolly Lambert: Unwatchable “fight.” Truly awful TV other than Jake Paul spending the entire fight roasting Fury on commentary, then getting into a verbal confrontation with Tommy and John Fury, who de-shirted and cut a great promo about being the king of bare knuckle mountain.
• J’Hon Ingram and Kouzi did a (very entertaining) three-round exhibition: Fun stuff. Absolutely no problem with watching this one, it was cool. Kouzi is a high-level kickboxer from Japan who has been angling to get a RIZIN exhibition with Floyd Mayweather. Ingram is a 20-year-old Money Team prospect who turned pro in February, is 3-0 (3 KO) with all of his fights so far coming in San Antonio. Kouzi can fight, and Ingram showed some nice skills here, too, someone you might want to remember as a boxing prospect moving into 2023.
• Jadier Herrera RTD-5 Franklin Manzanilla: Herrera is a 20-year-old Cuban junior lightweight, now based in Dubai. Manzanilla, 35, is a veteran who generally loses handily when he’s matched with anyone good, and that’s what we got here. Foul-filled, sloppy fight. Manzanilla (21-9, 20 KO) was down in the first and second rounds, then twice in the fifth. Herrera (9-0, 7 KO) has some real promise. Maybe the Mayweather team will have paid attention to him, he’d be a guy to bring on board.
• Jack Fincham and Anthony Taylor did an exhibition: If you announced a winner here, it would have easily been Taylor, but they went their four rounds and exhibitions don’t have winners and losers unless it’s MF x DAZN, a series brave enough to say, “Fuck it, we’re just gonna pretend, and we’re going to have 100% effort fights without any sanctioning between any two people who will get in there.” Anthony Taylor is a fascinating character study. A so-so MMA fighter and knockaround guy sort of boxer who wants to be a great celebrity boxer without being a celebrity.
• Bobby Fish TKO-2 Boateng Agyemang Prempeh: Fish, if you’re unfamiliar, is a 46-year-old pro wrestler, has worked for WWE and AEW and NJPW and Ring of Honor over the years. He’s more of a “wrestler’s wrestler” than, like, a big-time star or anything, a fine craftsman in his trade. He’s also trained in combat sports for a long time, and this was his boxing debut. Quite likely the last time he’ll box, too, but you never know, I guess. It’s a dumb world right now. Anyway, he won. This was on the prelims, which is goofy; if you have a guy who might have ANY niche appeal, put him on the PPV. Maybe you get six buys out of that.

• Delfine Persoon and Ikram Kerwat went to a no-contest: Delfine forgot what sport she was in for a second.