While it’s easy for Gotti to spill fatherly praise now, immediately after the dramatic win for his son, there was no shortage of pleading for Gotti III to spare his father the anxiety of fighting again. But the pleas fell on deaf ears.

“I said, ‘look, John. I’m not happy about this. I really don’t want you to do this. It’s really hard for me to watch. I physically get sick as a father watching this,’” Gotti recalls. “But when your son or daughter turn around and say, ‘this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life. This is my dream.’ You get behind them to the best of your ability.”

Now a professional with three fights under his belt, John Gotti III continues to make his father sick, his father continues to support his son every stop along the way and the results are still the same. Gotti III keeps winning. The more he wins, the bigger the bullseye on his back grows which simply serves as another obstacle Gotti III welcomes with open arms.

“To them if they get a win over me it’s a statement. It’s an all eyes on me type of thing so if they win, to them it’s a big boost to their career,” Gotti III said. “They’re sadly mistaken. I’m no easy out for anybody. When I’m 100% on, I’m on.”

With every sub :60 win, Gotti III finds himself further and further from simply being “John Gotti’s grandson” and closer and closer to being John Gotti III, “the fighter.” Although it may come as a surprise to some, Gotti III prefers to add to his family’s legacy. Not replace it.