Manny Pacquiao is noted for being a clean fighter who does not resort to dirty tactics to score a point while engaging his opponent in the ring but he should be wary of what ‘smart move’ Floyd Mayweather may use to score a point on fight night.
While it is true that Mayweather is likewise a clean fighter, he has displayed what critics say as unsportsmanlike conduct when he scored a knockout win against Victor Ortiz in 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the early rounds, Mayweather was clearly ahead on points while Ortiz seemed tentative and helpless as Mayweather continued to pile up points. At the end of the third round, Mayweather was ahead in the scorecards but starting on the fourth round Ortiz threw some power shots that landed on targets. Despite Ortiz’s success in the round, he opted to attack Mayweather with intentional headbutt in the face causing an open cut on Mayweather’s mouth. Referee Joe Cortez broke the fight and slapped Ortiz with a point deduction for the intentional foul. Ortiz acknowledged his mistake and apologized to Mayweather by kissing and hugging him. But when Cortez asked them to resume fighting, Mayweather caught Ortiz with a power left hook after halfheartedly accepting Ortiz’ second apology at the start of the fourth round. Ortiz’s hands were still down as he was calling Cortez’ attention to what Mayweather did. Then Mayweather dropped him with an unobstructed power shot on the face, sending him to the canvas for the count. Ortiz was knocked down in the fourth round without putting up a defense as he was unable to raise his hands to block Mayweather’s punches. Although Mayweather was cleared of any wrongdoing with the way he dropped Ortiz, he was severely criticized for unsportsmanlike behavior. After the fight Mayweather cited boxing’s golden rule which is: “In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times,” he said. This same incident could happen to Pacquiao if he isn’t prepared for what Mayweather may come up with which may not necessarily be illegal but could spell out a win especially with a perceived pro Mayweather judges. It is normal for Pacquiao to offer his hand for an unintentional foul by touching gloves but in some instances, the opponent can take advantage of the situation by hitting him while his hand is still down. Mayweather has done this with Ortiz and there is no reason why he can’t do with Pacquiao on fight night.
