Beef. It might be what?s for dinner, but it can also be the face that launches a thousand ships. Maybe even a million or more. Think of this in terms of paying customers who felt robbed. From ?Star Power? to ?Glower Power?. We?ll have to wait to find out just how many Pay-Per-View buys were registered for this past Saturday?s fights in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, respectively. Sometimes it?s interesting to see the actual figures and to then compare them against the promoter?s projected totals. These guys have access to a mythical seer stone that is never available for public view. After Floyd Mayweather smote Victor Ortiz, for lack of a better word, ?Money? was so gracious in thanking those who had purchased tickets to witness the event live as well as those who plunked upwards of $70 to watch it at home. What, no love for the movie theater crowd? That was only $20, give or take. The promotional outreach made by Golden Boy and its sponsors was simply massive. Maybe somewhere along the line, some forgot there was an actual fight taking place. We were treated to a mostly entertaining night of bouts. Jessie Vargas just squeaked by Josesito Lopez. Erik Morales showed his usual guts and grit versus late replacement Pablo Cesar Cano in a fight which many didn?t expect to last long, but Morales fights for his country and may not have been going for the quick knockout. Canelo Alvarez had his fight with Alfonso Gomez won before it ever began. Although Gomez showed some hints at being able to match and perhaps at times even exceed Alvarez, there?s too big of a future on the horizon to allow an upset. The stoppage by referee Wayne Hedgpeth was a bit premature in the eyes of many. Then and yes, only then, there was the main event.
Less than 72 hours after the conclusion of the fight, one can likely type, ?protect yourself at all times? into a search engine and perhaps get a boatload of pages related specifically to this bout. It?s so yesterday now. Remember the 70?s martial arts cult classic, ?Enter the Dragon?? What did Bruce Lee tell his pupil at the end of their training session when they began to bow to each other and bid goodbye? As Lee popped the young kid upside his head, he reminded him, ?Never take your eyes off of your opponent. Even when you bow.? This fight had such a feeling of well, ?ugh? to it. Before anyone rips Floyd even more for his post-clinch clocking, let?s not forget what precipitated the whole mess. As many articles have already stated, Victor Ortiz was building up some momentum towards the end of the 4th round, at least he was in his own mind. Then, he took a triple scoop of vapid spontaneity and drove his head straight into Mayweather?s face. Would you like to know why he did it? It?s possible he just got carried away and momentarily lost it, or maybe he was coming to understand why Floyd used to be called ?Pretty Boy?. It?s difficult to stay pretty if your face walks down the aisle with lady leather one too many times. Floyd was actually punching away Victor?s punches. Score one for the 30-plus crowd. Please. Frustration. Plain and simple. The same reason a linebacker slams a helpless quarterback to the ground and the same reason why a basketball player chooses to throw a cheap shot elbow to a defenseless point guard as he?s driving towards the basket. Win at all costs and the paying consumer be damned. It?s a coward?s emergency exit.
