Most of the boxing analysts maintain that Floyd Mayweather Jr. did nothing wrong and his knock out of Victor Ortiz was clean and legal. Others, of course, say it was dirty and cheap. With regards to Ortiz, some say he deserved getting sucker punched and others say he was taken advantage of. Since everyone has had their say in the bizarre fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz, here’s my two cents.
Few have failed to point out referee Joe Cortez?s mistakes.
1. After Ortiz deliberately head-butted Mayweather, he went to signal to the judges to deduct a point from Ortiz. He never separated the fighters and Ortiz was able to walk up to Mayweather to give a hug and a kiss. Cortez is supposed to control the situation and separate the fighters. If Mayweather had Mike Tyson-kind of rage he?d clock Ortiz before Ortiz could plant a kiss on him.
2. Cortez was looking away when he called for the fighters to continue fighting. He was stunned with Mayweather?s second punch because he didn?t even see Mayweather throw the first punch. The veteran referee had no control over the fight once hell broke loose.
Ortiz?s faults:
1. In the fourth round he managed to connect with one or two punches before losing his cool and intentionally head butting Mayweather. Ortiz was clearly frustrated because of Mayweather?s elusiveness, but it?s not a reason to resort to dirty tactics.
Side note: Ortiz quit against Marcos Maidana and completely lost it against Mayweather. Let?s face it; the kid is mentally weak. His comeback against Andre Berto was an overrated victory.
2. In an attempt to show how genuinely apologetic and sincere he was, Ortiz hugged and kissed Mayweather after he head butted him, which is why it?s inexplicable he needed to apologize for a second time. He should?ve saved his second apology after the fight. It was a championship boxing match; not the filming of Rocky Balboa XII. In the ring, boxers fight. Simple as that. Trade pleasantries during the post-fight press conference.
3. Keep your hands up, son!
Mayweather?s faults
1. He?ll be remembered for the sucker punch on Ortiz as much as Oscar De La Hoya will be remembered for dressing in drag. He was in control the entire fight and no way was Ortiz in a position to rally back. Mayweather didn?t need to sucker punch Ortiz given how he was cruising. With that said, it was an ugly and cheap (yet very legal) win for Mayweather.
2. His argument with HBO?s Larry Merchant was unnecessary. Merchant baited him into a tirade with three different variants of the same question regarding the fight?s finish. Unfortunately, Merchant got him to bite ? hook, line and sinker.
All three men were at fault for the weird way the fight ended. But the biggest fault goes to Cortez. He was the only man in the ring who had the right to restore order and miserably failed to do so.
Mayweather further boosted his stock with the villainy he displayed. There?s no doubt in my mind Mayweather knew the outcome of punching a defenseless Ortiz. He knew it was going rile up fans. Now even more people want to see him lose. Mayweather is a marketing genius and knows that haters become PPV and ticket buyers once he enters the ring.
