The subplots were manifold, each presented, digested and dissected: the acrimonious relationship between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his father; the abandonment of Victor Ortiz as a child by his parents; the falling out between Ortiz?s trainer, Danny Garcia, and Garcia?s brother, Robert Garcia, who once had trained Ortiz himself. There were mentions of Mayweather?s idol, money, and Ortiz?s idol, Oscar De La Hoya. There were references to Floyd Mayweather?s legal problems and Roger Mayweather?s health issues.
Those secondary storylines supplemented the primary conflict. But for those shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars to see Ortiz vs. Mayweather in person or spending $60 to $70 to watch the fight on television, it was ?Money May? who made them pay.
For six years he has made them pay with his mouth. He is abrasive and aggressive, a boisterous braggart. He captured those characteristics, augmenting his marketability by making himself into ?Money Mayweather.? Then he amplified himself further, turning from character to caricature and ensuring he was a man boxing fans either wanted to see or wanted to see humbled.
For 15 years he has made his fighting foes pay in the ring, making them look offensively impotent, making himself seem defensively impenetrable, making defeating him appear to be patently impossible.
For all of the subplots ? the ugly argument with his father caught on camera, the numerous criminal and civil cases against him, the constant conversation about why he and rival phenom Manny Pacquiao are yet to fight ? Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains unparalleled in dedication to his craft and discipline in the gym. He tunes out the distractions, then disrupts and sometimes destroys his opponents.
Victor Ortiz gave in to distraction, to a costly lapse in discipline. He would be made to pay for it.
With Mayweather pinned against the ropes toward the end of the fourth round, Ortiz decided to stop launching punches and instead launched himself, blatantly propelling the top of his head into Mayweather?s face. The referee, Joe Cortez, pulled Ortiz away, then turned away to pause the clock with nine seconds remaining. Ortiz walked back over to Mayweather, placing his right arm over him in an embrace and planting a kiss to his right cheek.
Cortez again brought Ortiz away, taking him around the ring and taking a point away from him, a penalty for the foul. Mayweather walked out toward a neutral corner, glaring at Ortiz incredulously. The two tapped left gloves, and Cortez positioned Ortiz in the neutral corner opposite Mayweather.
