So Mayweather/Ortiz was fairly entertaining

[DeToxRox]

Cliffs

- Ortiz leaping headbutts Mayweather. Ref deducts a point from Ortiz but doesn't send Floyd to his corner.

- They come back out, ref is staring at the judges. He apparently yelled fight but was not focused. Ortiz apologizes for the hundredth time and tries to dap with Floyd. Floyd stares at him like "What the fuck?". Floyd then throws a quick left and follows up with a right that floors Ortiz and Floyd wins the fight.

- After, Floyd goes off on Larry Merchant and says he ought to be fired. Merchant says if he was 50 years younger he'd have kicked Floyd's ass.

The entire thing was surreal. The ref is the one who is truly to blame, but you can make cases what both guys did was dirty as hell. Ortiz's headbutt had real bad intentions but Floyd could have showed a little more sportsmanship.

Regardless, it was hilarious to watch.

[Matthean]

I was watching the chat on it. Kind of waiting for a reply to be posted.

[DeToxRox]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VmYVI7liwE/TnVxd6msalI/AAAAAAAAE74/SZT6xCZPZeI/s1600/8.gif

[Matthean]

No outrage from me. That's just stupid on Ortiz's part.

[DeToxRox]

No outrage from me. That's just stupid on Ortiz's part.

The headbutt from Ortiz was just awful. It clearly pissed Floyd off so for Ortiz to be so dumb as to just stand there and not at least consider the possibility of this happening is insane. Granted, the ref totally blew it by just standing around in a daze but still.

[DeToxRox]

http://s1.proxy03.twitpic.com/photos/large/400795784.jpg

[sabotai]

Wow, after seeing that gif of it, 100% on Ortiz. Who the fuck hugs it out during a fight? I've never seen that. As much as I hate Mayweather, he did touch gloves with Ortiz and then prepared himself to fight. Ortiz went in for a hug and left his arms at his side as he steps back....wtf? I don't see it as classless or unsportsmanlike.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Post-fight interview, Ortiz said that the ref called for a break. The ref also wasn't watching the fighters when this all happened, he was looking out of the ring, I have no idea why. I think Ortiz clearly wasn't ready, and it's on him for not being ready, but Mayweather took advantage of a fighter who wasn't prepared for it.

I'm pretty bummed, because in the flurry before the headbutt, Ortiz looked like he was doing a bit of damage to Floyd.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Merchant saying "I wish I were 50 years younger, and I'd kick your ass!" Was phenomenal. Then later, outside the ring, they interview him and he immediately says "I don't think I could have kicked his ass 50 years ago."

Awesome.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I DECLARE SHENANIGANS!

Ortiz seemed to miss with every punch that round, even the couple he threw after the head butt

When he wasn't disqualified, he leaves himself wide open.

FIX!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Somebody ought to have handed Merchant a tazer & let him even things up a bit. Mayweather is a bitch even if Ortiz was dumb as hell.

[EagleFan]

boxing has been a joke for quite some time.

[PilotMan]

Floyd was well on his way to picking Ortiz apart anyway. The right guy won. Floyd, one of the best fighters of all time, one of the biggest pricks of all time. No hero here.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

best fight was that bloody mess 2 fights earlier

[sabotai]

I watched video of the 4th round and saw Ortiz try to headbutt a few times in that round. I hate Mayweather, but I can't help but love it when dirty fighters get KTFO.

[GrantDawg]

Man, that second punch was devastating.

[Matthean]

Man, that second punch was devastating.

Even if the first shot was a "cheap shot," defend yourself from what's coming next. Ortiz comes across as a guy who simply didn't want to be there.

[spleen1015]

Merchant saying "I wish I were 50 years younger, and I'd kick your ass!" Was phenomenal. Then later, outside the ring, they interview him and he immediately says "I don't think I could have kicked his ass 50 years ago."

Awesome.

I couldn't stop laughing.

[PackerFanatic]

Even if the first shot was a "cheap shot," defend yourself from what's coming next. Ortiz comes across as a guy who simply didn't want to be there.

Exactly what I was thinking. Might have a been a little cheap by Floyd, but Ortiz didn't do anything to defend against it.

[RomaGoth]

Didn't see anything that was cheap or unsportsmanlike by Mayweather. Some dumbshit move by Ortiz just standing there like that, regardless of what else was going on with the ref.

[Glengoyne]

It's astonishing that some people don't think what Mayweather did was unsportsmanlike. It was legal, but it was pathetic. All three people, Cortez, Ortiz, and Mayweather screwed up. Cortez needed to send the fighters to their corners, deal with the judges, then bring them back together and touch their gloves together. Ortiz needed to apologize but keep his hands up and look at Mayweather instead of Cortez. Mayweather needed to not take a cheapshot when his opponent was looking at the ref instead of defending himself on the fight restart. It was clear that Ortiz either didn't hear the command to restart or that it didn't happen. He was still looking at Cortez who was still dicking around with the judges when he supposedly had restarted the fight. If the fighters roles were reversed, you can bet your ass that they either restart the fight or Mayweather throws a huge fit.

I'm gonna go with HiFi on this one when it comes to Mayweather defenders. The ref completely mismanaged the whole situation. It is his job to control the events when fighting resumes. It is his job to ensure that all things are on the up and up when the fighters come together, and he restarts the fight. The referee took a nap, and didn't do his job. I think both fighters saw this, and while Ortiz looked to be distracted the uncharacteristic behavior of a referee, Mayweather took advantage of the situation.

Then again you can't really defend Ortiz too much with the head butting, so for me the best scenario would have been both fighters DQ'd. Since that wasn't an option...rematch. Everyone gets what they want.

Oh the referee should be relegated to youth boxing.

[k0ruptr]

I'm betting the command to restart never came. It just doesn't make sense to me that a ref would restart and not even be paying attention.

[Matthean]

Mayweather needed to not take a cheapshot when his opponent was looking at the ref instead of defending himself on the fight restart.

From the gif, it looks like Ortiz is looking at Mayweather. He certainly isn't turning his head towards the ref.

[molson]

Interesting storyline. Looking forward to see where the bookers are going with this. It seems predictably headed towards a no-DQ match.

[Rizon]

I'm betting the command to restart never came. It just doesn't make sense to me that a ref would restart and not even be paying attention.

I didn't see the fight, but the GIF makes it look like there was no restart. I always thought the ref had to make some sort of hand signal for restart.

[Rizon]

I didn't see the fight, but the GIF makes it look like there was no restart. I always thought the ref had to make some sort of hand signal for restart.

Ah, I caught what looked to be a restart. Hard to tell in the GIF on my slow ass internet here.

[sabotai]

I didn't see the fight, but the GIF makes it look like there was no restart. I always thought the ref had to make some sort of hand signal for restart.

He did. After taking a point off Ortiz, he moved Ortiz into a corner, lectured him for a few seconds and then said "let's go" and gave the hand motion to resume the fight. That's when Ortiz came out of the corner and walked to Mayweather for his 17th hug (when the GIF begins)

[Rizon]

He did. After taking a point off Ortiz, he moved Ortiz into a corner, lectured him for a few seconds and then said "let's go" and gave the hand motion to resume the fight. That's when Ortiz came out of the corner and walked to Mayweather for his 17th hug (when the GIF begins)

Do you know where there is a better video of it? I can't find anything on youtube, of course.

[sabotai]

Do you know where there is a better video of it? I can't find anything on youtube, of course.

Watched it on youtube the night of the fight. Just tried searching for it and looks like it got whacked.

[sabotai]

dola

Here's a video of someone who recorded a TV (in a bar, it sounds like) with a camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIcNNhZ9NqE

[BrianD]

I just watched the fight. Many people are to blame for this fiasco, and Mayweather is definitely one of them. The ref called time after the headbutt. He took the point away, split the fighters up, and then waved them both together. After doing that, he looked at the time-keeper and asked if the bell rang. That is when Mayweather took the cheap shots. Ortiz didn't know what was going on and the ref didn't know what was going on. Mayweather was pissed at the cheap shot to him and then didn't wait for Ortiz to put his hands up. He knew he was taking a cheap shot. In the post-fight interview, he kept starting to say that he did it because of the headbutt, but then realized that wouldn't go over too well. Very cheap.

[BrianD]

At another look, the ref waved the fighters together and stepped out of the way before asking if the bell rang. Typical motions for re-starting the fight. After Ortiz went down, the ref looked down at the scorer's table and the second ref was counting for Ortiz so the head ref took up the count. I don't think anyone in the ring knew what was going on.

What I find really odd is that Ortiz congratulated Mayweather after the fight. I don't get why he isn't pissed.

[Toddzilla]

What I find really odd is that Ortiz congratulated Mayweather after the fight. I don't get why he isn't pissed.Because he knows he got knocked the f out legitimately. Protect yourself at all times. Every boxer knows this. He let his guard down and paid for it. Everyone in the world cries it was unsportsman-like except the guy who got knocked out because he knows its all part of the game.

[k0ruptr]

That and the fact that those punches destroyed him, He probably had no fucking clue where he was.

[BrianD]

Because he knows he got knocked the f out legitimately. Protect yourself at all times. Every boxer knows this. He let his guard down and paid for it. Everyone in the world cries it was unsportsman-like except the guy who got knocked out because he knows its all part of the game.

In order to let your guard down, you first have to have it up.

[SunDevil]

In order to let your guard down, you first have to have it up.

He did have his guard up, right before he did his headbutt.

[BrianD]

He did have his guard up, right before he did his headbutt.

His headbutt was awful. He tried to down-play it in his interview, but it looked pretty clear to me that it was totally intentional. Not worthy of the "sucker punch" as one of the commentators rightly called it, but totally worth the stoppage and point deduction.

[molson]

Just watching that youtube clip above, I think this is 100% the ref's fault. You have to be decisive as a boxing ref. He re-starts the fight, and then he's shooting the breeze with someone at ringside. He's sending mixed signals to the fighters. Mayweather took advantage of the poor reffing (which is what champions do, poor reffing is a part of any sport, you either cry about it or you work around it).

[PilotMan]

It ain't the refs fault. I mean, he called FIGHT. So just because he was looking away it doesn't mean that anything illegal happened. Even if he would have been looking at the fighters, he would have let it go just as it happened. Mayweather took advantage of a weak opponent, made 25 million, won another title, and went home undefeated. I'd say it was a good night for him.

[Matthean]

The ref said fight and Ortiz went in to say I'm sorry again. Seriously, I don't get this being Mayweather's fault. As pointed out before, Ortiz isn't exactly protesting this.

[spleen1015]

I don't think anyone is saying it is Mayweather's fault. They just don't like what he did, even being legal, within the rules.

My thing with it is, beat him like a man. Yes, he headbutt you and you're pissed, but beat him like a man. Don't punch him when he's not ready to be punched. Yeah yeah, keep your hands up at all times. Whatever. Don't be a punk and punch the guy when he is apologizing to you.

To me, it was Mayweather being Mayweather. I have watched a few of his fights and I don't think I've seen anyone hit Mayweather as much as Ortiz did. Ortiz wasn't going to win this fight, but I think he was giving Mayweather a tougher fight than any I have seen or Mayweather expected. So, I think Mayweather feels this and takes advantage of the situation when he could.

[PilotMan]

Ortiz wasn't going to win this fight, but I think he was giving Mayweather a tougher fight than any I have seen or Mayweather expected. So, I think Mayweather feels this and takes advantage of the situation when he could.

Plus he was giving up like 16 pounds and 10 years in the ring. I don't think he wanted any part of Ortiz's apology. It's not like they both went in for it, hugged and then he hit him on the break. Ortiz went in, Mayweather tried to push him away, and then clocked him when he backed out. Mayweather wanted it more, and I think Ortiz was already checked out mentally from the fight. Mayweather made him pay for that lapse.

[Vince, Pt. II]

After thinking about it for a day or two, here's my take. Even though Ortiz was keeping Mayweather on the ropes for a while, Ortiz was getting his ass handed to him. Mayweather was in total control of the fight. Ortiz's headbutt was totally intentional. I don't think it was premeditated, but it was clearly intentional. Ortiz had tons of time after the left hook to get his hands up, and they didn't move - not even reflexively. Even though Mayweather popped him pretty good with the left hook, I don't think it was enough to knock him senseless. Immediately after the fight, Ortiz was all smiles and totally ok with the outcome. This leads me to believe that Ortiz knew he was outclassed, and realized that this was the best possible outcome; even though he lost, Mayweather will get a ton of negative pub for it, most people won't take the loss seriously against Ortiz, and he'll have a shot at another massive payout by fighting Mayweather again if he wants.

My only remaining question is whether or not Ortiz threw the headbutt intentionally as a means of ending the fight early, a la Tyson biting Holyfield's ear.

[dawgfan]

The ref handled things poorly, Ortiz was an idiot for letting his guard down and Mayweather lacks honor.

I think that about covers it?

[PilotMan]

Nice ed about the fight and the outcome:

Jay Caspian Kang on Mayweather-Ortiz and two of the weirdest punches in boxing history - Grantland (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6990594/sucker-punch-just-happened)

Given how things were going — and they were going badly — the sucker punch that ended Saturday's fight was the best thing that could have happened to Victor Ortiz. It came before the evidence of Floyd Mayweather's precision right hand could build up on Ortiz's face, before a landslide decision or knockout could confirm what was becoming obvious: Victor Ortiz is a nice story and a power-puncher capable of creating thrilling fights when he's paired up against live wires like Andre Berto or Marcos Maidana, but he will never be in the same class (or even one class below) as Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. But because Saturday's fight ended so strangely, Ortiz not only gets to pound his chest and scream about getting another shot, he also gets spared of the spectacle of his own humiliation.
In the weeks leading up to the fight, much was made of Floyd's lack of power, his fragile hands, and the fact that he doesn't throw combinations anymore. Not enough has been made of how quickly and ruthlessly Floyd destroys the psyches of his opponents, how his flawless defense and theatrics can turn a normally level-headed opponent into a spitting, lunging mess. Victor Ortiz did not lose his mind in the ring because of some deep-seated family problems or because of steroids or because he is "psychotic." Victor Ortiz lost his mind because Floyd was beating a big bass drum in his head.
Ricky Hatton was never the same after his 10 rounds with Money May. The sucker punch saved Ortiz from a similar fate.
Conversely, the sucker punch and the postfight histrionics poured gasoline on the weird, delicate balance Floyd has struck with the public. Yes, the punch was legal. And yes, as Michael Rosenthal wrote in The Ring (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/169216-ortiz-only-has-himself-to-blame) on Sunday, Ortiz's Blanka-styled head-butt was what opened the door for the surreality that followed. But none of that matters to anyone outside of the fight media. And although such discussions are interesting, Floyd has long since passed the point in his career where we should be attaching his name to something like this.
The only person who cares, really, is Floyd. And he cares because through force of will, or, perhaps, self-delusion, he believes that numbers and rules are what drive boxing lore. In some ways, this makes sense: The technical master who stakes his claim on an unbeaten record is also the fighter who would risk his legacy to add one more tick to the win column. The flawless record is preserved for now (and nobody can take that away from you!).
Boxing is the one sport in which a win is not always a win and a gutty loss can launch a career (or any number of boxing movies: human, robot, or otherwise). Because so much of fight history is processed and then digested through literature, film, and the old, sentimental writers who cover the sweet science, a fighter's worth is gauged on a scale of intangibles, each of which has been tacked onto a past great. These storylines don't have to be true or even very compelling, but they have to be grounded in sportsmanship and moments of courage. For example, if you go by HBO's storyline, Manny Pacquiao is great because he "fought everyone," just like Henry Armstrong, who also "fought everyone." Manny's place within the pantheon of great fighters was earned not on the totality of his record, but through the abstraction and the resulting favorable comparison to legend.<sup id="reffoot1">1</sup>
One moment of humiliation can smudge an otherwise brilliant career in the ring. Roberto Duran, one of the 25 greatest boxers of all time, has become a two-word catchphrase. When Oscar De La Hoya's revelations about substance abuse and suicidal ideations caused him to resurface in the news a few weeks ago, the conversation went straight to the late rounds of his fight against Felix Trinidad. It's a brutal and contradictory truth about boxing: Nobody cares what a fighter does in his personal life. He could be accused of rape, murder, drug dealing, or whatever else, but as long as he acquits himself with brilliant violence in the ring, fans will forgive him of pretty much anything. But if the transgression occurs inside the ropes, the judgment is swift and it is final. It's still too early to know where Floyd's sucker punch will rank in the litany of bad boxing moments, but it's already clear that his canonization will have to wait until memories grow fuzzy and his beloved zero begins to exist outside of its proper context. Again, there was nothing wrong with how Floyd chose to end the fight — when your opponent loses his mind and tries to ram his Mohawk through your face, you certainly have earned the right to drop him with a sucker punch. But what was diminished was the champ who fought Shane Mosely — in the second round of that fight, Floyd took perhaps the hardest shot of his career, and, after barely holding on, he came back and put on a marvelous display of technical boxing. That was the Floyd who Floyd wants us to celebrate — untouchable, perfect, and honed from a lifetime of hard work and dedication.
What's more tragic is that before all hell broke loose, Mayweather was fighting even better than he had against Mosely. At the end of the third round and the start of the fourth, he tattooed Ortiz with right-hand leads and left hooks. By the middle of the fourth round, Ortiz-Mayweather was starting to look like Hatton-Mayweather — the stronger fighter who had been trying to assert his will was becoming frustrated, tired, and confused. At that point, the outcome felt inevitable. Ortiz, who was already starting to back up, would be picked apart and either get dropped in a later round — a knockout by way of frustration — or he would rally and lose a unanimous decision. But barring a miraculous knockout punch, Ortiz wasn't going to win another round in that fight.
What Floyd lost was the begrudging respect of those who hate his flamboyance, his defensive style, and his refusal to make what would be one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Until Saturday night, the haters had to shut up when the opening bell rang. Now they have ammunition. And just as the zero will take on different meanings as time progresses, the sucker punch will take on its own self-propagating significance. And in that way, it doesn't matter if it was actually a sucker punch or if it wasn't a sucker punch or who earned the right to do what and why.
Jay Caspian Kang is an editor at Grantland. His debut novel, The Dead Do Not Improve will be published by Hogarth/Random House in Summer 2012. Follow him on twitter at @jaycaspiankang (http://www.twitter.com/jaycaspiankang).

[jbergey22]

Mayweather is just so good it makes his fights boring. He doesnt get the credit he deserves because of this.

I enjoyed Merchant's comment even though I agree with Floyd that Merchant is always trying to take away from his wins.

My thoughts on the "cheapshot" is it was perfectly within the rules in what he did. We expect more out of our champions then that however which I think is what bothers people. Floyd could have probably beaten that guy with 1 arm tied behind his back so what happened didnt change anything IMO.

[molson]

It ain't the refs fault. I mean, he called FIGHT. So just because he was looking away it doesn't mean that anything illegal happened. Even if he would have been looking at the fighters, he would have let it go just as it happened. Mayweather took advantage of a weak opponent, made 25 million, won another title, and went home undefeated. I'd say it was a good night for him.

Ya, I take back what I said - it wasn't the ref's "fault" by any means, but I think the ref was still a disaster here. I'm no boxing expert, but I'm pretty sure during the fight the ref shouldn't be distracted by a ringside conversation. If he was there paying attention, like he should have been, maybe Ortiz has his guard up, and if Ortiz STILL doesn't have his guard up - the ending would have been a little less convoluted and a lot more satisfying. I'm sure some people would still be all over Mayweather, but the punch would have looked a lot less cheap if the ref wasn't off chatting it up somewhere at the time of the punches.

[DeToxRox]

Another absurd main event in boxing tonight. Chad Dawson tackled Bernard Hopkins in the 2nd round causing Hopkins to land awkwardly on his shoulder. The ref said it was a boxing move and ruled it a TKO win for Dawson which makes ZERO sense.

Awful.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

By staging circus idiocy during pay per view events boxing thinks they will become relevant again.

They are wrong.

What made boxing so popular was the availability of it. Young guys then saw an opportunity and the quality of fighters was much higher than it is now.

Put weekly fights on ESPN on Friday nights. Have some decent fights scheduled along the way, and even occasionally have less popular title fights on regular TV. More people would watch and actually know who the hell these guys are out there.

[Young Drachma]

Dewey Bozella, the winner of the ESPN Arthur Ashe award wins his boxing debut.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ot7G5qQw99k?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dewey Bozella: Wrongfully Convicted Man Wins Pro Boxing Debut Match - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/US/dewey-bozella-wrongfully-convicted-man-wins-pro-boxing/story?id=14747101)

The guy who he fought was a punk hoping the ref would DQ him.

[molson]

The WBC decides that the Hopkins fight was a technical draw and it gives him back the belt.

Of course, to know really what that means and how important that is you have to have some knowledge of the 15,000 boxing titles out there.

Stupid MMA/Boxing question - why don't the boxing governing bodies setup their own shows and work exclusive deals with fighters? Why isn't there a "WBC boxing league" that has its own fighters and its own champions, ala the UFC and strikeforce? That's just one of the things that makes boxing impossible to follow.

[SirFozzie]

Agents. No one organization has enough money to beat down all the agents.

Besides, it's guaranteed money just to accept sanctioning fees.