gEveryone is talking about Floyd Mayweather’s recent 4th round knockout over Victor Ortiz.  Immediately after the fight, my Facebook news feed was filled with hundreds of posts about the outcome.   The conversations have continued throughout the week.  I’ve seen pro-Mayweather fans, pro-Ortiz fans, and plenty of others who are just pissed off about the stoppage.

To begin, I speak for many in saying that I am disappointed in the way the fight ended.  No one wanted to see such a high profile fight end in that manner.  As for who is to blame, many were quick to fault Mayweather.  I however do not support that belief.

Before I continue, I must point out that my feelings about this fight have nothing to do with my personal feelings about either fighter outside the ring.  Floyd’s out of the ring antics do not influence my analysis of what happened.  I am also not concerned with Floyd’s post-fight comments with Larry Merchant.  His words do not change the circumstances that took place between him and Ortiz.

The Fight

The fight began as many expected.  Mayweather was outboxing the younger, less experienced Ortiz.  Frustration began to take over and Ortiz flagrantly fouled Mayweather with a potentially damaging head butt.  Fortunately for Floyd, the butt only cut his mouth.  If Ortiz had made contact a few inches higher, Floyd could have been severely cut around the eye (potentially causing doctors to stop the fight).

Following the butt, Ortiz apologized to Floyd by hugging him and literally kissing him on the cheek.  Joe Cortez (the referee) then deducted a point from Ortiz before summoning the action to begin again.  Ortiz then came in for a second hug and the rest is history.  He was hit with two shots and counted out.

Initially, many were quick to blame Floyd for hitting Ortiz in that manner.  Personally, I wish it did not happen, but I also cannot blame Floyd for fighting the way that he did.  Victor Ortiz had been using his head throughout the fight.  The final head butt was as flagrant as any that you will ever see.  In addition, after the butt, Floyd looked to his left to complain to the referee.  As he looked away from Ortiz, Ortiz then followed up with a left hand.

You can see the punch at approximately 27 seconds into the video below.  The video also shows other occasions where Ortiz had been using his head earlier in the fight.

So here we have a frustrated fighter (Ortiz) who begins with a blatant foul and attempts to land a punch immediately after.  He then apologizes for his actions and expects Floyd to suddenly play nice with him.

Is it really any surprise that another fighter responds aggressively towards someone who had just blatantly fouled him?  While Floyd makes it easy for many to dislike him, that doesn’t change the circumstances inside the ring.  Professional boxers are paid to fight 3 minute rounds, not 2 minutes and 50 seconds.  Fighters are in camp for several weeks preparing to knock each other unconscious.  When one fighter resorts to illegal tactics, he must be ready for retaliation by his opponent.  If you start dirty, expect to finish dirty.

Emotions run high during such high profile fights.  Fighters are human beings who get angry just like anyone else.  Furthermore, experienced fighters like Floyd rely heavily on instinct.  When a referee summons the action to continue, that’s what you do.  You fight.  You don’t stop the video and watch it again in slow motion.  You rely on instinct to do what you’ve been trained to do. Young amateur fighters are constantly reminded to defend yourself at all times.  It is one of the first lessons that you’ll ever learn at the gym.  It is also one that is constantly drilled into your head so that it is never forgotten.  You never trust an opponent who stands before you.  He is there to knock you out.  You can never forget that simple truth.

Fighterwriter Graham Houston summed up the events perfectly with his comments below (courtesy of Fightnews.com)

I can’t fault Mayweather for firing the two fight-ending shots against an opponent who wasn’t expecting to be hit. If Ortiz wanted to give Mayweather a second hug in apology for Ortiz’s blatant butt, instead of obeying the dictum “protect yourself at all times,” well, that was his choice. These are professional boxers, not amateurs boxing in the Olympics. Time was “in”, and Mayweather had an opponent standing in front of him with his guard down. Did anyone really expect Mayweather to follow a gentlemanly code of conduct, especially after, moments earlier, Ortiz had inflicted a cut inside his mouth by butting him?

In addition, what many fail to realize (although I’m sure Floyd didn’t) is that Ortiz has fouled before.  Below is a video example of him being disqualified for hitting an opponent on the break:

Victor Ortiz was clearly frustrated by Floyd.  His frustrations got the best of him.  Saying sorry isn’t enough.  As a trainer, I wouldn’t want someone who fouled in that manner to get close enough to my fighter to offer a hug (at a moment when time was back in).  Who is to say that Ortiz was not going to throw another punch?  He had just fouled moments before.  Should his opponent suddenly trust him to fight fair simply because of an apology?

Moreover, I believe Ortiz was on his way out any way.  His frustrations were only going to get worse.  Mayweather couldn’t miss with the right hand and the accumulation would have likely led to a later round stoppage.

It is also worth pointing out that Ortiz did little to protest the stoppage.  He actually did not seem upset after losing the biggest fight of his life.  He smiled shortly after being counted out.  It is almost as if there was some relief that the fight was over.

Historical References

As for similar cases in history, many have mentioned Jack Dempsey’s knockout victory over future heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey.  During their 1927 bout, Sharkey began by outboxing the legendary Jack Dempsey for many rounds.  In the 7th round however, Sharkey turned to the ref to complain about constant low blows from Dempsey.  As he looked away, Dempsey landed a left hook that knocked Sharkey unconscious.  Dempsey was declared the winner by knockout.

You can see the knockout punch within the video below (approximately 3:54 into the clip).

In response to hitting Sharkey when he wasn’t looking, Dempsey replied, “What was I supposed to do?  Mail him a letter?”

Ironically, few spit the same venom at Dempsey that they do towards Floyd.  Jack Dempsey’s aggressive style and power made him one of the most famous boxers in history.  He was a dominant champion who is still talked about today.

Floyd Mayweather is also dominant, but his out of ring antics make it easy for many to dislike him.  Consequently, many have blamed him for the outcome on Saturday.  He is the villain.  He’s the guy that we aren’t supposed to like.

Personally, I’m not here to support Floyd or tell you to like him.  I’m not defending him as a person.  I am simply observing what happened.  Floyd capitalized on the inexperience and frustrations of his junior opponent.  If the shoe was on the other foot and Floyd had deliberately butted Ortiz, I’m guessing that Ortiz would have been heralded by many if he then knocked Mayweather out with his hands down.  I could imagine comments like “I’m glad he knocked out that punk” and so on.

Summary

The Victor Ortiz vs. Floyd Mayweather fight clearly ended in a way that no one expected.  It was not the ending that we hoped for.  We all wanted to see an action packed slugfest.  Instead, we had less than stellar officiating from referee Joe Cortez, flagrant fouls by Victor Ortiz, and a surprise two punch knockout while one man’s hands were down.

What a mess on a night that could have been great for the sport.

Let’s just hope that Mayweather and Pacquaio can finally come to terms after the Marquez fight in November.  Let’s also hope that if and when they do fight, the two men can let their hands fairly determine who is the true pound for pound boxing king. Floyd may not have broken any technical rules with his knockout over Ortiz, but I sure as hell don’t want to ever see that kind of stoppage again.