Coffee Talk #399: The Mayweather vs. Ortiz Controversy

“Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. knocked out “Vicious” Victor Ortiz over the weekend, but did so in a controversial fashion. Before I get to the controversy, I wanted to make it clear that going into the fight I…

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“Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. knocked out “Vicious” Victor Ortiz over the weekend, but did so in a controversial fashion. Before I get to the controversy, I wanted to make it clear that going into the fight I thought Mayweather was going to win, easily. During the fight I saw nothing that indicated Ortiz had anything more than a puncher’s chance. Prior to the knockout, I saw Mayweather well on his way to a decisive victory.

Now let’s get to the controversy! Late in the fourth round, it was clear that Ortiz was getting frustrated by his inability to land meaningful shots on Mayweather. Ortiz resorted to headbutts, including one so egregious that referee Joe Cortez (the “fair, but firm” guy) had no choice but to dock Ortiz a point. Ortiz tried several times to apologize. The action was set to resume when the fighters hugged. A split second later Mayweather landed a sharp hook on Ortiz, who was clearly not ready to fight. This was followed by a strong right hand that put Ortiz down for the count.

Some fans felt that this was a cheap shot. Customarily, when fighters hug or touch gloves, they wait a few seconds to resume boxing. Ortiz was obviously not ready and appeared to be waiting on further instructions from Cortez. Meanwhile, Cortez was looking towards the timekeeper to see if there was any time remaining in the round. While Mayweather did nothing illegal, some feel that it was unsportsmanlike. The fight-ending combo has been referred to as “a legal cheap shot” or a “by-the-books sucker-punch”.

Others feel that Ortiz got what he deserved. He blatantly cheated with the head butts. The last head butt did more damage to Mayweather than any of Ortiz’s punches. The feeling is that he punked Floyd and Floyd had every right to punk him back. Ortiz also forgot a set of instructions that’s given to boxers before every match: “Protect yourself at all times.” Referees say this before every fight and it was foolish for Ortiz to have his guard down. A boxer with more than 30 professional fights should know better.

On a side note, Mayweather’s post-fight behavior was probably more entertaining than the actual fight. HBO’s Larry Merchant was conducting a fair interview when Mayweather exploded on him. He went on an idiotic and profanity-laced tirade that shows what a mentally weak person he is outside of the ring. Merchant is an accomplished print journalist, an outstanding broadcaster, and a true boxing historian. He’s also 79-years old. It’s pathetic that Mayweather threateningly disrespected one of boxing’s treasures. It was hilarious that Merchant playfully yelled back, “I wish I was 50 years younger and I’d kick your ass!”

Ultimately, I think that Mayweather did himself a disservice. I believe he was angry about the head butts and wanted to nail Ortiz for the transgression. Winning this way was bad for his image. Some fans, particularly casual boxing fans, will think that he’s a cheap-shot artist. He could have easily won the fight without stooping to Ortiz’s level. It’s a shame for him, because he was putting on a boxing clinic and was going to school Ortiz. As HBO’s Jim Lampley said shortly after the knockout, “This isn’t going to win him any more fans.”

What do you think of the knockout? Was it a cheap shot by Mayweather? Was it amateur of Ortiz to forget the “protect yourself at all times” instructions? Does this win tarnish Mayweather’s reputation? Will the controversy increase his earning potential? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

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Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

34 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #399: The Mayweather vs. Ortiz Controversy”

  1. I see him getting more viewers for his unpredictability and foolishness and I think that puts him in "The Decision" category. Just like LBJ, what he did wasn't wrong technically, but it makes him look like a childish dick.

    1. Boxing is more expensive to follow than basketball. A lot of people on Twitter said that they won't buy boxing PPVs or Mayweather PPVs again. I'm sure a lot of that is hot air, but it'll be true for some of them.

      1. one game at a time, man

        weve got your patriots next week, lets see how we do there before i start feeling too good about our chances

      2. Well for now I'm talking about yesterdays game, holy ish! That was the best game I have watched in a long time.

  3. Under normal circumstances I'd really dislike what Mayweather pulled as far as knocking out Ortiz goes. However as mentioned the repeated headbutts really gave Floyd a pass to clock the guy. My opinion though.

    Cussing out Larry Merchant showed me that Floyd was scared to answer "When are you fighting Manny?". Simply put, IF they ever fought, it would be the last bout for both of them. There is nothing left for US boxing fans after that.

    2. hey question for you, sir

      ive been a reggie bush supporter and defender since the saints drafted him. I am not understanding that Darren Sproles does EVERYTHING better than Reggie Bush. Do you think Sproles is the better player now?

      1. Ha! Right now I think Sproles is a faster player than Bush. We were talking about this yesterday. We came to the conclusion that Sproles beats Bush in speed (Reggie was faster pre injuries), and football smarts. Sproles understands that he is the fastest guy on the field and uses that to his advantage.Sad really. I like Reggie and always will.

      2. I'm a Reggie Bush fan now… unfortunately, our offensive line, quarterback, and coaches all suck.

        (*goes back into the dark corner of the room to cry*)

        -M

      1. QB Ben Roethlisberger
        (Pit – QB) Sea W, 24-0 16.37 16.72
        WR Larry Fitzgerald
        (Ari – WR) @Was L, 22-21 10.47 19.30
        WR Miles Austin
        (Dal – WR) P @SF W, 27-24 12.60 32.10
        WR Vincent Jackson
        (SD – WR) @NE L, 35-21 10.17 29.20
        RB Maurice Jones-Drew
        (Jac – RB) @NYJ L, 32-3 11.55 10.70
        RB Ahmad Bradshaw
        (NYG – RB) StL Mon
        8:30 pm 14.76 0.00
        TE Aaron Hernandez
        (NE – TE) SD W, 35-21 7.19 12.20
        K Rob Bironas
        (Ten – K) Bal W, 26-13 6.64 15.00
        DEF Green Bay
        (GB – DEF) @Car W, 30-23 12.16 12.00

      4. i wasnt invited to your league….its alright though, we can let someone else win

        Im either assuming invites must have happened during the hurricane, or that no one really likes me. Either explanation is very plausible

      6. i can totally see that, im only still sort of welcome because i have seniority here, being the first member of the Ray Padilla fan club over at g4, and the fact that i was the first to call out Brian Leahy for being a douche. I would go over to Shacknews, but im not allowed there either

      8. Just kidding

        We had 4 opens spots the day before the draft and I panicked so I sent out mass emails. Unfortunately you and Iceman got the shaft this time around. I am sorry man.

    2. You got a lucky break this week sir. Jamaal Charles and Desean Jackson both got hurt in the 1st quarter. If only I played Jahvid Best……

      Oh well. Til we meet again sir.

      2. Its going to take a lot, I recommend posting on threads with 0 comments and also giving thumbs up helps.

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