Mayweather v. Ortiz Reactions

(Getty Images)

It was an eventful evening in boxing. I was just landing into LAX after our trip to Chicago, so I missed the fight. I did, however follow the updates via Twitter and then later saw the fight in its entirety on YouTube. The best way to sum up the fight would be to "Protect yourself at all times!" Mayweather retaliated to a dirty tactic by Ortiz, legally, and Ortiz paid. It wasn't the ideal ending, but it surely was comical and almost poetic; Ortiz can only blame himself as many others said. The only fight I'm interested in for Mayweather is Pacquiao. I'm not going to analyze that fight till it's made, but damn, after last night I think more than ever it'll be fun to watch. And yes it has to be made, I don't believe it's about either fighter being scared, I think it's about money. It's always been about money and when Pacquiao takes care of business (unfinished at that) in November, the fight will happen or both men will have one looming question mark for their legacies. Enough of that, let the experts do the talking!

Here are some of the reactions:

Dan Rafael ESPN-

Protect yourself at all times. It is the oldest adage in boxing. Victor Ortiz did not do that, and he paid the ultimate price.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had dominated the first three rounds, looked brilliant in his first fight in 16 months, but that brilliance may be overshadowed by the way he scored a stunning knockout with one second left in the fourth round Saturday night to win a welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Some at ringside called it a sucker punch from Mayweather. Others blamed referee Joe Cortez, who did not have his eye on the action. Whatever you want to call it, Mayweather drilled Ortiz in a triumphant return to the ring.

Mark Kriegel FOX Sports-

Even by the standards of boxing, this was unmistakably crude. In that moment, as referee Joe Cortez moved to penalize Ortiz, the younger fighter seemed to have been found out, no, make that shamed. Perhaps this was to be expected. It seemed that Ortiz had been punked at the weigh-in, when he allowed Mayweather to put a hand on his throat. The headbutt wasn’t a way to even the score. It was an admission of weakness.

Ortiz knew it. Everybody knew it. So what did he do? He made matters worse — not by acknowledging his misconduct — but by stepping to Mayweather to embrace and … kiss him.

Kissed him?

Yes, kissed him. This was supposed to be a fight, not an emotional breakdown, not another cheap reality show.

Then Cortez — the referee who advertises himself as “fair but firm” — signaled for the action to commence. Ortiz hugged his opponent again.

“I spaced out,” said Ortiz.

Apparently, he was more interested in forgiveness than fighting.

Michael Rosenthal RING Magazine-

The words of wisdom reverberated across the MGM Grand Garden Arena after the crazy ending to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Victor Ortiz fight Saturday night.

“DEFEND YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES.”

Indeed. Victor Ortiz, new to mega-fights and in over his head, was brutally knocked out with one second remaining in the fourth round because he let his guard down in a moment of confusion and stupidity. For that he can only blame himself.

On top of that, he had purposely head butted Mayweather only moments earlier. It was an ugly moment, although one that probably can be attributed to a frustrated kid losing his head.

Again, though, he must take responsibility for his actions.

Chris Mannix Sports Illustrated-

Mayweather won't get much credit for the win. The general public is going to look at Mayweather's knockout punches as cheap shots. Simple as that. That replay will be shown over and over (and over and over), and in slow motion, it looks pretty bad. Mayweather proved, once again, that he is the most skilled fighter in the world. But this win won't go down as one of his finest moments.

Steve Kim Max Boxing from Twitter-

I mean, seriously, if any other fighter, did what they did to Ortiz, people would applaud that fighter- because he deserved it

Again, I don't really like what Floyd did or how it ended, but let's be real here. Victor, in many ways, did this to himself

Mayweather-Ortiz will be like that really bad, classic B-movie that will have a cult following. 'Attack of the Killer Head But

I gave my thoughts on Twitter last night, if you'd like to see don't forget to follow.

I am Frank Chow and I approved this message