Call it a sucker punch. Call it what you will. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., saw an opportunity, and he went for it.
That’s how I felt after the brawny, brazen welterweight celebrated yet another victorious outing in the ring at the MGM Grand along with his sizable entourage. For what it’s worth, Mayweather’s knockout of Ventura’s own Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17 will forever be remembered more for the controversy that concluded the fight than as another notch on the champion’s polished belt.
Coming into the match, flanked by his uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather and rapper 50-Cent, the flashy “Pretty Boy” hadn’t fought in 16 months. Mayweather looked a little rusty at the start, though it was obvious the time off had done nothing to temper his iron fists. Both fighters came out conservatively, with Mayweather landing most of the early strikes, seemingly stunning Ortiz with their sheer power.
Then, late in the fourth round, just as the underdog seemed to get comfortable—landing a vicious flurry that sent Mayweather up against the ropes—Ortiz inexplicably lost it. Possibly stemming from the frustration of his opponent ducking the best he had to offer, Ortiz purposely head-butted Mayweather, sending him reeling. Referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight and Ortiz quickly apologized, hugging Mayweather and even kissing him on the cheek.
Cortez briefly chastised Ortiz, but instead of sending the fighters to their corners for a reset, as one would expect, he pulled the two fighters to center ring. There, Ortiz again tried to make amends and hug Mayweather, who was having none of it. With Cortez and Ortiz both turned toward the timekeeper, Mayweather took advantage of the distraction, decking Ortiz with a one-two combination that would have stopped a train in its tracks.
Cold-cocked, Ortiz dropped to his knees and slumped to the canvas, staggering briefly to a kneeling position before Cortez counted him out.
Confusion reigned at the MGM. Did Cortez make the call to resume boxing after the point deduction? What happened in the ring? Was that even legal?
But that was it; it was all over. There was Mayweather being embraced enthusiastically by his posse, while Ortiz’s corner tried desperately to talk some sense into their young fighter. The boxers congratulated each other, seemingly on good terms, and then came perhaps the evening’s most memorable moment, when Mayweather, apparently taking umbrage with the line of questioning from silver-haired 80-year-old HBO Boxing commentator Larry Merchant, decided he didn’t want to talk about the end of the fight.
“You never give me a fair shake,” Mayweather snarled at Merchant, live on camera. “You can go over and talk to Ortiz’s corner, ’cause I’m done with you.”
“What are you talking about?” Merchant yelled back. “What are you talking about?”
“HBO should fire you,” Mayweather insisted, as Merchant appeared stunned. “You don’t know nothing about boxing.”
Merchant’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he turned to the camera, shell-shocked.
“You ain’t $#*&!” Mayweather continued, and repeated the epithet. That did it.
“I wish I was 50 years younger, and I’d kick your ass!” Merchant exploded, as Mayweather turned and headed out of the ring, presumably to his post-fight party.
And so it goes.
Still in a bit of a fog, the crowd at the MGM voiced its displeasure, incensed by the bizarre outcome. However, after the smoke cleared and the fans filed out, the record books would only show Mayweather was now 42-0, still undefeated in his 15-year professional career.
There’s only one thing left for the champ to do now. He must fight Manny Pacquiao. That’s all there is to it. The world demands it, and as good as Mayweather is, he’ll have to stop ducking “Pacman” if he ever wants to stake his claim as the best pound-for-pound boxer of our time.
Pacquiao has a fight coming up in November against Juan Manuel Marquez, but one thing is certain: If the elusive Mayweather-Pacquiao superfight does materialize, it will no doubt be the biggest and baddest brouhaha to come along since Pacquiao’s fight against Oscar De La Hoya—maybe even bigger. Not only would boxing fans get “The One They’ve All Been Waiting For,” but also everybody will get paid, and paid handsomely. Now, if the two camps can only keep off each other’s jugulars long enough to strike up a deal.
Speaking of keeping composure, the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers both played on Sunday, Sept. 18, and both gave away games they should’ve won. Oakland played well on the road against the upstart Buffalo Bills, leading most of the way throughout a barnburner that came down to an intercepted Hail Mary in the end zone.
Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell, for all the negatives said about his decision-making, has proven he has one of the better arms in the game, and speedy tailback Darren McFadden is running the ball better than he ever has. All told, the Raiders still have an excellent shot at finishing above .500 and making the playoffs, despite an iffy receiving corps and defense. Raider Nation lives!
I can’t say the same for the Niners, who led for much of last week’s game at home against Dallas before giving up a San Francisco treat to the Cowboys in the final few minutes, and then again in overtime. The 49ers squandered a 14-0 first-half lead and then allowed an injured Tony Romo to connect with rookie wide receiver Jesse Holley for a 77-yard reception to set up the game-winning field goal in the extra frame. Quarterback Alex Smith once again looked a lot like, well, Alex Smith, throwing a crucial late interception and getting sacked six times. It appears there’s still a lot of rebuilding left to do in San Francisco before anybody takes them as a serious contender in the NFC West.
But what do I know? I’m just a bum. And that’s my view from the bleachers.
The Bleacher Bum can be contacted at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 22-29, 2011.