Mayweather vs. Ortiz: Was Money May's Knockout Punch Illegal?

Floyd Mayweather's knockout punches on Victor Ortiz, though technically legal, were anything but ethical.

Mayweather ran his career record to 42-0 and stole away the WBC Welterweight Championship belt from Ortiz with a devastating two-punch combination in the fourth round.

To characterize the bout-ending sequence of events as strange, would be an understatement. "Surreal" might work, but "dirty" just sounds better. "Cheap" and "gutless" would work as well, possibly even better, depending on how strongly you feel about the result.

The fiasco began in the fourth round when Ortiz recaptured the momentum with a quick series of blows, pummeling Mayweather against the ropes. Amidst that barrage, Ortiz inexplicable launched his head at Mayweather's, thereby forcing referee Joe Cortez to intervene and register a point deduction on Ortiz's part for an illegal headbutt. Ortiz immediately apologized to Mayweather for what might have been interpreted as a cheap shot on his part.

Then came the moment of controversy. The two fighters met in the center of the ring to hug it out and, barely a moment after they separated, Mayweather came at Ortiz with a devastating left-right combo to send him to the mat while Cortez's head was turned.

According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, the hits were legal, as Cortez had already called time in, thus putting the onus on Ortiz to have done a better job protecting himself at all times, as is the rule of thumb in boxing.

Whether they were in the spirit of good sportsmanship, though, is a different story entirely. 

For my "Money," Mayweather's knockout blow was cheap, if not wholly characteristic of a fighter with as bloated an ego as "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Certainly, Ortiz should have had his hands in better position to protect himself, but it appeared as though there was some confusion around the ring. Cortez never seemed to give a clear indication that the fight was back on, but rather was gazing ringside at an official to let the record show that time was back in.

A more noble and reasonable sportsman than Mayweather would've likely allowed Ortiz to at least get his hands up before going back after him.

But, then again, what can we reasonably expect from Mayweather? He's a competitor, as fierce and hungry as any fighter who has ever set foot in the ring, though he's never been one to favor popularity and likability over being brash and obnoxious. Mayweather made that much clear after the fight, when he went off on 80-year-old boxing analyst Larry Merchant before the HBO ringside guru could pose the all-important question: will he fight Manny Pacquiao?

Because, at the end of the day, no one really cares how Mayweather won, or even that he did. The only thing the boxing world wants and needs to see is "Money" in the ring with "Pac-Man" in The Fight of the Century, The Fight That Will Save Boxing.

And yes, that deserved all caps, because the prospect of Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only thing that's keeping the sport of boxing alive at this point, that's keeping this dying pastime from being eaten alive by the UFC.

So, in the end, it doesn't really matter whether Mayweather's hits were legal or not, whether they were morally justifiable or not. The only punches that anyone wants to see or discuss are those that everyone hopes to see flying between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Assuming that seemingly inevitable fight ever comes to pass. 

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