Mayweather vs. Ortiz: Victor Has Nobody to Blame But Himself

Victor Ortiz can only blame himself for the worst five seconds of his life.

On Saturday night at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, Floyd "Money" Mayweather had just taken an illegal head-butt from Ortiz in the early stages of the fourth round. Ortiz had been docked a point for his actions.

After the fight had been reset and the two boxers had touched gloves, referee Joe Cortez signaled the fight was on. For some reason, Ortiz felt the need to give Mayweather another hug, presumably to show him he was sorry.

Typical mistake of a 24-year-old.

Mayweather let Ortiz hug him, then unleashed a vicious left hook that knocked Ortiz back. Instead of regrouping and protecting himself, he decided to look in the direction of the Merchant to see if the punch was illegal.

Why?

Why would he essentially stop fighting in order to see if he got a call? In boxing, the cardinal rule is always to protect yourself, and clearly Mayweather followed those rules. There is no excuse for Ortiz.

A punishing right cross later, and down went Ortiz. He was knocked into a daze that he couldn't get out of. The fight was over and Mayweather earned himself a controversial win.

I come from the school of thought that this controversy stems from the American public's hatred for the trash-talking, cocky criminal Mayweather. There was nothing dirty about the punch, and how quickly we forget that it was Ortiz with the illegal punch that started the beginning of the end.

Sure it wasn't the most moral of moves to make...but the sport of boxing doesn't have a ton of moral fiber standing to begin with. The bell rung and he made a punch. It's as simple as that.

Your goal is to beat the crap out of your opponent as soon as the bell rings; how you do it is entirely up to you.

Sure, this wasn't the fight that resurrected boxing. In fact, lots of critics say boxing is dead after this short fight. In reality, it's just another step in the direction of a eventual Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout.

Mayweather continues his undefeated professional career, bringing his record to 42-0 (26 KOs). Ortiz falls to 29-3-2 (22 KOs), still a very successful record for only being 24 years old.

It may not have been the most satisfying fight to watch, but it was perfectly within the rulebook and Mayweather should be celebrated for his alertness...not ripped for it.