Mayweather vs. Ortiz after further review
Ok, now that I've viewed the infamous final moments of the Mayweather/Ortiz bout for the five hundredth time, I think I'm done formulating my opinion. Let me begin by saying that I watched the fight live and my adrenaline rush took about sixteen hours to subside. I just could not get over what I had witnessed. It was amazing for lack of a better word. I put it above the guy parachuting into the ring during Holyfield/Bowe, slightly behind the riot in the arena after Golata's low blows ended the Bowe fight, and of course, nothing will top Tyson with Holyfield's ear in his mouth.
But I really have never witnessed anything in sport like the end of Mayweather/Ortiz. To sum it all up, the headbutt was one of the most blatant illegal blows I've seen. Ortiz left his feet to butt Floyd like he was trying to head in a corner kick. And for anyone who thought Ortiz was winning that round, um, please watch the replay for clarification. Just because a guy throws punches and the crowd is cheering doesn't mean he's scoring any blows. I think Ortiz realized after whiff number 48 in the corner that his only prayer was to resort to cheap shots, so he did. And that little choir boy act he pulled afterward didn't have me fooled. HOWEVER; that does not in any way excuse Floyd's conduct. Yes, time was back in. Yes, you are supposed to protect yourself at all times. But did you catch Floyd looking at Joe Cortez who for some reason not paying attention a la a special guest referee at Wrestlemania? It was then that Floyd decided to break a hug by landing a brutal one-two.
In a fight, when someone is hugging, like at the start of the 12th round, it is commonly understood that the fighters back away and then come forward. They don't start punching the second the hug is broken. Now, I thought the first punch, the left hook, was fair. I thought Floyd was trying to send a message. "You do some dirty crap like that headbutt and I'll do something right back." Fine, message received. But then Floyd through the right cross that ended the whole thing. Cheap shot. Not worse than the headbutt, but there was no reason for it. Floyd would have knocked Ortiz out in the latter rounds the way things were going, especially given Victor's chin and history of wearing down. But something clicked in Floyd. You could see it when he strutted back to his corner in victory. Then he put on the showman cap with his arm around Larry Merchant, and then again, that same visceral reaction came when Larry called him out. I am not a Larry Merchant fan. Those four second pauses are brutal when he speaks. And why does he always have one round a draw? Here is a typical Larry Merchant review in Round 8, "Jim . . . I have it . . . four rounds . . . to . . . three . . . with one round . . . a . . . draw." May I please have the last minute and five seconds of my life back?
In the end though, I finally understand Floyd. He is immature, angry, and has low self-esteem in the same way Terrell Owens does. He wants people to love him and it hurts him to no end when he isn't paid his respect the way he thinks it should be paid. So he acts out. He went from Pretty Boy Floyd to Money May. And it's not a wonder to see where his personality traits come from after watching his father over the years. So every fight Floyd does is good versus evil, even against a guy like De La Hoya, who I hope I don't have to justify not liking at this point.
The ultimate good versus evil fight will hopefully come against Pacquiao. I think it happens because of Floyd's legal bills, gambling habits, and spendthrift ways. And I will be betting on Floyd and rooting for him the same way I root for Scarface. Except Scarface wasn't the best defensive boxer of all time. Say goodbye to the bad guy (until May 2012 hopefully).
WEEK 3 PICKS
Cincinnati -3 over San Francisco
New England -7.5 at Buffalo
New Orleans -4 vs. Houston
New York +9 at Philadelphia
Miami +1.5 at Cleveland
Tennessee -7 vs. Denver
Detroit -3 at Minnesota
Carolina -3.5 vs. Jacksonville
San Diego -14.5 vs. Kansas City
Oakland +3 vs. New York Jets
Baltimore -5 at St. Louis
Tampa Bay +1.5 vs. Atlanta
Arizona -3.5 at Seattle
Green Bay -4 at Chicago
Pittsburgh -10.5 at Indianapolis
Washington +6 at Dallas
Last Week: 8-6-2
Season: 13-15-4
But I really have never witnessed anything in sport like the end of Mayweather/Ortiz. To sum it all up, the headbutt was one of the most blatant illegal blows I've seen. Ortiz left his feet to butt Floyd like he was trying to head in a corner kick. And for anyone who thought Ortiz was winning that round, um, please watch the replay for clarification. Just because a guy throws punches and the crowd is cheering doesn't mean he's scoring any blows. I think Ortiz realized after whiff number 48 in the corner that his only prayer was to resort to cheap shots, so he did. And that little choir boy act he pulled afterward didn't have me fooled. HOWEVER; that does not in any way excuse Floyd's conduct. Yes, time was back in. Yes, you are supposed to protect yourself at all times. But did you catch Floyd looking at Joe Cortez who for some reason not paying attention a la a special guest referee at Wrestlemania? It was then that Floyd decided to break a hug by landing a brutal one-two.
In a fight, when someone is hugging, like at the start of the 12th round, it is commonly understood that the fighters back away and then come forward. They don't start punching the second the hug is broken. Now, I thought the first punch, the left hook, was fair. I thought Floyd was trying to send a message. "You do some dirty crap like that headbutt and I'll do something right back." Fine, message received. But then Floyd through the right cross that ended the whole thing. Cheap shot. Not worse than the headbutt, but there was no reason for it. Floyd would have knocked Ortiz out in the latter rounds the way things were going, especially given Victor's chin and history of wearing down. But something clicked in Floyd. You could see it when he strutted back to his corner in victory. Then he put on the showman cap with his arm around Larry Merchant, and then again, that same visceral reaction came when Larry called him out. I am not a Larry Merchant fan. Those four second pauses are brutal when he speaks. And why does he always have one round a draw? Here is a typical Larry Merchant review in Round 8, "Jim . . . I have it . . . four rounds . . . to . . . three . . . with one round . . . a . . . draw." May I please have the last minute and five seconds of my life back?
In the end though, I finally understand Floyd. He is immature, angry, and has low self-esteem in the same way Terrell Owens does. He wants people to love him and it hurts him to no end when he isn't paid his respect the way he thinks it should be paid. So he acts out. He went from Pretty Boy Floyd to Money May. And it's not a wonder to see where his personality traits come from after watching his father over the years. So every fight Floyd does is good versus evil, even against a guy like De La Hoya, who I hope I don't have to justify not liking at this point.
The ultimate good versus evil fight will hopefully come against Pacquiao. I think it happens because of Floyd's legal bills, gambling habits, and spendthrift ways. And I will be betting on Floyd and rooting for him the same way I root for Scarface. Except Scarface wasn't the best defensive boxer of all time. Say goodbye to the bad guy (until May 2012 hopefully).
WEEK 3 PICKS
Cincinnati -3 over San Francisco
New England -7.5 at Buffalo
New Orleans -4 vs. Houston
New York +9 at Philadelphia
Miami +1.5 at Cleveland
Tennessee -7 vs. Denver
Detroit -3 at Minnesota
Carolina -3.5 vs. Jacksonville
San Diego -14.5 vs. Kansas City
Oakland +3 vs. New York Jets
Baltimore -5 at St. Louis
Tampa Bay +1.5 vs. Atlanta
Arizona -3.5 at Seattle
Green Bay -4 at Chicago
Pittsburgh -10.5 at Indianapolis
Washington +6 at Dallas
Last Week: 8-6-2
Season: 13-15-4
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