Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Who to blame for Mayweather KO4 Ortiz




Joe Maxse, Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Ortiz and his camp called them 'sucker punches,' but after butting Mayweather on purpose three times, with referee Joe Cortez taking a point away after the third violation, Ortiz should not have reverted to Mr. Nice Guy against a wounded opponent."

Thomas Hauser, The Sweet Science: "Legal or illegal, it was a sucker punch. ... Also, one can argue that, when Ortiz took the fight into the gutter with a flagrant foul, he was inviting an equally unsportsmanlike response. And let’s be honest. If the reverse had happened; if Mayweather had deliberately head-butted Ortiz and Victor responded with a sucker-punch knockout, many people would be saying today that Floyd got what he deserved."

Mike Coppinger, BoxingScene (via RingTV.com): "Victor Ortiz took the fight to the streets, and Floyd Mayweather finished it in the streets. That headbutt was one of the most egregious fouls I've seen in a long time, and Floyd's supposed to be happy about it?"

Michael Woods, The Sweet Science: "If we're parceling out blame, Cortez has to receive the lion's share, because he is there to keep order. When in the fog of war, when emotions boil over during a stressful time, the ref has to be the voice of reason, the person to keep order. Cortez didn't. He was neither firm, nor fair, he was flawed."

Ron Borges, Boston Herald: "The heavily pro-Ortiz crowd booed, but their man had gotten what he asked for and what he deserved. He tried to make it a street fight and when it turned into one it didn’t last for long."

Doug Fischer, RingTV.com: "...both fighters behaved unprofessionally and the manner in which the fight ended was bad for the sport."

Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press: "If Mayweather deserves criticism it’s probably not for the two punches that ended the fight prematurely. He didn’t need to berate HBO’s Larry Merchant in the post-fight interview in the ring, which the 80-year-old responded to by saying he would beat up Mayweather himself if he was 50 years younger. And he didn’t need to press his claim that Pacquiao uses steroids when there is no evidence to indicate Pacquiao does anything other than train well and fight even better."

Tim Smith, New York Daily News: "But the real sucker in this was Ortiz, who should have realized you can't deliberately foul someone and a few seconds later think they're going to bring you a bouquet of roses. Not in boxing."

George Willis, New York Post: "Ortiz went overboard in seeking forgiveness. He first kissed Mayweather on the cheek and then was slow to defend himself after referee Joe Cortez let the two fighters engage after taking the point away."

David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press: "Maybe Victor Ortiz should’ve played within the rules, because the one thing he said Floyd Mayweather was, in pre-fight build-up, was a dirty fighter. The way Mayweather dealt with Ortiz’s own dirty tactics showed, at least, that he knows how to deal with them."

Bryan Armen Graham, Sports Illustrated: "Always protect yourself. It's the first rule of boxing. And one that Victor Ortiz picked the wrong time to forget Saturday against Floyd Mayweather."

Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times: "The fight was over. What Mayweather had done was basically legal. The fight was back on and the niceties were over. Mayweather was the more experienced fighter. He has lived through the wars and knew that when there is an advantage, you take it."

Ryan Maquinana, BoxingScene.com: "Well, let’s get two things straight. The two punches were legal, and Victor Ortiz has only himself to blame for being unprepared for them, regardless of Joe Cortez’s best efforts to ruin another televised fight by turning a blind eye to the action. ... But in the whole grand scheme of things, Mayweather robbed himself of a chance to really silence his detractors on Saturday. Rather than leaving no doubt by dominating Ortiz without controversy, he opened himself up for criticism and debate from the general public about whether or not what he did was ethical."