(ThyBlackMan.com) The boxing ring has been home to many of sports history’s more controversial moments, some simply bad and others downright scandalous. Probably the most infamous occurrence in recent memory was Mike Tyson’s biting off of Evander Holyfield’s ear. Maybe some remember the shooting of Tupac Shakur after a Tyson fight in September of 1996. But whatever moment sticks out in your mind for controversy, Mayweather/Ortiz surely gave it a run for its money last night. And for all the boxing fanatics like me out there, that pun was absolutely intended.
First, let’s assume a few things. Let’s assume the fight wasn’t fixed; that Floyd didn’t pay off Joe Cortez to essentially render a young, wide eyed fighter defenseless by not making a more demonstrative call for time in. Let’s 
assume that Floyd was simply indignant about that unprovoked head butt and retaliated by taking advantage of an opportunity to exact revenge; eye for an eye. Lastly, let’s assume that Ortiz, who easily made more from this fight than any other, wasn’t in on a fix; that he was truly knocked out cold by a left-right combination that he wasn’t prepared for. After all, anyone who’s ever been sucker punched or caught off guard will probably confirm the old adage: It’s the one you don’t see coming that gets you out of there.
Now that all of the assumptions are out of the way, here’s what I believe happened last night, and what lesson should be learned or, as it were, re-learned.
Ortiz’ head-butt was inexplicable. Whether he was caught in the moment or not, fouls like the one he committed usually happen as a result of dirty fighting by the opponent. What makes it even more weird is that Ortiz tried so hard to sell everyone on his squeaky clean, All Mexican-American personality; a personality that would surely fight a squeaky clean fight no matter what. If anything, perhaps Ortiz had a bit of an identity crisis in the middle of the biggest fight of his career. He tried to be the good guy, then the bad guy, then the extra good guy after he made a dirty play.
Now, this is boxing. The point is to stop or outpoint your opponent. Consequently, inside the ring, there is no room for politeness. In fact, there’s barely room enough for sportsmanship. It’s war. A fighter is and should be completely aware and prepared to trade. The referee is neutral, and therefore should never be acknowledged unless he inserts himself in the action, presumably to break or officiate as he sees fit. But if the ref is standing off to the side, talking to someone at ringside, the responsibility still falls on the fighter to be ready for anything. Again, this is boxing. You are in a fight. Someone is trying to hurt you, to knock you out. Why wouldn’t you be on terror alert level red until your opponent or the fight itself has been stopped? Probably because you’re a really nice guy. And you’re just trying to play it straight up.
What Floyd did was cheap, no doubt. It was a classic sucker punch. But according to Joe Cortez, time was in and the punches were legal. Victor Ortiz broke a cardinal rule; one that has been repeated so many times in the last 24 hours that I wouldn’t dare force your eyes to read it again. If you need a clue as to what rule I’m referring, reread the previous paragraph very carefully. I promise you’ll get it.
Still, the young champion, from his dastardly head-butt to his incredibly desperate attempt to apologize and subsequent mistake of paying more attention to the ref than to a man who Ortiz himself has repeatedly described as a less than respectable guy, went from one extreme to another. He failed to maintain an aggressive balance and paid dearly for it. He had his moment and it appears to have been too large for him.
Ultimately, assuming we all weren’t bamboozled, what happened in Las Vegas last night was an experienced fighter, maybe one who (though he was easily winning on points) sensed he was in real danger of being hurt, taking advantage of a naïve yet stand-up kind of guy.
In life, we hear all the time that nice guys finish last. I believe this to be particularly true in America. Furthermore, in boxing, and perhaps all sports, one should never lose perspective while competing. Victor Ortiz, in all of his hungry ambition, seems to have forgotten that you don’t kiss and make up until after the fight. And so in his case, the nice guy not only finished last, he also finished flat on his back.
Staff Writer; Jeremy Tate
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