Victor Ortiz vs Floyd Mayweather Recap
Keep your guard up at all times!!! This was warming up to being a great bout, until a slightly anti-climatic and highly controversial finish in the fourth round in favor of the champ.


I was very excited going into this fight because this had the potential to be a real war. The first couple of rounds were pretty typical, both fighters testing the waters. Ortiz was definitely trying to do some damage, but not rushing or taking any unnecessary chances. Mayweather doing what he does best: not being there. Mayweather  spent the first three rounds doing a great job of moving, dodging and jamming up any major blows from Ortiz. Ortiz's jab couldn't seem to find it's way around Mayweather's leading elbow and he had no answer for the heavy rights from the defending champion. This was the story of the first three rounds.

In the fourth round, both fighters came out swinging. They took turns stealing the momentum and pushing the other up on the ropes with flurries and combos. Crowd on their feet, this round was insane. Ortiz seemed to be taking more damage but never stopped moving forward. Mayweather was even pinned up on the ropes at one point, but simply smiled at Ortiz and shrugged him off. Seeming a bit frustrated, Ortiz hit hard with a blatant headbutt in the corner. He would later claim that it was accidental, but I watched the replay several times and it seemed pretty intentional to me. And to the referee. After a quick break (and a suspicious amount of apologies from Ortiz) the fight was back on. Now as I said I've watched this fight over a few times now and this is where the controversy really happens. Headbutts and other dirty tactics are going to happen in a fight of this caliber. The more there is on the line, the crazier things will get. That's normal.

So the fight's back on. At least that's what the ref called for. The two meet in the middle of the ring, Ortiz coming in for another apologetic hug and Mayweather with his hands up. Again, I've watched this a few times and the champ clearly has his hands up and isn't participating in the bromance. I understand that Ortiz was being a gentleman, but the rules state that you should be defending yourself at all times. After the hug, the challenger steps back with his hands down and get instantly tagged with a jab. First mistake and he got caught. Second mistake: he looks at the ref (who called for the fight to resume), hands still down. A strong right from the champ puts Ortiz on his back and he fails to answer the count. Fight's over.

Now obviously that's a bit of a disappointing finish to a fight that was a round or two away from blowing the roof off the arena, but when you're fighting one of the best to ever do it, DON'T DROP YOUR GUARD. I'm a big fan of Ortiz, but I just wish his focus didn't slip up right there. As a fan, I would have liked a more honest or exciting finish, but I have no problem with Mayweather defending his belt this way. Win at all costs. Ortiz started the dirty game with the headbutt anyway. The champ just didn't want to give him any mercy after that, nor should he. I love the sport and I'm a fan of both these guys and I have no beef with how this went down. That being said, I would love to see a rematch. 

@jordanbill