Being Too Nice Cost Victor Ortiz the Fight

It turns out that the immediate downfall of Victor Ortiz against Floyd Mayweather Jr. was his kind heart. Ortiz lost to Mayweather Jr. by knockout in the fourth round of Saturday’s bout in Las Vegas that featured a controversial finish.

Ortiz had Mayweather against the ropes after throwing a flurry of punches, but he lost his mind at one point and hit Floyd with an illegal headbutt. Ortiz immediately felt badly about committing the dirty foul and he went to kiss and hug Mayweather. He then touched gloves with Floyd after being separated by the referee as a way of saying “I’m sorry.”

Then, after referee Joe Cortez had restarted the round, Ortiz approached Mayweather to give him another hug. Floyd wanted no part of the kind gesture and hit Ortiz with a left and a right that knocked him out for the fight. Victor was stunned after taking the first shot and looked at the referee as if to say, “what’s going on?” Joe Cortez had his back turned to the fighters and missed Floyd’s cheap shots. He only returned his attention to the fighters after Ortiz was being counted out.

Mayweather improved to 42-0 in one of the most pathetic knockouts of his career. I don’t consider this a win for his career but rather a loss for his legacy. He’s so protective of his most coveted asset — not money, nor cars, nor jewelry — but his undefeated record, that he’ll stoop to any level to ensure it remains unblemished. Now, the man who complained about never getting his just due, has lost my respect for good. That’s not an honorable way to win a fight.