By Jackie Kallen
Disappointed is not a strong enough word. Disgusted, maybe. Even repulsed has a nice ring to it. I can’t believe what I saw tonight and I feel sorry for the people who paid big bucks to witness this fiasco. Not to mention the bettors who actually thought they had a fair shot at an Ortiz upset.
Photo: Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos
I had hoped for a good fight. As a matter or fact, all of us boxing fans were banking on an exciting match. Not that too many fans gave Ortiz much of a chance. But we all wanted to see him give it a game effort
I have some serious gripes about the Mayweather/Ortiz debacle. First of all, I was pretty appalled when Ortiz deliberately head-butted Mayweather, cutting his mouth. There was absolutely no reason for such a blatant foul. It was too obvious to deny, although that’s exactly what Ortiz did later.
Even the most uninformed boxing fan knows that Mayweather is not the type of guy to accept such a cheap act without retaliating. You could see it in his eyes. He was not going to let Ortiz get away with it.
As soon as Ortiz realized that his action caused him to lose a point, he tried to lovingly apologize. (Yes, I used the word “lovingly” in a boxing article.) It almost looked like he wanted to kiss and make up. He went from wantonly vicious to serenely contrite in a split second.
Then, after referee Joe Cortez, stopped the action to deduct a point from Ortiz, Cortez looked casually away as Mayweather, seizing the opportunity, walked over and flattened Ortiz. It may not have been very sportsmanlike, but the number one rule in boxing is: Protect Yourself At All Times. Someone should have taught that to Victor Ortiz. He was in a fight–not at the prom.
After the fight, Ortiz seemed happy and jubilant. He was smiling from ear to ear, no doubt thinking of ways to spend his $2 million dollar payday. He certainly did not have the demeanor of man who just lost the biggest fight of his career. He seemed to have no problem with Mayweather clocking him when his hands were down. His attitude was “Oh well, that’s boxing.”
All in all, it was another pathetic night for our sport. I have a feeling the only man happier than Floyd Mayweather was Dana White.
Jackie Kallen is a boxing manager who has been in the business for over three decades. Her life inspired the Meg Ryan film “Against the Ropes” and she was a part of the NBC series “The Contender.” www.JackieKallen.com, www.facebook.com/JackieKallen
