Mayweather V. Ortiz
- Thread starter dookie1
- Start date
so I guess Oscar & Victor are/were doing some type of press conference. Here are some twitter notes:
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz & Co. saying they want Pacquiao if they can't get a rematch with Floyd. And manager says they have no real interest in Berto again.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz insisting that Mayweather hits like a girl. Strong girl.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz & Co. can complain all they want about Floyd's elbows but what about Ortiz's head butts and rabbit punches? #j
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Ortiz is accusing Mayweather and Cortez of being friends. Reality has apparently been suspended.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz is essentially saying that Joe Cortez is a friend of Mayweather. We have officially left orbit.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
This is like listening to one of those "talk shows" on WWE.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Oscar berating Cortez. "He was not fair or fim."
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Oscar says: "Victor was pinning Floyd against the ropes." Oscar doesn't add: "With his head."
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Next time Cortez refs a big fight, Victor Ortiz is going to sneak into the ring and hit him from behind with a folding steel chair.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Not sure who is responsible, but whoever had the idea for this horrific call made one of the worst PR decisions in the history of the world.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz: "I was dictating the fight."
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
This conference call was one of the worst ideas in the history of ideas
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Victor: "I was not behind. I was dictating and laying the pace of the fight." Oh dear.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
I'm not surprised that Richard Schaefer is not on this call. He has more class than to associate himself with this mess. #boxing
Gabriel_Montoya Gabriel Montoya™
@danrafaelespn more spin than a merry-go-round
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
I'd rather watch the Holyfield-Sherman Williams PPV again than listen to more of this pathetic call with Victor and Oscar. #forreal
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Ortiz' manager cursing about the Nevada commission and Keith Kizer. This is sad to hear. #boxing
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
These guys are not in the same reality as the rest of humanity.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz: "Floyd clearly started how the street fight began." YEAH RIGHT.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Oscar De La Hoya says not even Mayorga or Fernando Vargas would have hit Ortiz with that kind of cheap shot.
fighthype FIGHTHYPE.COM
The hook didn't hurt me, says Ortiz. Compares it to a girl slapping him.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Arrelano actually said, if Mayweather passes, there were bigger fights out there for Ortiz than Berto. WHO?
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Call is over. Now De La Hoya, Ortiz and Arrelano can hop in Bill and Ted's phone booth and transport back to the land of Narnia.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz & Co. saying they want Pacquiao if they can't get a rematch with Floyd. And manager says they have no real interest in Berto again.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz insisting that Mayweather hits like a girl. Strong girl.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz & Co. can complain all they want about Floyd's elbows but what about Ortiz's head butts and rabbit punches? #j
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Ortiz is accusing Mayweather and Cortez of being friends. Reality has apparently been suspended.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz is essentially saying that Joe Cortez is a friend of Mayweather. We have officially left orbit.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
This is like listening to one of those "talk shows" on WWE.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Oscar berating Cortez. "He was not fair or fim."
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Oscar says: "Victor was pinning Floyd against the ropes." Oscar doesn't add: "With his head."
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Next time Cortez refs a big fight, Victor Ortiz is going to sneak into the ring and hit him from behind with a folding steel chair.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Not sure who is responsible, but whoever had the idea for this horrific call made one of the worst PR decisions in the history of the world.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Ortiz: "I was dictating the fight."
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
This conference call was one of the worst ideas in the history of ideas
kieranmulvaney Kieran Mulvaney
Victor: "I was not behind. I was dictating and laying the pace of the fight." Oh dear.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
I'm not surprised that Richard Schaefer is not on this call. He has more class than to associate himself with this mess. #boxing
Gabriel_Montoya Gabriel Montoya™
@danrafaelespn more spin than a merry-go-round
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
I'd rather watch the Holyfield-Sherman Williams PPV again than listen to more of this pathetic call with Victor and Oscar. #forreal
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Now Ortiz' manager cursing about the Nevada commission and Keith Kizer. This is sad to hear. #boxing
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
These guys are not in the same reality as the rest of humanity.
danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
Ortiz: "Floyd clearly started how the street fight began." YEAH RIGHT.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Oscar De La Hoya says not even Mayorga or Fernando Vargas would have hit Ortiz with that kind of cheap shot.
fighthype FIGHTHYPE.COM
The hook didn't hurt me, says Ortiz. Compares it to a girl slapping him.
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Arrelano actually said, if Mayweather passes, there were bigger fights out there for Ortiz than Berto. WHO?
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix
Call is over. Now De La Hoya, Ortiz and Arrelano can hop in Bill and Ted's phone booth and transport back to the land of Narnia.
I'm losing more respect for Ortiz. Before this fight, I didn't have a problem with him at all and I didn't think Floyd could knock him out. He started the street fight and now is using every excuse in the book and trying to blame Floyd. He can't even get his lies straight.
What sport allows headbutts anyway? Usually headbutts call for immediate ejections.
What sport allows headbutts anyway? Usually headbutts call for immediate ejections.
floyd seen that cortez wasn't paying attention and took full advantage of the situation with that cheap knockout. its as clear as day that mayweather glances over at Cortez and sees him looking outside the ring and pointing toward the time keeper right BEFORE he throws that left hook.
Watch that .gif of the KO and you can see it for yourself. Straight bitch move.
Watch that .gif of the KO and you can see it for yourself. Straight bitch move.
Nope, I didn't see it like that bruh...
That was a straight street move, when the funk is on it's on. Ortiz was using his head as a weapon and paid for it (legally) all within the rules. Even the Nevada Athletic Commission came out and said it was legit, Floyd did nothing wrong. Floyd hit Ortiz after Cortez said "Let's go", not before and they had already touched gloves. What was Floyd supposed to wait for? Another hug, butt, and/or kiss?
That was a straight street move, when the funk is on it's on. Ortiz was using his head as a weapon and paid for it (legally) all within the rules. Even the Nevada Athletic Commission came out and said it was legit, Floyd did nothing wrong. Floyd hit Ortiz after Cortez said "Let's go", not before and they had already touched gloves. What was Floyd supposed to wait for? Another hug, butt, and/or kiss?
Leonard Ellerbe: "No rematch...Oscar's just jealous of the May-Per-View King"
"Oscar must be having a relapse and Victor Ortiz must still be sloppy drunk from when I saw him last Sunday night in the lobby of the MGM. It's understandable how crazy Ortiz sounds because he looks up to Oscar De La Hoya as a god. No rematch! There's no public outcry for a rematch because Floyd didn't do anything illegal...They all sound stupid and it's embarrassing to the sport of boxing that they would hold a conference call and look like a bunch of morons. It's no secret that Oscar is insanely jealous of Floyd's success. Floyd don't have no drinking problem, Floyd don't have no drug problem, Floyd don't wear fishnets, and Floyd don't have a number of kids out there that he doesn't claim. He's insanely jealous of Floyd's success with Floyd being the May-Per-View king of all time. Victor should be thankful because that's all he was talking about Sunday night when I saw him. He was just thankful for Floyd giving him the opportunity. That's what he was thanking me for when he was sloppy drunk," stated Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who responded to a recent conference call held by former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, and his manager, Rolando Arrelano, demanding a rematch of their 4th round knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather.
"Oscar must be having a relapse and Victor Ortiz must still be sloppy drunk from when I saw him last Sunday night in the lobby of the MGM. It's understandable how crazy Ortiz sounds because he looks up to Oscar De La Hoya as a god. No rematch! There's no public outcry for a rematch because Floyd didn't do anything illegal...They all sound stupid and it's embarrassing to the sport of boxing that they would hold a conference call and look like a bunch of morons. It's no secret that Oscar is insanely jealous of Floyd's success. Floyd don't have no drinking problem, Floyd don't have no drug problem, Floyd don't wear fishnets, and Floyd don't have a number of kids out there that he doesn't claim. He's insanely jealous of Floyd's success with Floyd being the May-Per-View king of all time. Victor should be thankful because that's all he was talking about Sunday night when I saw him. He was just thankful for Floyd giving him the opportunity. That's what he was thanking me for when he was sloppy drunk," stated Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who responded to a recent conference call held by former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, and his manager, Rolando Arrelano, demanding a rematch of their 4th round knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather.
so the referee says "lets go" and then wanders toward the timekeeper not paying attention to the fighters he gets paid to "referee" allowing one fighter to take full advantage of the situation with no worries about being "refereed" at that time and takes it to completely sucker punch the other fighter while the "referee" isn't truly doing his job?
Im fair but Im firm = LOL
Im fair but Im firm = LOL
http://www.boxing.com/not_fair_not_firm_joe_cortez_blows_it.html
“I’m fair but I’m firm.” It’s a particularly ironic signature when looked at through the lens of his most recent poor performance…
The winds have diminished from the perfect shit storm that was the finale of the Mayweather/Ortiz fight. Not so pretty Floyd has retired to the comforts of his luxurious Las Vegas mansion to nurse his busted lower lip. Not so vicious Victor has returned to Oxnard to rest his aching head and, presumably, bruised ego. And irate fans, who squandered sixty bucks on yet another fight that ended without a clean catharsis, have posted their reactions, pro and con, about what happened late Saturday night. I’ve looked over dozens of comments and, when the racism and name-calling and too-easy biases are removed, one thing stands clear—this fight did nothing good for boxing.
But the ultimate blame does not go to the fighters. Their actions were clear illustrations of character is fate.
Character issue 1: Floyd Mayweather’s love of his undefeated record, his win-at-all-costs attitude and perhaps even some doubts and fears propelled his arms forward when his opponent’s arms were down.
Character issue 2: Victor Ortiz’s questionable head had him head-butting his opponent in desperation, an unsportsmanlike act that was overcompensated by over-effusive kisses and mea-culpa hugs.
Character issue 3: Floyd Mayweather went off on the public, represented by Larry Merchant, in a tirade based on paranoid insecurity—all Mr. Merchant wanted was an honest interview and anyone that accuses Merchant of racism need only remember his tearful eulogy of the great Archie Moore and the respect he shows all fighters, black and white and Hispanic, who fight with heart.
Character issue 4: Victor Ortiz seemed happy when he emerged from semi-consciousness, claiming “stuff happens,” smiling a meek, apologetic smile without a hint of anger and without a trace of hunger, reminiscent of his quitting words against Marcos Maidana.
Both fighters behaved badly in their own ways. Still, if the Protect Yourself at All Times credo applies to every minute of a fight, then, at worst, Ortiz was stupidly remiss while Mayweather was unsportsmanlike and callous.
It’s a fighter’s job to protect himself from bodily harm, but it’s the referee’s job to protect the fighters from each other. A good referee will exert control when control is called for. And a good referee will remain in the background, unobtrusive, quiet and ideally invisible, when control is not called for. Joe Cortez failed on both counts.
In the good old days, which in the case of boxing were good, or at least better than the days today, referees were truly third men in the ring. They didn’t have signature moves. They didn’t have signature lines. But then too many referees jumped on the Mills Lane bandwagon, working hard to come up with a memorable tag like Lane’s now-famous Let’s get it on. Lane became bigger than his role and moved the referee’s role from invisible to visible. (That’s a trend in boxing these days. All the extras in a fight seem desperate for bit parts, at least, starring roles, at most. Take Michael Buffer and his patented Let’s get ready to rumble—is that really necessary? Why must everybody surrounding the fight force their signature on the fight? The answer is ego, pure and simple and pitiful.)
Enter Joe Cortez, who came up with the pre-fight line, I’m fair but I’m firm. It’s a particularly ironic signature when looked at through the lens of his most recent poor performance. Cortez was neither firm nor fair; instead he was weak and unfair, a derelict of a referee.
Let’s be very clear about what happened at the MGM arena on Saturday night:
Victor Ortiz, for whatever reason, blatantly head-butted Floyd Mayweather. Joe Cortez called time out. That was the right call. After an intentional foul, a good referee will separate the fighters, send them to neutral corners, stand in the center of the ring, signal to the judges that a point has been deducted, call time in, and then signal the fighters to come together and resume fighting. That is standard practice and the routine every boxing fan knows.
But what did Cortez do?
He didn’t fully separate the fighters. He signaled that a point was deducted. He walked back to the vicinity where Floyd and Victor were standing face to face. He never made any clear indication to the timekeeper to start the clock running. And he never made a clear signal to the fighters to resume fighting. In fact, Cortez never placed himself between the fighters and he didn’t even look at them. Just as a fighter should protect himself at all times, a referee should protect the fighters in the ring at all times. Clearly, Joe Cortez was not doing his job.
The image we have of Joe Cortez at the precise moment when Mayweather delivers his sucker-punch combination is a man completely out of control. Where the hell is Joe Cortez looking? He’s not looking at the fighters. He’s not even looking in the direction of the fighters. His head is turned to the side, his eyes out of focus and perplexed. Cortez seems to be looking at someone past the ring apron—maybe a judge, maybe the timekeeper. When Cortez senses movement to his left, he turns to see Victor Ortiz laid out on the canvas. So what does this fair but firm man do? He starts counting. It’s his first reaction, but not the right reaction. He was derelict in his duties to exert control when needed and instead of remedying his action, he figured he’d count to 10 and, like a miracle, his problem would disappear.
Here’s Joe Cortez defending himself, “Everything was about why did Ortiz lower his guard? I called time in. Time was in. Why would he lower his guard again to apologize was to my surprise. That’s where inexperience fell in and Mayweather took advantage with his experience. He said ‘this is an opening for me. Nobody told him to put his hands down’ and he capitalized on it as a fighter.”
I called time in.
Time was in.
Can anybody say, The lady doth protest too much, methinks?
Joe Cortez blew it. By rights, this fight should have ended by disqualification. By rights, Joe Cortez should have been man enough to step up and say he’d made some mistakes. But instead he decided to take the coward’s way out, to not admit to his poor judgment, to defend himself with empty words. He puts blame on Ortiz. He echoes the first excuse he hears, which are Mayweather’s words about a fighter’s need to defend himself at all times. And then Cortez walks away from the fight without care, pretending he was right all along. oe Cortez was very present in the pre-fight instructions, savoring his moment of fame under those bright lights, enunciating his signature I’m fair but I’m firm nonsense, but when things became difficult in the ring, the spotlight stunned him. He was blinded by the moment and instead of grace under pressure he looked the fool.
Boxing has enough problems without the arbiters of order in the ring creating unnecessary chaos. Unfortunately, poor refereeing has become more norm, less exception. It’s only been a month since the last case of gross negligence by a third man in the ring. In the Joseph Agbeko vs. Abner Mares bout, Russell Mora refused to penalize Mares for repeated and blatant low blows, which cost Agbeko his bantamweight title. Like Cortez, Mora refused to acknowledge his mistakes. Even on the undercard of Mayweather/Ortiz we saw a premature stoppage in the Saul Alvarez vs. Alfonso Gomez bout. Gomez’s assessment of referee Wayne Hedgpeth was particularly sad because Gomez readily accepted his fate, stating, “I think the ref was looking for an opportunity to stop the fight. He hit me hard but I was okay. The ref asked me and I said I was fine. It is what it is. You take the opportunity. I wanted to go the distance, I wanted to continue.” Gomez was hurt, but he was still in the fight. So why did the referee stop the contest? Because Alvarez was supposed to win this fight and the referee, instead of being neutral, saw what he was supposed to see with biased eyes. Joe Cortez’s eyes, when they were open and focused, were also biased. Had Mayweather been sprawled on the canvas, one wonders if the fair but firm man would have started his 10-count, or if he would have paused to consider his next move more carefully.
I’d be curious to know whether the timekeeper for the Mayweather/Ortiz bout restarted his clock before Mayweather delivered his final two blows. I’m guessing he didn’t. But we’ll never know. Just as all the videos that show those final seconds have been removed from YouTube, lest controversy stay red hot, so too will the timekeeper’s truth be silenced. But we, the ones who watch boxing, should not be silent. Next time you’re ringside and Joe Cortez tells the crowd how fair and firm he is, let him know you’re not buying his line. Maybe then, he’ll work harder. Maybe then he’ll earn his pay. Maybe then a fight will end fairly under his watch.
Ironically, Dana White, president of the UFC, seems to be one of the few men who have publicly criticized Cortez. “You can’t blame the fighters. The ref is in there to stop that shit from happening! That is the worst reffing I’ve ever seen in boxing, ever. Boxers are always going after each other. The ref is in there to keep it safe, clean and from turning into a real fight.” It’s a sad day for boxing when an MMA guy calls out boxing for its “shit.” But White is right. Joe Cortez turned the beauty of boxing into something far less than beautiful. All in all, it was an ugly night.
What happened between Mayweather and Ortiz was a travesty. Ortiz should be angry because he didn’t get a fair shake. And Mayweather should be angry too. His victory is tainted. It’s not all about the money with Money May, no matter what he says. Had the referee done his job, had Mayweather continued to school the kid from Oxnard, Floyd Jr.’s undefeated record would not be shit stained.
Blame Joe Cortez.
“I’m fair but I’m firm.” It’s a particularly ironic signature when looked at through the lens of his most recent poor performance…
The winds have diminished from the perfect shit storm that was the finale of the Mayweather/Ortiz fight. Not so pretty Floyd has retired to the comforts of his luxurious Las Vegas mansion to nurse his busted lower lip. Not so vicious Victor has returned to Oxnard to rest his aching head and, presumably, bruised ego. And irate fans, who squandered sixty bucks on yet another fight that ended without a clean catharsis, have posted their reactions, pro and con, about what happened late Saturday night. I’ve looked over dozens of comments and, when the racism and name-calling and too-easy biases are removed, one thing stands clear—this fight did nothing good for boxing.
But the ultimate blame does not go to the fighters. Their actions were clear illustrations of character is fate.
Character issue 1: Floyd Mayweather’s love of his undefeated record, his win-at-all-costs attitude and perhaps even some doubts and fears propelled his arms forward when his opponent’s arms were down.
Character issue 2: Victor Ortiz’s questionable head had him head-butting his opponent in desperation, an unsportsmanlike act that was overcompensated by over-effusive kisses and mea-culpa hugs.
Character issue 3: Floyd Mayweather went off on the public, represented by Larry Merchant, in a tirade based on paranoid insecurity—all Mr. Merchant wanted was an honest interview and anyone that accuses Merchant of racism need only remember his tearful eulogy of the great Archie Moore and the respect he shows all fighters, black and white and Hispanic, who fight with heart.
Character issue 4: Victor Ortiz seemed happy when he emerged from semi-consciousness, claiming “stuff happens,” smiling a meek, apologetic smile without a hint of anger and without a trace of hunger, reminiscent of his quitting words against Marcos Maidana.
Both fighters behaved badly in their own ways. Still, if the Protect Yourself at All Times credo applies to every minute of a fight, then, at worst, Ortiz was stupidly remiss while Mayweather was unsportsmanlike and callous.
It’s a fighter’s job to protect himself from bodily harm, but it’s the referee’s job to protect the fighters from each other. A good referee will exert control when control is called for. And a good referee will remain in the background, unobtrusive, quiet and ideally invisible, when control is not called for. Joe Cortez failed on both counts.
In the good old days, which in the case of boxing were good, or at least better than the days today, referees were truly third men in the ring. They didn’t have signature moves. They didn’t have signature lines. But then too many referees jumped on the Mills Lane bandwagon, working hard to come up with a memorable tag like Lane’s now-famous Let’s get it on. Lane became bigger than his role and moved the referee’s role from invisible to visible. (That’s a trend in boxing these days. All the extras in a fight seem desperate for bit parts, at least, starring roles, at most. Take Michael Buffer and his patented Let’s get ready to rumble—is that really necessary? Why must everybody surrounding the fight force their signature on the fight? The answer is ego, pure and simple and pitiful.)
Enter Joe Cortez, who came up with the pre-fight line, I’m fair but I’m firm. It’s a particularly ironic signature when looked at through the lens of his most recent poor performance. Cortez was neither firm nor fair; instead he was weak and unfair, a derelict of a referee.
Let’s be very clear about what happened at the MGM arena on Saturday night:
Victor Ortiz, for whatever reason, blatantly head-butted Floyd Mayweather. Joe Cortez called time out. That was the right call. After an intentional foul, a good referee will separate the fighters, send them to neutral corners, stand in the center of the ring, signal to the judges that a point has been deducted, call time in, and then signal the fighters to come together and resume fighting. That is standard practice and the routine every boxing fan knows.
But what did Cortez do?
He didn’t fully separate the fighters. He signaled that a point was deducted. He walked back to the vicinity where Floyd and Victor were standing face to face. He never made any clear indication to the timekeeper to start the clock running. And he never made a clear signal to the fighters to resume fighting. In fact, Cortez never placed himself between the fighters and he didn’t even look at them. Just as a fighter should protect himself at all times, a referee should protect the fighters in the ring at all times. Clearly, Joe Cortez was not doing his job.
The image we have of Joe Cortez at the precise moment when Mayweather delivers his sucker-punch combination is a man completely out of control. Where the hell is Joe Cortez looking? He’s not looking at the fighters. He’s not even looking in the direction of the fighters. His head is turned to the side, his eyes out of focus and perplexed. Cortez seems to be looking at someone past the ring apron—maybe a judge, maybe the timekeeper. When Cortez senses movement to his left, he turns to see Victor Ortiz laid out on the canvas. So what does this fair but firm man do? He starts counting. It’s his first reaction, but not the right reaction. He was derelict in his duties to exert control when needed and instead of remedying his action, he figured he’d count to 10 and, like a miracle, his problem would disappear.
Here’s Joe Cortez defending himself, “Everything was about why did Ortiz lower his guard? I called time in. Time was in. Why would he lower his guard again to apologize was to my surprise. That’s where inexperience fell in and Mayweather took advantage with his experience. He said ‘this is an opening for me. Nobody told him to put his hands down’ and he capitalized on it as a fighter.”
I called time in.
Time was in.
Can anybody say, The lady doth protest too much, methinks?
Joe Cortez blew it. By rights, this fight should have ended by disqualification. By rights, Joe Cortez should have been man enough to step up and say he’d made some mistakes. But instead he decided to take the coward’s way out, to not admit to his poor judgment, to defend himself with empty words. He puts blame on Ortiz. He echoes the first excuse he hears, which are Mayweather’s words about a fighter’s need to defend himself at all times. And then Cortez walks away from the fight without care, pretending he was right all along. oe Cortez was very present in the pre-fight instructions, savoring his moment of fame under those bright lights, enunciating his signature I’m fair but I’m firm nonsense, but when things became difficult in the ring, the spotlight stunned him. He was blinded by the moment and instead of grace under pressure he looked the fool.
Boxing has enough problems without the arbiters of order in the ring creating unnecessary chaos. Unfortunately, poor refereeing has become more norm, less exception. It’s only been a month since the last case of gross negligence by a third man in the ring. In the Joseph Agbeko vs. Abner Mares bout, Russell Mora refused to penalize Mares for repeated and blatant low blows, which cost Agbeko his bantamweight title. Like Cortez, Mora refused to acknowledge his mistakes. Even on the undercard of Mayweather/Ortiz we saw a premature stoppage in the Saul Alvarez vs. Alfonso Gomez bout. Gomez’s assessment of referee Wayne Hedgpeth was particularly sad because Gomez readily accepted his fate, stating, “I think the ref was looking for an opportunity to stop the fight. He hit me hard but I was okay. The ref asked me and I said I was fine. It is what it is. You take the opportunity. I wanted to go the distance, I wanted to continue.” Gomez was hurt, but he was still in the fight. So why did the referee stop the contest? Because Alvarez was supposed to win this fight and the referee, instead of being neutral, saw what he was supposed to see with biased eyes. Joe Cortez’s eyes, when they were open and focused, were also biased. Had Mayweather been sprawled on the canvas, one wonders if the fair but firm man would have started his 10-count, or if he would have paused to consider his next move more carefully.
I’d be curious to know whether the timekeeper for the Mayweather/Ortiz bout restarted his clock before Mayweather delivered his final two blows. I’m guessing he didn’t. But we’ll never know. Just as all the videos that show those final seconds have been removed from YouTube, lest controversy stay red hot, so too will the timekeeper’s truth be silenced. But we, the ones who watch boxing, should not be silent. Next time you’re ringside and Joe Cortez tells the crowd how fair and firm he is, let him know you’re not buying his line. Maybe then, he’ll work harder. Maybe then he’ll earn his pay. Maybe then a fight will end fairly under his watch.
Ironically, Dana White, president of the UFC, seems to be one of the few men who have publicly criticized Cortez. “You can’t blame the fighters. The ref is in there to stop that shit from happening! That is the worst reffing I’ve ever seen in boxing, ever. Boxers are always going after each other. The ref is in there to keep it safe, clean and from turning into a real fight.” It’s a sad day for boxing when an MMA guy calls out boxing for its “shit.” But White is right. Joe Cortez turned the beauty of boxing into something far less than beautiful. All in all, it was an ugly night.
What happened between Mayweather and Ortiz was a travesty. Ortiz should be angry because he didn’t get a fair shake. And Mayweather should be angry too. His victory is tainted. It’s not all about the money with Money May, no matter what he says. Had the referee done his job, had Mayweather continued to school the kid from Oxnard, Floyd Jr.’s undefeated record would not be shit stained.
Blame Joe Cortez.
this was expected guys, this was my post the day cortez was announced ref:
It's over now. Floyd did a legal sucker punch. 100% legal. Cortez said "lets go" but he wasn't totally clear to everyone. Ortiz had his hands down, looked away after hugging floyd yet again after he hugged him and kissed him on his cheek already prior. He was an idiot.
Two people to blame here - Ortiz and Cortez. Floyd, even if you feel it was a sucker punch, was 100% in the right. End of story, Ortiz blew his shot. We move on.
damn, joe cortez is the ref for floyd-ortiz. no inside fighting guaranteed. hopefully he doesn't ruin this fight
Two people to blame here - Ortiz and Cortez. Floyd, even if you feel it was a sucker punch, was 100% in the right. End of story, Ortiz blew his shot. We move on.
ortiz was dumb for pulling that unnecessary headbutt that wasn't needed in the first place because he was handling his own pretty well despite all the floyd nuthuggers claiming that floyd was dominating the fight. he was also dumb for not being aware of the situation in the first place and it cost him dearly...legal yes, only because of Cortez's shenanigans.
and we can blame Floyd for taking the suckers way out too. the fight is over, yes. still doesn't change the fact that Floyd is a bitch and does bitch things though. how anyone can stand behind a man like this boggles my mind.
and we can blame Floyd for taking the suckers way out too. the fight is over, yes. still doesn't change the fact that Floyd is a bitch and does bitch things though. how anyone can stand behind a man like this boggles my mind.