Says who?!

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I don’t follow boxing.  I never have, not past the parties my parents would throw for huge PPV bouts when I was a kid.  So, no, I’m absolutely not an expert.  But, I don’t have to be an expert to understand the rules.

If I happen to catch something random when I’m channel surfing (which would be next to never), I may watch for a little while.  I’ll catch MAYBE one PPV per year.  Last night’s Mayweather vs. Ortiz “debacle” may be my one for the year.  Truthfully, I don’t have a whole lot to say aside from WOW.  Boxing has long been tagged a “dying sport.”  Perhaps.  Yet, there is no doubting that there are still scads of fans out there, many of whom are very adamant and vocal about the “bullshit” they witnessed last night.  

What am I talking about?  If you weren’t watching and have avoided all boxing/combat sports reporting in the past 18 hours, here is a very basic recap:  In the fourth round, Victor Ortiz illegally headbutted Floyd Mayweather.  Referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight, penalized Ortiz, and let the action resume.  Cortez looked away, Ortiz approached Mayweather to offer an apology,  and Mayweather appeared to momentarily roll with it.. Until Ortiz backed away with his hands down and fell victim to a left hand, a right hand, and – very quickly – the mat.  Unable to recover and stand under his own power within the 10-count he was given, Ortiz lost the bout.  Here is a clip of the action (apologies if it’s been pulled from YouTube by the time you’re reading this).

I’m not touching on the racism accusations I saw among boxing fans.  I’m also not going to spend my evening doing homework on Mayweather.  I’ve gathered over time that he’s not the most loved, nor the most respected.  I’ve also gathered that he’s currently undefeated – no small feat in any sport.  Admittedly, I’ve never been a fan of the “heel” characters in any sport.  The fact remains:  I don’t have to be okay with his attitude, but I do have to be okay with his victory.  At the end of the day, the referee had told them to resume fighting.  Rules are rules, and when you choose to not defend yourself (for any reason), you run the risk of suffering the consequences – yes, even at the hands of someone playing the heel.

Unfortunately for those of you that don’t agree with the result of the fight, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles.   I feel your annoyance, I can see where you’d be compelled to scream “THAT’S NOT FAIR!!! HIS HANDS WERE DOWN! HE SUCKERPUNCHED HIM!”  But I’m sorry to say, you’re wrong.  When your hands are down, it doesn’t automatically make a fist meeting your face a “sucker punch.”  They’re fighters, fighting one another – it’s their job.  When your job is to GO when someone tells you “GO!”, you’d be well served to follow that very instruction.  They’re professionals doing a job and they’re very explicitly given instructions prior to fighting.  Most importantly, as we’ve all heard so many times before, is that you must protect yourself at all times.  What happens when you don’t?  You lose.  Fairly and squarely.  Cue what should quite possibly be Mayweather’s song of the week.

Yes, I’m prepared to get some angry opposition and some adamant agreemnt to this post.  I welcome it.  Please feel free to post your comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.