Victor Ortiz had to learn the hard way against Floyd Mayweather Jr. how important it is to always protect yourself in the boxing arena. The two squared up in 2011 as Mayweather attempted to defend his WBC welterweight world championship.
From the outset, Mayweather’s dominance was evident. He swiftly built an early lead, showcasing his exceptional skills in the ring. But in a surprising turn, Ortiz managed to connect with a significant shot in round four. This momentarily pushed Mayweather against the ropes. Seizing the opportunity, Ortiz unleashed a flurry of punches.
Amidst the intense exchange, frustration led Ortiz to commit a critical error. He lunged forward and headbutted Mayweather, which is an illegal move in boxing.
Although Ortiz has later said that Mayweather’s elbowing him in earlier rounds was the reason for his increasing annoyance, this is still not permitted in a boxing arena.
In order to show the judges that Ortiz should lose a point, the referee grabbed his hand and led him around the ring.
After being head butted by Victor Ortiz, Floyd Mayweather Knocks him TF out as he tried to hug it out with Floyd
"Protect yourself at all times" pic.twitter.com/3pF8uJkpFx
— GMAN (@GmaneBoxing) June 13, 2022
With regret evident on his face, Ortiz moved to hug Mayweather and offer his apology. But before he could raise his hands once again, Mayweather delivered a left hook-right combo.
Ortiz was taken aback by this and instantly fell to the ground.
With just a second remaining in the fourth round, the bout was declared a no-contest despite his valiant effort to stand up again.
Following the bout, Mayweather emphasized the critical lesson of self-protection in the ring. He said to HBO’s Larry Merchant: “In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times. After it happened, we touched gloves and we were back to fighting and then I threw the left hook and right hand after the break. You just gotta protect yourself at all times.”
Turning the tables on Merchant, Mayweather said: “I’m going to do you a favour and let you talk to Victor Ortiz, because you’ve never given me a fair shake. You ain’t s***.”
Merchant then clapped back by saying: “If I was 50 years younger, I would kick your a*s.”
Regarding the match, Ortiz had the following to say: “I took a break by the referee and I obeyed exactly what I was told. And then, boom, he blindsided me. I’m not a dirty fighter and I apologize for the head-butt. I came to entertain the fans and I think they were entertained. There was a miscommunication with the referee, and neither he nor I are perfect.”
In any case, Mayweather kept his perfect record and held it for the remainder of his career. In 2017, Mayweather announced his retirement from professional boxing, having amassed a 50-0 record. Mayweather had wins over Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, and a lucrative crossover matchup with Conor McGregor.