In 2011, Floyd Mayweather entered the WBC welterweight championship match with opponent Victor Ortiz and won by knockout. However, this match became a “stain” in the career of the American boxing legend.
At the end of the fourth round, Ortiz played “head-to-head” with Mayweather, forcing the referee to pause the match. As soon as he resumed, this boxer stepped forward and raised his hand with the intention of touching gloves with Mayweather (a friendly procedure often seen in boxing matches).
However, instead of touching gloves, “lone and defeated” responded with two heavy punches. Ortiz collapsed to the floor, the referee ruled Mayweather won, and the audience at the MGM Grand arena (Las Vegas, USA) continuously booed and whistled to protest the decision.
The fascinating climax appeared in the post-match interview between Mayweather and Larry Merchant – a sports commentator who had turned 80 at that time. Instead of praising the boxer nicknamed “Lonely and Defeated”, Larry Merchant suddenly questioned him about his “dirty” victory.
“When you’re in the ring, you have to know how to protect yourself. He (Ortiz) also played dirty. We’re not standing here to discuss how dirty Ortiz or I are. I’m the winner. If he wants , I’m ready to fight again,” Mayweather responded.
Continuously being questioned by Merchant, the American legend could no longer keep calm and raised his voice: “You don’t think anything good about me, so I’ll let you talk to Ortiz, okay? Television should arrange for someone else to interview me and fire you. You don’t know anything about boxing, you’re nothing!”
Not the average person, Merchant eloquently declared: “I wish I was 50 years younger to give you a fight” and left with a satisfied smile.
Until now, Floyd Mayweather has been famous for his calm demeanor, rarely affected by provocative statements but quietly responding with performances on the ring.
More interestingly, this is not the only time Merchant “shamed” Mayweather. In 2017, he also sarcastically said, “Being alone, seeking defeat” after he defeated Conor McGregor and reached the milestone of 50 victories. According to this expert, the victory of “Lonely and Defeated” was not glorious because the opponent was not a professional boxer.
“Mayweather’s career was extremely fulfilling when he reached the milestone of 50 victories, against an opponent who was an amateur boxer. I don’t think anyone would remember Mayweather if a young boxer stepped up to compete with him. We need boxers who know how to really fight, not boxers who only know about money.”
