"It met my expectation; experience definitely took over. That showed in the frustration that Victor Ortiz had when he literally launched himself into Floyd Mayweather's mouth. He launched his whole body, head first, into Floyd Mayweather's mouth. That was a part of frustration. He wasn't ready for the big time yet and Floyd exposed him and showed the world why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best fighter in the world today...Victor was looking for an easy way out. Maybe he was looking for them to disqualify Floyd, but that wasn't going to happen. Floyd was on his master A game. He won every round and frustrated him and took Victor completely out of his game," stated world-class trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad as he shared his thoughts on Floyd Mayweather's 4th round knockout of Victor Ortiz this past Saturday. Check it out!
PC: You told me a few months back that you looked forward to Mayweather's ring return more than anything in boxing. Did it meet your expectation and what are your thoughts on the way it ended?
EMM: It met my expectation; experience definitely took over. That showed in the frustration that Victor Ortiz had when he literally launched himself into Floyd Mayweather's mouth. He launched his whole body, head first, into Floyd Mayweather's mouth. That was a part of frustration. He wasn't ready for the big time yet and Floyd exposed him and showed the world why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best fighter in the world today.
PC: It's amazing how many people are calling the knockout foul and not even discussing the headbutt.
EMM: It's ridiculous. Listen, like you just said, nobody talks about the headbutt and it was an intentional headbutt. That wasn't accidental. That was intentional and Floyd didn't retaliate at all. In fact, they shook hands and embraced and Ortiz even gave Lil Floyd a little kiss to show Floyd that he didn't mean to do it. But during that whole procedure, Ortiz forgot the cardinal rule in this game and that is to protect yourself at all times.
PC: You told me that if anyone was to blame, you felt it was Joe Cortez who did a horrible job of handling the end of that fight. Can you elaborate?
EMM: That's exactly what I believe. I solely blame the incident on Joe Cortez. He is supposed to keep his eyes on the fighters at all times. The fighters aren't outside of the ring; they are in the ring. I'm around a lot of referees every day and they train in my gym and Joe Cortez, what he did was get distracted, and in my opinion, he lost full control of that fight and allowed Floyd to do what he do. And again, Floyd was just following the rules. He didn't hit him after the bell or while he was down. He gave the man a hug and then threw a left hook and then a right hand. But everything he did was to the rules. Floyd didn't break any rules.
PC: Even after he hit him with the left hand, he paused a good second or so before he threw the right hand and Ortiz never protected himself. When Zab Judah hit Floyd low and then followed by hitting him in the back of the head, Floyd had to protect himself until the ref came in to do his business because Zab was still swinging with bad intentions.
EMM: No doubt about it. Victor was looking for an easy way out. Maybe he was looking for them to disqualify Floyd, but that wasn't going to happen. Floyd was on his master A game. He won every round and frustrated him and took Victor completely out of his game. And then he hit him with the coup de grace.
PC: You mentioned Floyd winning every round, but Harold Ledderman actually gave Ortiz round 2. I didn't see that. I thought he performed better in that round, but far from winning it.
EMM: Well, you know, it is what it is. I think they have something against Floyd, and you know it's good for a reality TV series (laughing). But I would pay anything to see Larry Merchant get those 50 years back and fight Floyd. I would pay top dollar for that (laughing).
PC: I don't think Larry Merchant was doing it when you were fighting, but you have seen him interview your fighters and guys you are close to. What's your take on what Floyd said to him?
EMM: Let me tell you something, Floyd said what he had to say and it was long overdue. Larry has pissed a lot of fighters off. But this is boxing and anything goes. For him to say if he was 50 years younger that he would kick Floyd's ass...like I said, I would pay top dollar to see that. But this is what HBO pays Larry Merchant to say. Listen, if Larry Merchant got fired tomorrow from HBO, we would all miss his fucked up comments. This is boxing and anything goes in boxing, even in the commentary. But everybody is entitled to their own opinion; even the commentators.
PC: Looking past the way the fight ended and the post-fight stuff, what did you think of the actual fight? Do you feel as though the layoff was not even a factor?
EMM: Let me tell you something, Floyd is an athlete. That's what he lives by. You will never see Floyd completely out of shape. If he is not in the gym, he is playing basketball or running. You will never catch him out of shape. He is the consummate professional. I have been knowing Floyd for a long time and I have always been impressed by the way he treats his body and by the way he trains. I mean, he goes above and beyond the call of training and he works hard. You saw on Saturday night how that all paid off. He never missed a beat in the 26 months out of the ring.
PC: That may have worked out better for Ortiz because it was starting to get a little ugly, and who knows what could have happened to him in another 6, 7 or 8 rounds. He was starting to get busted up.
EMM: Without a doubt because Floyd was getting stronger, he was putting his punches together, and the lead right was more like a jab. Floyd was hitting him at will with the lead right hand. You know, you gotta give Victor a lot of credit, he is a tough guy, but when it comes to experience, know-how, and how to adjust to a fight, Floyd has all of that in his repertoire. He is just a complete fighter and that's why he is the best fighter in the world today.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]