5 most controversial incidents involving Floyd Mayweather

#2 Floyd Mayweather's sucker punch against Victor Ortiz

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Victor Ortiz

Floyd Mayweather faced fellow American boxer Victor Ortiz for the WBC title at the iconic MGM arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2011.

The bout started with Mayweather bossing around Ortiz in the first few rounds. However, the tempo changed when Ortiz found some success in the fourth round and landed a few significant shots, cornering Mayweather.

@VICIOUSORTIZ vs @GHOSTBOXING Live Saturday Night undercard on @PBCONFOX Victor Ortiz gave Floyd Mayweather some trouble early on in 2011 before he lost his head. This would have been a good fight 8 years ago. Not sure why we never saw Victor Ortiz vs @Brandon_Rios1 #PacquiaoUgas pic.twitter.com/7tYpSJSeso

— Hamed (@HamedTGTBoxing) August 18, 2021

The urge to come up victorious must have been overwhelming for Victor Ortiz, who then deliberately headbutted Floyd Mayweather, busting open a cut. The referee intervened and warned Ortiz, while also giving him a 1-point deduction. However, as Ortiz proceeded to apologize to Mayweather and hug him, the latter caused another controversy.

As Ortiz began to separate with his hands to the side after apologizing, Mayweather sucker-punched him with a vicious left and then a quick right. The combination sent Ortiz straight to the ground and filled the arena with sounds of disbelief. As Ortiz could not beat the referee's count, Mayweather was announced the winner in the fourth round via KO.

While Floyd Mayweather extended his boxing record to 42-0 with the KO win, it marred his image even further in combat sports. He is remembered to this date, in a bad light, for his highly unsportsmanlike behavior.

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#1 Floyd Mayweather went on a rant against HBO broadcaster Larry Merchant

Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul

Moments after he knocked out Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand Arena, Floyd Mayweather was interviewed by HBO broadcaster Larry Merchant. While Mayweather had won the bout against Ortiz and was being propped up by his cornermen, Merchant chose to quiz him about the unsportsmanlike blow.

Floyd Mayweather tried to be politically correct, saying that it was a fair move. He stated that Victor Ortiz should have paid attention to the ''protect yourself at all times' rule. But Larry Merchant was having none of it. When he pressed Mayweather to answer his question honestly, 'Money' lost his temper and went on a rant against the HBO broadcaster.

Interrupting Merchant, Mayweather said during the interview that was being telecast on live TV:

"You never give me a fair shake. So I'm gonna let you talk to Victor Ortiz, alright? I'm through. They can put somebody else up here to give me an interview. HBO needs to fire you. You don't know s*** about boxing. You ain't s***."

The incident snowballed into a big controversy. But Mayweather defended his words against Larry Merchant and said that he didn't regret them.