Ortiz: Mayweather threw ’16 or 17′ illegal elbows in 2011 fight
Ortiz says Mayweather made many illegal shots on him during their 2011 fight. Mayweather controversially knocked out Ortiz as he was holding out his hands in apology for a headbutt against Mayweather. Ortiz says he resorted to the headbutt because Mayweather was continually striking him with illegal elbows.
You can’t elbow unless you are Mayweather. I think on both parts we both had a lot of mistakes taking place. He was hitting me with his elbows. I took a lot of them. I took I believe 16 or 17. I kept telling (referee) Cortez, ‘Hey Cortez, elbow, elbow.’ (He just said) ‘Keep fighting Ortiz, keep fighting Ortiz…(I was) trying but then it got to the point where I felt like I was seeing double out of one eye and I think that’s your retina when that is happening. The other eye was starting to swell, not from the punch. He (elbowed) and got away with it. I think what I did was wrong, I headbutted. I ended up paying ugly.
Mayweather beats Ortiz by KO
Mayweather and Ortiz fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather wins the first three rounds, but in the fourth round Ortiz lands a few shots before intentionally headbutting Mayweather in the face, opening a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather’s mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately calls a timeout and docks Ortiz a point for the foul. After the fighters touch gloves and briefly hug, Mayweather immediately catches Ortiz with a left hook before he puts his hands up. Stunned by the punch, and still not raising his hands to defend himself, Ortiz looks to the referee. Mayweather then hits Ortiz with a flush right to the face. Ortiz falls to the canvas, and Mayweather is declared the winner. This is Mayweather’s final knockout in any fight. Mayweather:
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.