On September 17, 2011, boxing fans eagerly awaited the WBC World Welterweight Title fight between Victor Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The fight was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions. The fight was broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View and saw Ortiz defending his WBC title for the first time.
The crowd of 14,687 at the MGM Grand produced a gate of $9 million, and the fight generated an impressive 1.25 million pay-per-view buys and $78.44 million in pay-per-view revenue. Mayweather was guaranteed $25 million plus a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue, while Ortiz was guaranteed $2 million. Mayweather eventually ended up making about $40 million.
The fight itself was marred by controversy. In the fourth round, Mayweather claimed that Ortiz headbutted him, resulting in a point deduction by referee Joe Cortez. Ortiz then attempted to apologize to Mayweather with a hug, but Mayweather took advantage of the moment and delivered a left-right combination that knocked Ortiz out cold.
After the fight, Ortiz claimed that he was hit by a punch before the referee had asked the fighters to continue. Mayweather, however, insisted that Ortiz should have protected himself at all times, stating "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."
The controversy surrounding the fight didn't end there, as it was revealed that Amir Khan had been hoping for a Mayweather victory in order to keep alive the prospect of a mega-fight between himself and Mayweather the following year. Khan's friend, Ortiz, was seen as a potential stumbling block in this plan.
Despite the controversy, Mayweather's victory over Ortiz secured him the WBC World Welterweight Title and added to his impressive record of 42 wins and 0 losses. Ortiz, on the other hand, suffered his third career loss and never regained the WBC title. The fight will always be remembered for its controversial ending, but it remains a significant moment in the careers of both fighters.
