By Mel "Sabaka" Ohlhoft
Welterweight contender Victor Ortiz is claiming that referee Joe Cortez did nothing to prevent Floyd Mayweather Jr. from using his elbows in last Saturday's fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Ortiz claims the elbows by Mayweather, and Cortez not issuing any warnings, led to his intentional headbutt in the fourth round. Ortiz lost a point and gave Mayweather a hug to apologize. As he was moving away from the hug, with his hands down, Mayweather landed two punches which knocked Ortiz out. Ortiz is claiming Cortez never advised him to resume fighting.
"I did the headbutt, but only because I told Cortez, twice, that [Mayweather] used the elbow on my eyebrow, my right eyebrow. I told him 'Cortez, Cortez, elbow, elbow' and he said 'fight out of it' and Mayweather was smiling at me and I said 'alright, boom.' But after that I apologized and lost a point," Ortiz told Marcus Chekhanovskiy.