A few months ago, news emerged: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz would fight again. The date and venue—August 24, Mexico City. But the much-anticipated rematch never saw the light of day. Instead, Mayweather Jr. will now face John Gotti III. The date and venue of their rematch remain the same. Per some available reports, Victor Ortiz will be facing Rodrigo Damian Coria on the fight card. Nevertheless, the news report saw Victor Ortiz back in the headlines. The former welterweight champion last fought two years ago.

Coincidentally, next month, September 17, will be the thirteenth anniversary of that famous fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz. This fight is etched in boxing history for its controversial ending. As he sat reminiscing about those days, ‘Vicious’ revealed one of the relatively unknown snippets from the ill-famed encounter. He shared how its impact extended beyond the ring.

In an extensive interview, Victor Ortiz took DJ Vlad through the entire incident that unfolded at the MGM Grand Arena. Ortiz, it seems, disagrees with the common narrative that Mayweather Jr. had taken the lead in the first three rounds. He kept on applying pressure, especially in the third round, which forced ‘The Money’ onto the backfoot.

Then came the fourth round, which was marred by the infamous head-butting incident. Victor Ortiz began on a strong note, pushing Mayweather Jr. back to the corner. But all of a sudden came the headbutt. It caused a nasty cut on Mayweather Jr.’s mouth. As a result, the referee deducted a point from Ortiz’s after calling a timeout. Accepting his lapse in judgment, ‘Vicious’ reached out to Mayweather Jr., hugging and kissing him. DJ Vlad joked that it was probably the only time anyone had ever kissed Mayweather Jr. in a ring.

Victor Ortiz said, “It is what it is… I’m, uh, I’m not a bad person, you know. I think that’s where it showed my heart caught up to me, man, and I paid for it.” The next stage of the incident followed. After the referee instructed him to resume the fight, Ortiz, still eager to make amends, attempted to hug ‘The Money’ again.

As they separated, Ortiz’s hands were down. Finding an opportunity there, Mayweather Jr. launched a left hook, taking the Garden City-born southpaw by surprise. Not done, the Olympic bronze medalist quickly followed with a straight right that dropped Ortiz on the canvas. Completely stunned; Ortiz couldn’t beat the count.

Victor Ortiz: The Cost of Controversy

So according to Victor Ortiz, the referee never gave the command to ‘box’ after he headbutted Floyd Mayweather Jr. DJ Vlad recalled the two-punch combination. ‘Vicious’ said, “Now if it would have been me hitting him with a two-piece during a break, best believe I’d be hearing about it, and best believe after that fight I got sued too. I had to go against Floyd in the court of law after that fight…he sued me for headbutting him.”

In many ways, Victor Ortiz never fully recovered from that loss. He suffered defeats in the next two matches as well. It prompted his promoter at the time, Oscar De La Hoya, to suggest retirement. But he continued. Nevertheless, his career became increasingly sporadic, punctuated by breaks and additional losses.

What is your take on the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz? Though technically legal, like many, do you all feel it was unsportsmanlike conduct from Mayweather Jr.?