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Floyd Mayweather: Sucker Punch Or Valid?

It was the sucker punch heard and seen around the world.
Reaction came as swift and hard as the two-punch combination from Floyd Mayweather that laid WBC welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz out cold for the count this past Saturday on the Golden Boy fight card in Las Vegas.
Prizefighters, trainers, commissioners and fans were quick to speak, scream and yell on whether or not Mayweather is a villain or hero.
During the press conference Ortiz hinted that the referee Joe Cortez, a man always involved in controversial endings, never truly called for the fight to resume. But Ortiz did acknowledge that he made a costly mistake.
“I learned a lesson,” said Ortiz, who was busy apologizing for intentionally head butting Mayweather on the mouth. He repeatedly hugged Mayweather who seemed to shrug it off and then proceed to wallop Ortiz with a left hook and right cross. Ortiz was looking at the referee who was looking somewhere off in space.
One person who found the knockout distasteful was Moreno Valley’s Kaliesha West, a female world champion.
“Yes it is true, protect yourself at all times. But who wants to witness a cheap shot victory?” said West, the WBO bantamweight champ. “I would have preferred to see a fair-and-square victory. At the same time, I think Vic learned his lesson about being ‘too nice’ in that ring, especially after popping cheap shots. At the end of the night, they both made boxing look bad.”
Another prizefighter, Brooklyn’s Paul Malignaggi, was of the opposite opinion. The former junior welterweight world champion was incensed by the Ortiz head butts.
“I totally agree with Floyd. You cannot head butt a grown man intentionally all of those times and not expect him to get ticked off. Floyd reacted like any man would, he reacted angrily. I actually think he showed some self control because after that last head butt I would have flipped Victor over the top rope,” said Malignaggi, who fights at the Staples Center on Oct. 15 against Mexico’s Orlando Lora. “The rule is: protect yourself at all times. In a way I feel for Vic, but when I think about it, he also got what he deserved. If you fight like a punk you will be dealt like a punk, especially when in with a veteran like Floyd Mayweather.”
Keith Kizer, the executive director for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, was walking back from the parking lot when we ran into each other after the fight.
“It was sad to see it end like that but there was nothing wrong according to the rules,” said Kizer, who’s dealt with controversies for many years as the head of the Commission.
“Once the referee says to fight, then you have to protect yourself.
One boxing fan blames the entire debacle on referee Joe Cortez.
“What a travesty. That just wasn’t right,” said boxing fan Alfredo Esparza, who lives in the Pomona area. “Worst was the referee Joe Cortez. In every fight he referees something bad happens. He was looking at something else instead of the fight. Why does he always get the big fights? There must be a reason.”
Boxing trainer Henry Ramirez, whose charge Josesito Lopez fought and lost by split decision on the same card, said it was one of those things that happens from time to time.
“Honestly, there was nothing wrong with it,” Ramirez said. “The first thing they tell you in the dressing room is to protect yourself at all times.”
It’s not the first time an elite fighter was knocked out when not looking. Former junior featherweight world champion Israel “El Magnifico” Vazquez suffered the same fate as Ortiz back in 2002 for the same reason: he was looking at the referee with his hands down and Oscar Larios knocked him out. Three years later, Vazquez got his revenge with a three round butt whipping of Larios in Las Vegas to win the world title.
A rematch would be a good thing but somehow I don’t see it happening.
Other boxing chatter
Lightweight contenders Vicente Escobedo and Rocky Juarez fight it out to see who grabs another world title shot and who heads out the door on Sept. 23 at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio. Both fight under the Golden Boy Promotions banner and a loss could result in a farewell. It’s a very important clash for both.
In Ontario, Calif., young Jonathan Arellano, a quick punching junior featherweight from Ontario, tangles with Northern California’s Michael Ruiz Jr. in a battle between undefeated 122-pounders.Also on the Doubletree Hotel fight card will be Venezuela’s Jhon Ortega fighting Riverside’s Alex Viramontes and Sindy Amador matched with Mayela Perez in a female junior flyweight battle.
In Commerce, Calif., a boxing card features Tony Hirsch and Said Harrak will be the main event. Both boxing and MMA will be sprinkled liberally on the large fight card at the Commerce Casino.
Riverside’s undefeated Lorenz Larkin (11-0) fights Nick Rossborough(18-13) on the Strikeforce mixed martial arts card at the Palms Casino Resort on Friday Sept. 23, in Las Vegas. The multi-talented MMA fighter is raising eyebrows with his recent performances in the light heavyweight division.
New York’s Jon Jones (13-1) challenges Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-8) for the MMA light heavyweight championship on Saturday Sept. 24 in Denver, Colo. Ultimate Fighting Championship 135 also features Matt Hughes facing Josh Koscheck, and Nate Diaz versus Takanori Gomi. The event will be on pay-per-view television.
Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta (22-0-1) beat Manuel Perez (16-7-1) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in Parker, Arizona last Saturday. Also on the Top Rank card Jose Benavidez, Andy Ruiz and Jose Roman all won by knockout.
San Diego’s Antonio Orozco (12-0, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Fernando Rodriguez (6-7) after six rounds of a junior welterweight clash. The fight took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
San Diego’s Amaris Quintana (5-0-2) remained undefeated by stopping Katarina De La Cruz (2-8-1) at the end of round two of a junior flyweight bout. The female fight took place in San Diego.
Heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs) knocked out Hector Ferreyro (21-11-2) at 2:17 of round three. The fight took place in Las Vegas last Friday. Mitchell is a former Michigan State linebacker. His manager is Al Haymon, who also manages Riverside’s Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola.
WBC featherweight world titleholder Jhonny Gonzalez (50-7, 44 KOs) retained the title by knockout of Rogers Mtagwa (27-15-2) at 2:15 of round two. The title fight took place in El Paso, Texas.
WBA minimum weigh titleholder Etsuko Tada (8-0-2) makes her sixth world title defense against Thailand’s Nongmuy Kokietgym (10-2-3) on Wednesday Sept. 22, in Tokyo, Japan. Also on the card will be WBC minimum weight champ Naoko Fujioka (6-0) defending against Thailand’s Kanittha Kokietgym (13-3).
Argentina’s Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) fights Petr Petrov (29-2-2) for a number one spot on the WBA junior welterweight division. The match takes place on Friday, Sept. 23, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Maidana was scheduled to fight Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero but he suffered an injury to his shoulder.
Australia’s WIBF junior lightweight titleholder Diana Prazak (8-1, 6 KOs) fights Canada’s Lindsay Garbatt (7-3-1, 3 KOs) on Saturday Sept. 24. The title fight takes place in Victoria, Australia.
Russia’s Alexander Dimitrenko (31-1, 21 KOs) fights Michael Sprott (36-16, 17 KOs) for the EBU heavyweight title in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday Sept. 24. Cuba’s Juan Carlos Gomez (49-2, 37 KOs) fights Darnell Wilson (23-12-3).
WBC junior flyweight titleholder Adrian Hernandez (21-1-1, 13 KOs) defends against Gideon Buthelezi (12-2, 4 KOs) on Saturday Sept. 24 in Mexico City. Buthelezi hails from South Africa.
Mexico’s popular Jorge “El Travieso” Arce (57-6-2, 44 KOs) fights South Africa’s Simphiwe Nongqayi (16-1-1, 6 KOs) in a 10 round junior featherweight bout. The fight takes place on Saturday Sept. 24 in Mexicali, Mexico. Arce’s promoter Top Rank are looking to match him against Nonito Donaire in the near future.
Russia’s Dmitry Pirog (18-0, 14 KOs) defends the WBO middleweight world title against Gennady Martirosyan (22-2, 11 KOs) on Sunday Sept. 25 in Olimp, Russia. Pirog captured the title by knocking out Danny Jacobs a year ago in Las Vegas.
Heavyweight Tyson Fury (16-0, 11 KOs) stopped Nicolai Firtha (20-9-1) at 2:19 of round five on Saturday in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Fury is quickly becoming a known heavyweight from the United Kingdom.
Fights on television
Fri. Showtime, 11 p.m. Lorenz Larkin (11-0) vs. Nick Rossborough (18-13).
Fri. Telefutura, 11:30 p.m., Vicente Escobedo (23-3) vs. Rocky Juarez (28-8-1).
Sat. Fox, 6 p.m., Jorge Arce (57-6-2) vs. Simphiwe Nongqayi (16-1-1).
Sat. pay-per-view, 6 p.m., Jon Jones (13-1) vs. Quinton Jackson (32-8); Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck; Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welter Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.
Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.
Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)
Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.
The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).
Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”
A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.
Other winners:
Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon
Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney
Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire
Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix
The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.
The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.
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Mekhrubon Sanginov, whose Heroism Nearly Proved Fatal, Returns on Saturday

To say that Mekhrubon Sanginov is excited to resume his boxing career would be a great understatement. Sanginov, ranked #9 by the WBA at 154 pounds before his hiatus, last fought on July 8, 2022.
He was in great form before his extended leave, having scored four straight fast knockouts, advancing his record to 13-0-1. Had he remained in Las Vegas, where he had settled after his fifth pro fight, his career may have continued on an upward trajectory, but a trip to his hometown of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, turned everything haywire. A run-in with a knife-wielding bully nearly cost him his life, stalling his career for nearly three full years.
Sanginov was exiting a restaurant in Dushanbe when he saw a man, plainly intoxicated, harassing another man, an innocent bystander. Mekhrubon intervened and was stabbed several times with a long knife. One of the puncture wounds came perilously close to puncturing his heart.
“After he stabbed me, I ran after him and hit him and caught him to hold for the police,” recollects Sanginov. “There was a lot of confusion when the police arrived. At first, the police were not certain what had happened.
“By the time I got to the hospital, I had lost two liters of blood, or so I was told. After I was patched up, one of the surgeons said to me, ‘Give thanks to God because he gave you a second life.’ It is like I was born a second time.”
“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have happened in any city,” he adds. (A story about the incident on another boxing site elicited this comment from a reader: “Good man right there. World would be a better place if more folk were willing to step up when it counts.”)
Sanginov first laced on a pair of gloves at age 10 and was purportedly 105-14 as an amateur. Growing up, the boxer he most admired was Roberto Duran. “Muhammad Ali will always be the greatest and [Marvin] Hagler was great too, but Duran was always my favorite,” he says.
During his absence from the ring, Sanginov married a girl from Tajikistan and became a father. His son Makhmud was born in Las Vegas and has dual citizenship. “Ideally,” he says, “I would like to have three more children. Two more boys and the last one a daughter.”
He also put on a great deal of weight. When he returned to the gym, his trainer Bones Adams was looking at a cruiserweight. But gradually the weight came off – “I had to give up one of my hobbies; I love to eat,” he says – and he will be resuming his career at 154. “Although I am the same weight as before, I feel stronger now. Before I was more of a boy, now I am a full-grown man,” says Sanginov who turned 29 in February.
He has a lot of rust to shed. Because of all those early knockouts, he has answered the bell for only eight rounds in the last four years. Concordantly, his comeback fight on Saturday could be described as a soft re-awakening. Sanginov’s opponent Mahonri Montes, an 18-year pro from Mexico, has a decent record (36-10-2, 25 KOs) but has been relatively inactive and is only 1-3-1 in his last five. Their match at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, is slated for eight rounds.
On May 10, Ardreal Holmes (17-0) faces Erickson Lubin (26-2) on a ProBox card in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s an IBF super welterweight title eliminator, meaning that the winner (in theory) will proceed directly to a world title fight.
Sanginov will be watching closely. He and Holmes were scheduled to meet in March of 2022 in the main event of a ShoBox card on Showtime. That match fell out when Sanginov suffered an ankle injury in sparring.
If not for a twist of fate, that may have been Mekhrubon Sanginov in that IBF eliminator, rather than Ardreal Holmes. We will never know, but one thing we do know is that Mekhrubon’s world title aspirations were too strong to be ruined by a knife-wielding bully.
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