followed it with a right that put Ortiz down in his corner. Ortiz struggled to get up as referee Joe Cortez called an end to the fight.
The round was already controversial, as Ortiz appeared to head butt Mayweather intentionally, leading Cortez to take a point away from him. After the head butt, Ortiz went to Mayweather and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Seconds later they were in the center of the ring ready to resume action when two punches ended it quickly.
Mayweather was winning the fight through three rounds, dominating with speed and landing good right hands to the head of Ortiz. He won all three rounds on two ringside scorecards, and two of three on the third. Ortiz picked up the pace in the fourth round, trying desperately to get inside Mayweather’s vaunted defense. He did on occasion and was having a better round when, late in the round, he appeared to intentionally head butt Mayweather in frustration as the two fought in Mayweather’s corner.
Mayweather later engaged in a verbal confrontation with HBO announcer Larry Merchant, calling him a name at one point and drawing a pointed response from the veteran broadcaster, who said he would thrash the boxer if he "was 50 years younger."
Mayweather made a minimum of $25 million for his first fight in 16 months, a sum that will likely go up as the pay-per-view receipts are totaled. He could make even more against Manny Pacquiao next if Pacquiao win. The Pacquiao-Marquez 3 will happen on November 12 and the two finally agree to fight. Mayweather remained unbeaten in 42 fights, scoring the knockout he had predicted. Ortiz, who lost his 147-pound title, fell to 29-3-2.
