Did Joe Cortez do do something as referee in the Mayweather/Ortiz fight that smacked of poor refereeing ?

"For a number of years I have believed that Joe Cortez is the single worst referee alive today." Totally agree. Through the fight, he was too close to the fighters, and before the KO, he didn't even make the fighters touch gloves. I even questioned if that was legal until I saw the round timer ticking at the bottom corner of my screen. He was just terrible.

Cortez is know for being a oblivious ref, yes, and his actions in the fight represent that. In the last seconds of the fight right before ortiz got KO'd Cortez wasn't looking at the boxers. He was looking at the ground ref. Ortiz tried to hug mayweather for the second time trying to apologise for headbutting him "after time-out was over"(legally continuing the round), and mayweather hit ortiz with a left then a knockout right. During that whole ordeal Cortez wasn't watching. He didn't make them touch gloves- strike 1, wasn't looking at the guys for the KO- strike 2. Calling it a legal KO- strike 3?

Ortiz threw a headbutt and Joe Cortez halted the fight to deduct a point. He had them both touch gloves then looked at the audience (judges table?). While he was distracted Mayweather gave Ortiz a one-two punch which sent him to the ground. Instead of stopping the fight or deducting a point Cortez initiated the count on Mayweather. Normally referees shout "box!" to resume to fight so it's debatable whether or not the fight officially "resumed" but the point is moot because Cortez gave the fight to Mayweather.

It's more about what Cortez "failed" to do. He allegedly restarted action after a break to deduct a point from Ortiz, but then wasn't paying attention to the fight, he was conversing with the time clock person and not even watching the fighters. This led Ortiz to believe they were still on break. The clock was not running yet. Cortez never said fight or action. Ortiz foolishly went to hug Mayweather, and when they broke, Mayweather threw 2 cheap shots, knocking out Ortiz and ending the fight. All while the ref wasn't even looking!

You should watch the video before you post a question. When you do get around to watching it.... look closely. After Mayweather cuffs Ortiz with a left hook, he pauses briefly and glances at Joe Cortez. Cortez is not looking at the fighters. He's looking at someone ringside (the commissioner, i assume). Cortez says and does NOTHING after that left hook... essentially giving Mayweather the "go ahead" to continue. And that's exactly what Mayweather did.

Cortez should have kept his eyes on the fighters "at all times" and ruled right then and there if he thought Mayweathers left hook was illegal or not (which btw it was not).

The Ref Blew It Big time at the most important moment of the fight. right after the headbutt incident which i think was intentional, mayweather and ortiz where called to touch gloves in that process the referee's mind was no where on the fighters. instead he was paying attention to someone in the crowd and at the moment ortiz is looking at the ref after he touches gloves with mayweather and mayweather took that opportunity to go for the strike. alot of people want to call it a sucka punch but if you really watch the fight and you watch the clock you can see that when they touch gloves the clock started and fight was officially on. ortiz just took his eyes off the ball

We watched it 10 times...We recorded it. After the blatantly illegal head butt by Ortiz, the referee told them to break and took a point away from Ortiz. The referee then told Ortiz not to do it again. The referee then told the fighters to ..."go", and he clapped his hand together motioning the fighters to begin fighting. Ortiz was still trying to apologize to Mayweather because of the illegal headbutt. He attempted to hug Mayweather but Mayweather was furious! They touched gloves. "Remember the referee had already told them to go." For some strange reason, the referee looked away and Mayweather immediately pushed Ortiz away , jabbed him with the left hand, and blasted him with a straight right hand....That was alll she wrote. Ortiz was on his back seeing stars. I have no idea why Joe Cortez would look away from the fighters after he clearly told them to go and clapped his hands together, motioning the fighters to begin fighting. Ortiz failed to follow the number one rule of boxing: When you get into the ring, you have to "PROTECT YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES"!!!...This rule rings particularly true when you have administered a blatantly egregious foul vis intentional head butt and you have infuriated your opponent who is now on the war path.

Ortiz gave an illegal headbutt. Mayweather gave a legit but dirty KO. Joe Cortez did nothing.

Joe Cortez should go work for WWE. The referee there are always looking outside the ring and getting distracted. :) Feel sorry for the fans who paid money to see this.

he should have deducted a point from ortiz earlyer in the fight as he was raming his head in all night. I hate him as a ref