(George Galanis is an MMA and boxing fan, and regular BPL contributor.)

In a sublime ending to one of the biggest boxing fights of the year, Floyd Mayweather knocked out Victor Ortiz with one second remaining in the fourth round of their fight with two hard punches that Ortiz never saw coming, because he thought the referee had called a pause to the action.

The wild exchange at the end of the round began with Ortiz pounding Mayweather against the ropes, and then landing a head-butt to Mayweather's chin. The referee, Joe Cortez, immediately stepped in and admonished Ortiz for the head-butt, taking a point away.

With that, Ortiz went over to Mayweather, kissed him on the cheek and apologised. Cortez wasn't even looking at the two of them at that point, and Ortiz seemed to think the fourth round had ended. However, the round wasn't over, and Mayweather drilled Ortiz with a a vicious left hook and right cross, knocking Ortiz flat on his back. Ortiz wasn't able to get up as Cortez counted to 10, and Mayweather won by knockout. 

After the fight, the crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas booed Mayweather, who blamed Ortiz for the head-butt and said he had done nothing wrong.

"I got hit with a dirty shot," Mayweather said. "It's protect yourself at all time. I hit him with a left hook, right hand, and that ended the bout."

As he looked at a replay of the knockout, Mayweather said he had no remorse for hitting Ortiz when Ortiz didn't know it was coming.

"We're not here to cry and complain what he did dirty or what I did dirty," Mayweather said. "I was victorious. If he wants a rematch he can get a rematch."

For his part, Ortiz said he thought Cortez had called timeout in the fight at the time Mayweather knocked him out.

"It was called a break by the referee," Ortiz said. "I obeyed. I obeyed, exactly as I was told. I looked at the ref, I looked up, and then — boom! — I was out."

Ortiz apologised for the head butt and said he wasn't attempting to butt heads with Mayweather intentionally. He wasn't blaming anyone, either Mayweather or Cortez, for his knockout loss.

"I'm not perfect," he said. "No one is, and neither is the ref."

In boxing, very little is perfect, and this fight had the most imperfect of endings compounded by more controversy erupting in the ring during Mayweather's post-fight interview with HBO's boxing commentator Larry Merchant.

As he always does, Merchant stepped into the ring and began to pepper Mayweather with tough questions. The questions were tougher than most because of the circumstances.

As Merchant's questions heated up, Mayweather became enraged. 

"You never give me a fair shake. HBO needs to fire you," Mayweather screamed. "You don't know shit about boxing."

The 80-year-old Merchant replied, "I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass."

With that, Mayweather stormed off, and Merchant began to interview Ortiz, who was more mild-mannered. 

If nothing else, the exchange between Merchant and Mayweather bolstered Merchant's reputation as a journalist who's not afraid to ask any question — and bolster Mayweather's reputation as boxing's greatest villain.