What was the deal with referee Robert Ortega or Michael Ortega or whatever the **** his name is? Everytime Ortiz got a little close to Berto, he'd break them apart. I know there were some clinches in the fight, but he would never let either guy punch out of close quarters exchanges. even before Merchant said something my dad was saying the ref needs to get the **** out of the way. He kept staling the momentum every time he broke them apart.
Yes I agree he was not helping the fight. And I think the point deduction was crap as well. Not to mention that Berto was knockdown TWICE in the first. The red was leaning towards Berto all night.
I was, he was warning ortiz the whole time for coming in with his head and hitting behind the head, I was afraid he would take points away and cause ortiz to lose rounds because of it. yet he didnt took points from berto for holding too much.
That point deduction was crap. Berto gave Ortiz his head. Ortega was trying to give Berto a chance. He must have placed a bet on him.
TBH, while Berto ducked with his head, kinda... begging to be hit behind the head, he got hit too many times for the ref not to take action.
Annoyed is an understatement in my case. Me and my Brother-In-Law (Who is a huge Berto fan and I also hated) were watching and I was cursing the ref every single round. That idiot should be stripped off his license. Why the **** he's even refereeing a championship fight?
He did the best he could do. The fighters were fighting kinda dirty and he did warn Ortiz that he was going to do it the next time. The only complaint is that he shouldn't have broken up some of the clinches because they were actually throwing punches inside sometimes.
Here's the weird part.... I bet $400 on Berto cause i thought it was a sure money and my Bro-In-Law as well but at fight night I was rooting for Ortiz to win because i hated both Berto and my sister's husband
Was watching the fight with the old man and at first I started bitching about the ref and my dad joined in on it after a while. He'd break them apart at the slightest hint of a clinch, never gave Berto a warning for all that grabbing, unecessarily took points away from Ortiz for some minor rabbit punching infractions, and missed a knockdown early in the fight. So basically, I never want to see him officiate another fight for as long as I live.
The ref breaking them apart was the best thing for the fight. If anyone has seen Berto fight in the past, he's a mini Ruiz. He clinches NON-STOP and turns the fight into ****. Creating some distance between the 2 fighters every time Berto tries to clinch is what made the fight more exciting.
