Sports

No apology from Mayweather after controversial knockout

LAS VEGAS — His loyal lieutenants stood behind him, repeating a chant that has become their boss’ motto.

“Hard work!” Floyd Mayweather began.

“Dedication!” they finished.

“Hard work!”

“Dedication!”

Team Mayweather was celebrating yet another victory late Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Though some in the crowd of 14,000 as well as in the pay-per-view audience may have been less than satisfied with the ending, Mayweather offered no apologies for his fourth-round knockout of Victor Ortiz.

“Being up all night, running seven, eight miles, I deserve it,” Mayweather said after recapturing the WBC welterweight championship.

Ortiz claimed he was ruined by a sucker punch, actually two, thrown by Mayweather while his hands were down following a break in action. His demise began when he was deducted a point for a blatant intentional head butt after being warned for that tactic early in the fight.

Ortiz went overboard in seeking forgiveness. He first kissed Mayweather on the cheek and then was slow to defend himself after referee Joe Cortez let the two fighters engage after taking the point away.

What Cortez said or didn’t say isn’t clear, but after Ortiz reached out to touch gloves, Mayweather gave them a quick tap, then unleashed a left-right combination that dropped Ortiz on his trunks. He couldn’t get up before Cortez counted to 10.

“Once we touch gloves it’s fight time,” Mayweather said. “It’s open season.”

Ortiz said he was “fouled.” But he has no one but himself to blame. At age 24, in his first mega-fight against one of the best ever, Ortiz fought hard until he “got caught up” in the fourth round.

Frustrated by the punches he was taking without landing any of his own, he tried to head-butt Mayweather while they clinched in a corner.

“It was the heat of moment,” Ortiz said.

Oritz should have been ready to fight once Cortez deducted the point, but thought he heard the referee say something.

“I thought he called a break or something,” Ortiz said. “Then [Mayweather] just caught me, and I woke up after that. I was doing just fine until that little slip-up.”

Mayweather had said on Wednesday that boxing is a dirty sport. The novice left his guard down. It was a learning experience.

“You want to do me dirty and then two minutes later you want to be friends. It’s the hurt business,” Mayweather said. “It’s boxing.”

Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs) showed no ring rust from a 16-month layoff. Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs) entered the ring at 164 pounds after regaining 17 pounds above the 147-pound limit he made at the weigh-in on Friday.

Mayweather was 150 pounds, but fought like the bigger man. He came right at Ortiz blocking shots with his tight defense, while peppering Ortiz with darting jabs and combinations.

“Eventually, he was going to get knocked out down the line anyway,” Mayweather said. “I was getting stronger.”

Ortiz vowed he would become champ again “within six months.” But when Mayweather will fight again is uncertain. Manny Pacquiao faces Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time on Nov. 12, and if Pacquiao is successful, there will be renewed hope for a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown in 2012. Mayweather is adamant Pacquiao must agree to Olympic-style drug testing.

“I just want an even playing field,” Mayweather said. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, take the test.”

If not Pacquiao, then maybe Larry Merchant. Mayweather had more of an issue with the 80-year-old HBO broadcaster than he did Ortiz. He abruptly ended his post-fight interview telling Merchant: “They need to get somebody else up here to give me an interview. You never give me a fair shake. HBO needs to fire you.”

Merchant replied, “I wish I was 50 years younger, I would kick your [butt].”

Merchant would have to undergo Olympic style drug testing, too.

george.willis@nypost.com