Thou Shall Honor The Unwritten Rules

Floyd Mayweather's next bout may come against Larry Merchant after

Merchant criticized Mayweather for breaking an unwritten rule of boxing.

If you've ever played sports — whether in high school, college or little league — you are no doubt familiar with the unwritten rules that are associated with them.

Baseball is notorious for such rules like "Thou Shall Not Steal Second With A Seven-run Lead In The Seventh" or "Thou Shall Not Swing Hard At The First Pitch." Soccer has similar rules like "Thou Shall Give The Ball Back After An Opponent Kicks It Out Intentionally So The Training Staff Can Attend To An Injured Player," and football's "Thou Shall Not Run Up The Score On An Opponent" has forced many coaches to be scrutinized over their play calling.

But on Saturday night Floyd Mayweather decided to ignore one of the major unwritten rules of boxing — "Thou Shall Not Hit A Defenseless Opponent."

After head-butting Mayweather earlier in the round — another unwritten rule — Victor Ortiz tried to apologize to Mayweather with what can only be called a "bro hug." Instead Mayweather tapped Ortiz's gloves and then landed a 1-2 punch that sent Ortiz to the canvas.

True, Ortiz should have expected it  — I mean, he was in the middle of a boxing match — but that still gives Mayweather no right to ignore the unwritten rules. George Foreman or a younger Mike Tyson must be rolling their eyes at this young punk.

Perhaps the greatest part of the fight came afterward. During a post-fight interview, Mayweather took exception to a question asked by Larry Merchant — an 80-year-old television journalist who is often proclaimed "the greatest announcer known to boxing."

Merchant's response?

"I wish I were 50 years younger so I could kick your ass."

While chin music and middle fingers are the usual responses for breaking the unwritten rules of a sport, the thought of an 80 year old jumping into a ring and kicking Mayweather's tail is enough to make any casual observer fork over $30 to watch on pay-per-view. And if I had to place my bets, I would definitely go with Merchant because you can't beat a feisty old-timer.