Bang on the Money!

Johnny Nelson says there was nothing wrong with Floyd Mayweather's KO - or Lee Selby's surprise win.

Mayweather deserves more credit, says Johnny

I'll be honest and say I like the way Floyd Mayweather won that fight. People have been calling it a cheap shot, a disgrace and pretty much everything else, but the one thing you need to take into account was what preceded it - on Victor Ortiz's part. That headbutt was not an accident. An accident is tripping over in the street, walking into a lampost or bumping into someone in a doorway. What Ortiz did, looked spiteful and is the sort of thing that could've caused serious damage - and even threatened Mayweather's career. The apology afterwards, to me, meant nothing because it was such a blatant butt; he clearly thrust his head up, it was not even a case of leading with it. So what Floyd did was what Ricky Hatton did against Kostya Tszyu all those years ago - give as good as he got. To me, Floyd was entitled to think 'if that's how you want to play it' and he was smart enough and sharp enough to do what he had to do to win - and make sure he didn't get butted again. If you look at the knockout incident, as soon as they broke, Floyd was looking at Ortiz; it was not his fault Joe Cortez was not looking and it was not his fault that Ortiz was looking at Cortez. The ref had already stepped between them after Ortiz's second apology, and as we all know you protect yourself at all times, which Victor didn't. I know the crowd were upset, probably because they wanted to see more action, but I do think Floyd was well within his rights to finish the fight like that. Once you've been butted once, you expect it to happen again as the other guy's desperation and frustration increases. And let's give Floyd Mayweather credit as well. This is a guy that had not boxed for 14 months yet came out and beat a younger, fresher world champion. It's all too easy to batter someone like Mayweather but I do think he deserves more praise for his success than he's been getting these past few days. He clearly thought that straight after the fight as well given his interview with Larry Merchant. I remember seeing Naseem Hamed turn on Colin Hart a few years ago but that was different, a more considered act. I think this time you can put it down to the heat of the moment, to adrenalin. And if I'm honest, again I don't think some of the American press give Mayweather enough credit; this is a guy who is unbeaten, at the top of his game and had just had a guy try and butt him in the face. I think he just acted on the spur of the moment and I am not sure that if Larry was 50 years younger, he would have a chance against Mayweather either!

Lee Selby v Stephen Smith

Good on Lee Selby! Of course it was not a pleasant night for Stephen Smith and his family watching at ringside in Liverrpool, where we all expected him to beat Lee Selby. It just goes to show how wrong we can all be in this sport. Everybody was looking at Smith's amateur achievements and the progress he has made as a pro and in doing so, everybody overlooked what Selby has done himself. And what he did on Saturday night was stick to what he does best. He is a tidy little fighter with a very good jab and he throws those lovely looping shots, which were very effective. Smith has always been, I think, a little bit reckless and easy to hit, and Lee knew that. In hindsight, Smith was made for him and although it's only one loss, Stephen might want to go back to the drawing board after this. Normally he is able to walk people down, bully them, but when you step up a level you find you can no longer do that - and against a big puncher, you will get exposed. You can't afford to fight with your face and while someone who boxed like I did can only admire the bravery of guys that are willing to take shot after shot to get their own off, you have to draw the line somewhere. At what stage does bravery become naivety - and dangerous at that. Stephen will need to work on that because he can come again, but that Kamikazi style of fighting will only get you so far - and certainly won't get you out above domestic level. Selby is now the one looking to move up, and with good reason. He strikes me as the sort of fighter that should get better with the British and Commonwealth titles around his waist. Like I say, the jab and the awkwardness of his punching at range were very impressive and whenever a guy wins a title, you can normally expect to see something like a 40 per cent improvement. It depends whether Selby has that belief we all need, because the basic skills are undoubtedly there. I remember when I made the step up from British and European champion to fight for a world title and I just wasn't ready. I didn't look beyond where I was, but I am sure the confidence he will get from a very good performance and a stoppage will mean Lee can avoid making the same mistake.

Paul Smith v Paul Samuels

Paul Smith came through Paul Samuels as we all expected him to and now he will go onto face George Groves. And I'll tell you what, that is by no means a walkover for George. I like George and I was so impressed with the way he carried himself after beating James DeGale, when he could have gone round gloating and rubbing it in. But I still think there are some tough domestic fights out there for him still. I would put Smith down as one of those. The big question is, how much has Paul got left? George is younger and stronger is likely to be able to bully his way through, but he is still vulnerable and as we have seen against Kenny Anderson and at times against DeGale, he can be hit. I just think he had DeGale's number. Smith will be doubly dangerous as well because he knows this is his last hurrah. He will have boxed the best two super-middleweights in Britain and will see this is the last chance to get back in the mix and keep his career going. You would fancy Groves of course, but having seen his brother upset by Lee Selby, no-one will know better than Paul that he can spring a surprise.