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Floyd Mayweather Jr. put a decisive stamp on his legacy and silenced the naysayers with a unanimous-decision win over longtime rival Manny Pacquiao Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Scores were 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112, all for Mayweather. Mayweather (48-0, 26 KO) executed his game plan to perfection in the majority of the rounds. His jab and footwork kept the fight in the center of the ring and at a pace where he was able to comfortably keep Pacquiao on the outside, his offense largely nullified. Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO) had a few isolated spots in the fight, even rocking Mayweather with hard left hands on a couple of occasions, but he just wasn’t able to cut the distance or force Floyd to work above his usual work rate. Mayweather’s left jab and straight right hand were the money punches in the fight. They allowed him to consistently pick Pacquiao off on the outside and escape from the ropes the few times he was backed up and vulnerable. With the win, Mayweather defends his pound-for-pound crown and unifies the WBC, WBA and WBO Welterweight Championships in the most anticipated showdown in boxing history.
Here's Manny Pacquiao:
"It was a good fight. I got him many times. I saw the punches. I thought I won the fight. He is moving around, it is not easy to throw a lot of punches. I can handle his power. He is not strong like some others. He's not bigger than me, the size doesn't matter, I have fought bigger guys."
Obnoxious interviewer, I thought. "Well we at ringside all thhought the judges got it right." Come on mate. He's just lost a fight.
Here's Floyd Mayweather speaking, to a solid chorus of boos:
"First off, I want to thank God. I want to think all the fans around the world. This was a hell of a fight. I take my hat off to Manny Pacquiao, now I see why he is one of the guys at the pinacle of boxing. I am truly blessed. Manny Pacquaio is truly blessed. I am a calculating fighter. He is a tough competitor. I had to take my time with him. My last fight is in September."
