Mayweather Defeats Pacquiao In “Fight Of The Century”

It was not the war of attrition that will live in boxing lore as Ali-Frazier was, but it was the “Fight of the Century” and both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao brought their best in what was one of the most electric nights that Las Vegas has ever had.

Floyd Mayweather Jr, now 48-0, defeated Manny Pacquiao, trained in Los Angeles by renowned coach Freddie Roach, by unanimous decision (118-110, 116-112, 116-112) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  Prior to the fight, the height differential was noticeable throughout the promotion leading up to the event.  When both fighters finally stepped into the ring, Mayweather’s height and reach advantage were evident before the first bell sounded.

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The bout was defined, as many of Mayweather’s bouts are, by precision striking.  Pacquiao moved more actively to begin the bout, using his head movement and footwork to get his rhythm against Mayweather.  Mayweather did throw as many punches, however his strikes landed more accurately and connected with solid right hands and slipped away from “Pac-Man’s” looping hooks.  In the first few rounds “Money” drew the ire of the crowd as he clinched his opponent to pause the highly anticipated action.  While Pacquiao looked to engage, the disciplined Mayweather remained composed and picked his shots accordingly.

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Pacquiao jolted the crowd in the fourth round when he connected with a left-hook that sent Mayweather into the ropes.  The defensive tactician covered up as Pacquiao landed a barrage of punches that had the crowd roaring in approval.  The sixth round saw more of the same as Pacquiao took the opportunity to unleash a flurry of punches in a scene fans had been craving for years to see if it would be the moment that the undefeated champion might finally go down.

Even then in the latter part of the fight, Mayweather defended expertly, allowing Pacquaio’s punches to land on his arms when he was against the ropes and shaking his head at him as if to say that the energetic flurry had not damaged him.

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The numbers, as they so often have, began to favor Mayweather as the fight wound down.  Per Compubox, both fighters threw roughly the same amount of punches at 435 to 429 in favor of the American.  However, the most telling number was the amount of punches landed, the Philipino fighter landed only 81 punches while his opponent landed 148.  The final percentage was 34% compared to 19%.

After the fight, Manny Pacquiao stated that he entered the match with an injured shoulder and had requested an inflammatory shot in his dressing room.  The Nevada State Athletic Commission denied the request due to the fact that Pacquiao had not addressed his injury sooner.  Francisco Aguilar of the Nevada Athletic commission stated,

"“We were not aware of his injury until tonight at 6:30,” said Aguilar, who made the ruling. “The medications he was taking were disclosed on his medical questionnaire, but not the actual injury. … This isn’t our first fight. This is our business. There is a process, and when you try to screw with the process, it’s not going to work for you.”"

Pacquiao remained gracious regarding the issue, stating “It’s part of the game.  I don’t want to make alibis or complain or anything … [but] it’s hard to fight one-handed.”  Said Mayweather after the press-conference “If [Pacquiao] would have come out victorious, the only thing I could have got up here and said was, ‘I have to show respect and say he was the better man. Both my arms were injured. Both my hands were injured, but as I’ve said before, I always find a way to win.”

May 2, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Floyd Mayweather celebrates after defeating Manny Pacquiao (not pictured) via unanimous decision during their world welterweight championship bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

While boxing had it’s biggest night in years, fans and insiders sitting ringside could not help but look to the future as the fight came to a close.  Pacquiao, 36,  said after the fight that he intended to go on vacation and rest before he contemplated what was next for his career.  With a career in Congress in the Philippines and more sponsorships than one can count on fingers, it can be imagined that financially that fight leaves him in good hands with nothing left to prove in a career that has seen him win world titles in an unprecedented eight weight classes.

For boxing’s undisputed king of the ring, he made it clear that for the moment different plans were in store. “I’m fighting in September, yes,” the 38-year-old Mayweather said. “I got one more fight with Showtime/CBS. You [Showtime] have done a remarkable job. My last fight is in September.”

One can only wonder if at his age, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is willing to attempt to retire at 49-0 or if the allure of the 50 mark will be too tempting. But what matters is that on this night, the biggest of his career and a bookmark for boxing as the world continues turning into a new era, Floyd Mayweather proved that he stands alone as the best of a generation.