(MENAFN- Arab Times) Floyd Mayweather danced his way to a unanimous decision over frustrated Manny Pacquiao on Saturday to win the richest fight in history and cement his place in the pantheon of boxing greats. Boos rang out from a pro-Pacquiao Las Vegas crowd as Mayweather's emphatic victory was confirmed by all three scorecards after 12 rounds of cat and mouse action. Mayweather comfortably picked off his Filipino rival to snuff out any chance of the full-blooded slugfest that the more aggressive Pacquiao was hoping to ignite in front of the crowd of 16,507.
The win extended Mayweather's remarkable 19-year unbeaten record to 48-0, putting him within one fight of equalling Rocky Marciano's legendary milestone of 49-0. The 38-year-old Mayweather retained his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight titles and seized Pacquiao's World Boxing Organization belt by winning the fight on all three of the judges' scorecards. "I am the American dream," Mayweather said. "I knew I had him from round one. I have so much experience I could calculate his moves.
"I was born a winner and I am going to die a winner. Mayweather said he hopes the win will silence critics who accused him of ducking Pacquiao and hand-picking opponents he knew he could beat in order to keep his unblemished record intact. "Everyone said this guy could beat Floyd. That Floyd is a chicken. The non believers, well Floyd turned them into believers." Saturday's fight is widely believed to be the most lucrative in boxing history with revenues of $400 million.
Ringside judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-110 for Mayweather, while judges Glenn Feldman and Bert Clements both scored it 116-112 for the American. But when the results were announced the pro-Pacquiao crowd booed lustily and tried to drown out Mayweather's interview inside the ring. Their Filipino star Pacquiao suffered the sixth loss of his career to go with 57 victories and two draws. Pacquiao said he was hindered by an injured right shoulder that he hurt in training several weeks ago.
"I did my best but my best wasn't good enough," Pacquiao said. "From the third round on I felt a pain in my shoulder." Fans in the Philippines echoed the disappointment of those in the ring, crying foul over the judges' decision and claiming their man was robbed of a deserving victory. They filled gymnasiums, cinemas and bars as the Southeast Asian nation of 100 million people stopped in its tracks for Pacquiao's battle with Mayweather.
There is no denying that the 36-year-old Pacquiao made Mayweather work for the victory and hit the American with "three or four" thundering shots. He was the aggressor, pressing the action from the first round and was able to land some right-left combinations on Mayweather's head, especially on the ropes and in the final seconds of the early rounds. But ultimately Pacquiao wasn't able to keep up his frenzied early pace for all 12 rounds and Mayweather, who was the bigger of the two fighters, managed to set traps which allowed him to slip in counterpunches and hard right hands that kept the Filipino southpaw at bay.
Even so, Pacquiao said he thought he did enough to earn the victory. "I thought I won the fight," he said. "He didn't do nothing." Mayweather reiterated afterwards that he plans to retire after his next fight in September which will fulfil his six-fight contract to Showtime Sports. "My last fight is in September. I'll do that and I will hang it up," said Mayweather, estimated to have earned more than $200 million for one night's work. Pacquiao will receive well over $100 million in a 60-40 purse split the fighters agreed to beforehand.
The entrance of the fighters to the ring was delayed about 45 minutes because of problems with the heavy demand for pay-per-view telecast and the providers ability to distribute it. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, entertainment and sport were in attendance, including director Clint Eastwood, actors Robert De Niro, Jon Voight, Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper, musician Sting, former NBA star Magic Johnson and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who visited Pacquiao in his dressing room before the fight. Only a lucky few had tickets to the bout but thousands more milled around the outside of the Grand Garden arena and in the hotel's casino.
Mayweather made a grand entrance befitting of his superstar status. He was accompanied by his "The Money Team" which includes his father/trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. But Pacquiao arrived first to the ring, smiling relentlessly and even taking a selfie with long-time trainer Freddie Roach during his entrance. Meanwhile, Vasyl Lomachenko defended his WBO featherweight title with style Saturday night, stopping Gamalier Rodriguez in the ninth round on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr's fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Leo Santa Cruz also pounded out a one-sided victory over Jose Cayetano in his featherweight debut while celebrities and wealthy boxing fans filed into the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the most anticipated main event in several years. Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs) got the pay-per-view portion of the card off to an impressive start with a virtuoso boxing exhibition against the Puerto Rican challenger.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine battered Rodriguez (25-3-3) with hand speed, footwork, combinations and relentless work, eventually breaking down the game challenger. Rodriguez, who was unbeaten in his last 18 consecutive fights, was penalized twice for low blows by referee Robert Byrd, who waved off the fight in the ninth when Rodriguez stayed on one knee deep into the count. The official stoppage was 50 seconds into the round for Lomachenko, who overcame Rodriguez's roughhouse tactics. Lomachenko was beaten by similar strategies in his second pro fight, with Orlando Salido throwing low blows on the way to a narrow win in Lomachenko's first title shot. "This is experience, only experience," Lomachenko said in English.
Lomachenko showed off his skill and athleticism throughout the middle rounds, landing a body shot that unfocused Rodriguez's eyes in the fifth. Rodriguez took a knee in the seventh and again in the ninth after a precise combination from Lomachenko, who is eager to unify the featherweight belts before moving up. "Anyone with a title belt in my division, that's who I want to fight," Lomachenko said through a translator. "I agree that I have to fight someone notable next."
Santa Cruz (30-0-1) won titles in two weight classes before moving up to featherweight. The Los Angeles-area fighter was a huge favorite against Cayetano, who had little to offer but resilience in a one-sided bout. "He was able to take a lot of punishment," Santa Cruz said. "I hit him in the head. I hit him in the body, and he never went down. I did the best I could in a new weight class. I want big fights now, just like the fans want."
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