Genius Mayweather seals legacy with Pacquiao win

Las vegas
Floyd Mayweather Jr cemented his place among the pantheon of boxing greats by improving to 48-0 with a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in a fight that lived up to its immense hype and price tag.

Mayweather weathered an early assault from the Filipino southpaw before winning the later rounds using his reach and jab to finish ahead on all three scorecards in a welterweight showdown set to be the top grossing prize fight of all-time.

“When the history books are written, it was worth the wait,” Mayweather said in the ring after a four-belt unification bout that was more than five years in the making.

Though Pacquiao repeatedly forced Mayweather to backpedal, the wily American blunted his opponent’s best efforts by using his renowned defensive skills while getting in several telling jabs and punches of his own. It was an archetypal Mayweather masterclass.

Mayweather and Pacquiao had promised to deliver on years of hype and give fans their money’s worth and were true to their word in delivering an entertaining contest that had the capacity crowd on its feet roaring from the opening bell to the end of the 12 round showcase.

“Manny Pacquiao is a hell of fighter, I see now why he is at the pinnacle of boxing,” the 38-year-old Mayweather said after an emotional embrace with Pacquiao. “I’m a smart fighter, I outboxed him.

“We knew what we had to do. He’s a tough competitor... a very awkward fighter and I had to take my time and watch him closely.”

The fight between the two greatest boxers of their generation was one that appeared might never happen as Pacquiao resisted Mayweather’s demands for blood-testing for five years. When the two camps finally hammered out a deal, it was the richest in boxing history, setting new records for pay-per-view (PPV) buys and gate receipts.

$120m guaranteed
The fighters were also paid royally for their night’s work, with Mayweather guaranteed $120 million and Pacquiao $80 million although both men could pocket much more depending on the number of PPV purchases. For Mayweather, the fight was one that will shape his legacy.

Even if he were to have retired unbeaten there would have forever been a question mark hanging over his career without at least one meeting against his Filipino rival.

Mayweather said in the ring that he would fight again but that his next bout would be his last.

BOXING’S OTHER UNDEFEATED
WORLD CHAMPIONS

Joe Calzaghe
Retired at 46-0
Championship years 1997-2008
(WBO super middleweight, IBF and The Ring super middleweight, WBA and WBC super middleweight, The Ring light heavyweight)
Calzaghe is the longest-reigning Super Middleweight world champion in history, having held the WBO Super Middleweight title for over ten years and made 21 successful defenses.

Jimmy Barry
Retired at 59-0-9
Championship years 1894-1899
Barry won 59 bouts, 39 by knockout, and had nine draws and two no-contests. He is one of just twelve world boxing champions to retire without a loss.

Rocky Marciano
Retired at 49-0
Championship years 1952-1956
One of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. His record of 49-0 is one Floyd Mayweather is seeking to emulate.

Sven Ottke
Retired at 34-0
Championship years 1998-2004
(IBF super middleweight, WBA “Super” super middleweight )
He was the third European boxer to retire as an undefeated world champion, after Terry Marsh and Romanian Michael Loewe (Joe Calzaghe later became the fourth).

Pichit Sitbangprachan
Retired at 34-0
Championship years 1992-1994
(IBF flyweight)
He retired undefeated (21-0) and then made a comeback, winning three more times before retiring for good (24-0).

Edwin Valero
Retired at 27-0
Championship years 2006-2010
(WBA super featherweight, WBC lightweight)
He is the only champion in the 30 years of the WBC to win every fight in his career by knockout. Valero was a former WBA Super Featherweight champion and former WBC Lightweight champion who was known by boxing fans for his punching power.