Friday, March 29, 2024

Floyd Mayweather beats Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas

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Floyd Mayweather emerged victorious from the most lucrative fight in history, beating Manny Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
American Mayweather, 38, delivered a defensive master-class against his Philippine rival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, making the necessary adjustments after only a few rounds before disappearing out of sight.
Mayweather, who added the WBO welterweight title to the WBC and WBA titles he already owned, was awarded the fight 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 by the three judges.
With his victory, Mayweather also cemented his status as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of his generation.
The five-weight world champion is now undefeated in 48 professional fights, stretching back 19 years.
Six-weight world champion Pacquiao, who falls to 57 wins, six losses and two draws, later blamed a shoulder injury for his defeat.

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The big fight in numbers
Revenue: Estimated $400m (£265m) in total.
Boxers: Mayweather and Pacquiao set to split about $230m (£150m). 

Tickets for the bout – billed as ‘The Fight of the Century’ – changed hands for as much as $350,000 and American fans were charged almost $100 to watch on television, with millions more watching across the world.
Rival broadcasters Showtime and HBO joined forces for the first time since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002 to show the fight, with Jimmy Lennon Jr and Michael Buffer sharing ring announcer duties.
A-listers in the 16,507 crowd included actors Denzel Washington  and Mark Walhberg , musicians  Beyonce and Jay-z ,  US tycoon Donald Trump, among many others .
Multi Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx sang the American national anthem prior to the fighters entering the ring. So prized was a seat that many celebrities were even sitting behind the press row.
Pacquiao, 36, began his ring walk at 20:45 Vegas time – to the strains of a song he recorded especially for the occasion – and was awarded a rapturous reception. Mayweather, on the other hand, was roundly booed, despite being effectively the house fighter.
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The opening round was extremely cagey, with both men trying to establish their distance, but Mayweather did land with a couple of eye-catching right hands on the counter.
Not only did Mayweather look noticeably bigger than Pacquiao, he also looked quicker in the early rounds.
And when Pacquiao did get close, Mayweather was content to tie him up, to both Pacquiao and the fans’ frustration.
Mayweather rocked Pacquiao with two more rights in the second, although Pacquiao was able to get inside his rival’s superior reach and unleash a couple of flurries.
The third round was a more even affair, with Pacquiao able to draw Mayweather into some exchanges and Mayweather doing plenty of rough stuff on the inside.
Pacquiao really came into the fight in the fourth, staggering Mayweather with a left hand, which many thought would be a key weapon in this fight.
Mayweather was forced to cover up on the ropes and many of Pacquiao’s follow-up punches were caught on the arms and gloves, but a smile from the American signalled he may have been hurt.
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Mayweather’s head had cleared by the start of the fifth and he proceeded to win the round courtesy of his trusty right cross, with Pacquiao not applying enough pressure or displaying the aggression many felt he needed.
Pacquiao rocked Mayweather again in the sixth, before Mayweather got on his bike in the seventh, slipping and sliding out of reach and frustrating Pacquiao as he looked to engage.
In the eighth it was Mayweather’s left that did most of the damage and although he did ship another sneaky left, by now it was apparent that Pacquiao, naturally the smaller man, did not have the necessary power.
It was more of the same in the ninth, during which there were definite signs that Pacquiao was tiring and the fight was beginning to get away from him.
By the 10th, Mayweather had made all the adjustments he needed to make and continually made Pacquiao miss, like a matador with an ailing bull, while doing enough on the counter to win the round.
In the 11th, Pacquiao had gone from bull to mouse, getting snapped on the nose time and time again by Mayweather’s jab as he tried to get inside.
Pacquiao’s expected late rally did not transpire and the air of resignation in the arena at the final bell told you everything you needed to know – that Mayweather had won an intriguing rather than thrilling fight with plenty to spare.

Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., embrace in the ring at the finish of their welterweight title fight on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., embrace in the ring at the finish of their welterweight title fight on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

And while many observers who paid to watch would have been disappointed with the action, the fact that Mayweather won so handily was more proof of his unparalleled genius.
Pacquiao’s pride will no doubt be salved when he next checks his bank account – it is estimated the fight will generate $400m (£265m) in total, with Mayweather and Pacquiao set to split in the region of $230m (£150m).
Afterwards Mayweather confirmed he would fight one more time in September before retiring, although the opportunity to surpass Rocky Marciano’s mark of 49 fights undefeated might prove too tempting to pass up.
Amir Khan is on the list of possible opponents, as is fellow Briton and IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook.

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(BBC)

BY KAPA187

 

18 COMMENTS

    • Let’s face it; the American boxing authorities & referees STOLE the fight from Paquio. What sort of champion is Mayweather who spent the fight RUNNING AWAY from his challenger? Especially for the pompous chap he is? Very disappointing result…

    • Its boxing and not Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) or street fighting.
      Boxing is won on technique and smartness.

  1. manny should have won , anyway give him a rematch and he will knockout mayweather in the first round

  2. To imagine that the Zambian government can’t raise on its own what Floyd mayweather has just earned in a matter of minutes is laughable.

    • Misplaced comparison.

      The question should be: what is $400m compared to Zambia’s wealth in extractable resources, real land mass, water, energy, fisheries, forestry and human capital?

    • @Nine Chale

      Good question there, but Zambia should also find a formula to get out of the poverty statistics that say 86% survive on less ZMK10.00 per day. Poverty in Zambia is artificial caused by govt incompetence. Fact is Zambia is very rich but leaders are extremely poor, intellectually and have no idea how to reduce the depressing stats that now put Zambia at the bottom step of the most impoverished nation on earth, surpassing even basket cases like Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Malawi etc. Very shameful.

    • A good one there Syfic. How do you expect to come out poverty when have a brood of the thieves running the affairs of a nation? Is Lungu not a thief? Didn’t he steal from a client? Then you put such an 1diot to lead the nation when he has failed to run a law firm. Lungu has not won any case as a lawyer.

    • In boxing you also avoid being hit and not just trying to hit the opponent. The long-term effects of being constantly hit on one’s health are there for all to see in once-upon-a time successful fighters. Look at the Klitschko brothers and how they have used their heights to great advantage to avoid being hit and remain at the top for a long time.

  3. I wanted manny to win,unfortunately it wasn’t his time.however I envy his fighting spirit,he inspires me.

  4. Mayweather landed 148 accurate punches out of the ones thrown 435 on pacquiao while pacquiao landed 81 out of the 429 punches thrown on mayweather. Statistics and video replays and analyses don’t lie. Like him or hate him, mayweather is a great champ as pacquiao later conceded at the interview. Pacquiao said he had a shoulder injury three weeks ago and that is why he could not use his right hand effectively. That may well be true but Mayweather easily adjusts within a few minutes depending on the opponent’s fighting style. Money is just a smart fighter and whatever people say will not change anything. Even the demeanour could tell that Manny himself realized he lost fairly squarely at the end of the 12th round. Hard luck pacquiao coz u lost to a better boxer but you are still good.

  5. And by the way, I like pacquiao and I want him to fight and win his next fight before he retires. It will take a long time in boxing to see the quality of fighters like Mayweather and Pacquiao. So enjoy the water before the well runs dry and stop bickering. You don’t know what u have till u lose it all and u never miss your water till your well runs dry. Gadfly boxers the two are.

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