Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (Right) fights Floyd Mayweather of the U.S. in the seventh round during their welterweight WBO, WBC and WBA (Super) title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 2, 2015. REUTERS
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 by the Filipino southpaw and then won the later rounds to finish ahead on all three judges' scorecards in a welterweight showdown that is expected 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 fight that was over 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.
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 everything but a knockout.
"Manny Pacquiao is a hell of fighter, I see now why he is at the pinnacle of boxing," 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."
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