Mayweather Wins Richest Fight in History

Manny Pacquiao says shoulder was injured, anti-inflammatory shot denied
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 3, 2015 3:33 AM CDT
Mayweather Wins Richest Fight in History
Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, embrace in the ring at the finish of their welterweight title fight on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas.    (John Locher)

The pressure of a $180 million payday never got to Floyd Mayweather Jr., even if the richest fight ever wasn't the best. Using his reach and jab last night, Mayweather frustrated Manny Pacquiao, piling up enough points to win a unanimous decision in their welterweight title bout. Mayweather remained unbeaten in 48 fights, cementing his legacy as the best of his generation. After the fight, it was disclosed that Pacquiao injured his right shoulder in training and that Nevada boxing commissioners denied his request to take an anti-inflammatory shot before the fight. Pacquiao chased Mayweather around the ring most of the fight. But he was never able to land a sustained volume of punches, as Mayweather worked his defensive wizardry again.

Two ringside judges scored the fight 116-112, while the third had it 118-110. The AP had Mayweather ahead 115-113. "I take my hat off to Manny Pacquiao. I see now why he is at the pinnacle of boxing," Mayweather said. "I knew he was going to push me, win some rounds." The bout wasn't an artistic triumph for either fighter, with long periods where both men fought cautiously. Five years in the making, the fight unfolded before a glittering crowd of celebrities, high rollers, and people who bought ringside seats going for $40,000 and up. They paid big money to watch two superstars fight for their legacies—and in Pacquiao's case his country—in addition to the staggering paydays for both. Mayweather takes home 60% of the approximately $300 million purse, depending on pay-per-view sales. The live gate alone was more than $70 million, and the bout was expected to easily smash the pay-per-view record of 2.48 million buys set in 2007 when Mayweather fought Oscar De La Hoya. (More boxing stories.)

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