Seven years’ worth of boxing anticipation and teases came down to 12 complete rounds in Las Vegas. The biggest fight right now combat sports between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao actually took place before the Earth or the universe could implode onto itself. Blood tests, political agendas, and quarrels over money fell by the waist side so two highly skilled boxers could punch each other in the head as the world watched.
Dubbed the fight of the century or the fight of our generation, one of boxing’s appeals is its long history. 100 years plus of organized sport weighed just above the heads of Mayweather and Pacquiao in the build-up right until the bell for round one sounded. After the enormity of the moment was gone it was just two of the best boxers of the last 30 years inside a ring together with each given an equal opportunity to permanently carve their name in prize fighting history.
Known as a slow starter it was Mayweather who fired out of the gates and took the first two rounds on points. Pacquiao chased and fired away at will but hit mostly desert air while Mayweather landed counter punches with ease. In round four Pacquiao finally was able to force Mayweather to fight off the ropes, with “Pac-man” holding the turbo button he grazed the former Olympian with punching combinations.
Half way through the 12 round affair, to the surprise of many pundits both Mayweather and Pacquiao actually came to fight. A collective holy shit was let out by everyone with two eyes watching the bout unfold. Despite sitting on $400 million dollars or so of collective cash, both boxers put the magnitude of the minute aside and boxed at the highest of levels.
In the back half of the super-fight the storyline continued to be Mayweather’s brilliant defenses versus Pacquiao’s pace but also the variety of scorecards that fans and media members had written down. A draw? A controversial split decision? Anything was possible as three Nevada judges held all the power in the world with how they viewed Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
The final three rounds saw both boxers appear mortal for the first time as Mayweather and Pacquiao showed signs of fatigue. Round ten in particular could have been labeled as a “cruise frame” by everyone in the ring. In round eleven Pacquiao’s pace slowed but Mayweather’s counter attacks continued to flow at top speed.
The final round appeared to be more of a victory lap for the two boxers in their late thirties who had somehow, someway pulled off the biggest prize fight on the planet and they even put a good show for the majority of it.
The final scorecards read 118-110, 116-112, 116-112 in favor of Money Mayweather. Defense wins championship and despite his advanced age Mayweather’s reflexes and fast twitch reacts are still better than any other human being on Earth. Rematch?
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) May 3, 2015
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao #PacquiaoMayweather #MayweatherPacquiao #MayPac Pac eats punches https://t.co/RFQJFDGaD0
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) May 3, 2015
Floyd Mayweather not happy with fans #PacquiaoMayweather #MayweatherPacquiao #MayPac https://t.co/K58VTYOTFj
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) May 3, 2015
