... his win against Manny Pacquiao wasn't magical but it was a masterclass from the best illusionist in Las Vegas
- Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao on points at the MGM Grand
- It was chess in a boxing ring, and did not ignite the sport as was hoped
- David Copperfield performs at the MGM Grand, but Mayweather is probably the best illusionist in all of Las Vegas
- He made up to $200million disappear into his bank account by putting on a show in which he expended the necessary minimum of effort
Floyd Mayweather will stand taller than Manny Pacquiao not only in the ring but in the pantheon of boxing’s all-time greats.
Here was an admirable example of an intelligent, orderly disciplined exposition of the noble art of self defence.
Yet as a Saturday night out at the theatre it was neither dramatic nor exciting.
This was chess in a boxing ring, which caught the intellect without entertaining the audience. It was not, as had been hoped, the fight to ignite the sport.
It was sufficient for Mayweather to preserve his cherished unbeaten record, now 48-0, after adding Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight belt to the WBC and WBA titles he already owned. But through no real fault of his own it does not put the final seal on his claim to be The Best Ever.
Just as the fight did not compare with those of yore, the manner of the victory holds him back from the company of such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Joe Louis.
What had been sold so hysterically as some kind of cross between the Second Coming and the greatest event in the history of the universe materialised into what Mayweather always said it would be: ‘Just another fight.’
A fairly good fight, yes. But nothing that special.
In part this was because because Pacquiao did not oblige Mayweather.
The principal hope that this event might live up to the hype, the heat of the media and the high expectations was that Pacquiao would force Mayweather into a pitched battle.
When he failed to do so he lost the attention of not only much of the crowd but the judges.
There was revelation after the defeat of a shoulder injury which almost persuaded Pacquiao to seek a postponement. Evidently, the financial cost of that did not bear thinking about.
And perhaps his right hand was hampered to some extent. But although the speed still blurred the eye, the boundless energy and non-stop combinations were less in evidence than usual.
Not that I agree with the margins by which the officials garlanded Mayweather with his latest victory.
The judge who called it 118-110 was as out of kilter as many Mayweather admirers think I was in scoring it a draw.
Even the other two officials at 116-112 were ungenerous to Pacquiao. But in a fight with so many close rounds the assessment frequently comes down to a preference for a style. And never discount that this is Mayweather fighting at home, in the city to which, on nights like this, he is worth a fortune bigger than his own.
In my view Pacquiao’s aggression kept him on level terms when weighed against Mayweather’s running, holding and sporadic accuracy.
The impression of Mayweather domination was reinforced by television commentary but there were others at ringside who went further than myself by marking Pacquiao the winner.
In truth, when the rounds are this close there is not much arguing with a narrow win either way, or a good old score draw. The punch statistics, by the way, which hardly acknowledged a PacMan blow of any significance, were laughable.
For what it’s worth, Pacquiao honestly believed he won. Where Mayweather definitely outscored the idol of the Philippines was with this retort to the shoulder injury claim: ‘We all carry injuries. I had both hands injured tonight. But if he’d won I would just have congratulated him and told him that he was the better man on the night.’ Ouch. This is a hard old game and that one hurt.
What we do know for certain is that not even Mayweather The Magician will be able to conjure up another half a billion dollars for a rematch.,
As one night stands go this was anything but sexy and few in Sin City or out there in pay-per-view country would want to watch it again.
The buzz which 16,507 fans had brought in with them from the over-flowing Strip evaporated in the Grand Garden.
As they filed back out they told the thousands left outside, the many who could not afford the exorbitant tickets but just wanted to be around on the big night, that it wasn’t worth the money — anything from $1,750 to $350,000 a seat.
For most of us, the overall experience has been greater than the actual event.
With Pacquiao misfiring at times and as a consequence Mayweather more comfortable in there than he might have anticipated, they pretty much cancelled each other out. That can happen when two excellent practitioners meet in the ring and on this occasion the flashes of genius were intermittent.
Pacquiao will regret keeping something in reserve on the defining night of his career. The animated Filipinos present were still lionising him later but neither the result or the performance will have boosted his eventual campaign to become president of his country.
Mayweather, criticised as he is for his spending extravagance and domestic conduct outside the ring, has simpler choices to make.
Money, and plenty of it, is the primary objective. He also craves to be recognised as The Greatest, although Muhammad Ali reminded him last week that that the title is taken.
The one last fight, back here in September, will not take care of either ambition.
There will not be a financial bonanza to approach this Fight of the Century, whoever the opponent.
But assuming he wins, he will draw level with Rocky Marciano, who retired undefeated with a 49-0 record.
Their 'People's Champion', a potential future president of the country, was defeated by Mayweather in Vegas
By JEFF POWELL FOR THE DAILY MAIL
