Undefeated: Mayweather wins lopsided 'Fight of the Century' over Pacquiao

48-0.

It wasn't necessarily a bout befitting the title "Fight of the Century," but Floyd Mayweather Jr. kept his spotless record intact Saturday night.

Unrelenting hype aside, the long-gestating bout played out exactly as expected, with Mayweather's superior jab, technical boxing, and defensive wizardry carrying him to a wide unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in front of a star-studded audience at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Two judges scored the fight 116-112, and one had it 118-110, as Mayweather became the unified welterweight champion of the world. Mayweather said in the post-fight press conference that he would relinquish the titles he won Saturday night to give younger, upcoming fighters a shot at the belts.

Mayweather was essentially unhittable for much of the 12 round affair, as "Money" transformed into a ghost every time Pacquiao doggedly tried in vain to close the distance and land combinations on the inside.

(Courtesy: Compubox)

It wasn't all Mayweather mastery, though, as Pacquiao showed flashes of brilliance at points during the bout, stealing a few rounds with heavy flurries while Mayweather was trapped with his back against the ropes.

Unfortunately for Pacman, his dominant moments were few and far between, as Mayweather's jab and slick counter-right allowed him to control the distance and slow down Pacquiao's pace.

After finally slaying his white whale, Mayweather revealed his future plans during the post-fight interview.

"My last fight is in September," Mayweather said. "I'll do that and I will hang it up."

A clearly exhausted Pacquiao refused to accept defeat, insisting that he had done enough to emerge with his hand raised.

"I did my best," Pacquiao said. "But my best wasn't good enough. It was a good fight. He didn't do nothing."

That's where Pacquiao is wrong. 

Mayweather did do something, Manny. He proved he was the greatest boxer of his generation.

See below for a round-by-round breakdown.

Round 12

After sharing a hug in the middle of the ring, it was more of the same in the final round, as Floyd Mayweather proved to be virtually unhittable, while Pacquiao failed in his quest to land anything meaningful.

As time ticked away, Mayweather raised his hand in celebration as Pacquiao tried, and failed, to land a fight-ending kill-shot. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 11

Mayweather continues to be a defensive wizard, as Pacquiao's constant pursuit is met with slick counter right hands.  Pacquiao is looking gassed, he's heavier than usual for this fight and at this point it's showing, as his pace has clearly slowed. 

As we head into the final round, Pacquiao will likely need a knockout. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 10

Mayweather's jab, movement and crisp counters made it impossible for Pacquiao to piece together any meaningful combinations. Pacquiao keeps chasing Mayweather, but can't keep the pound-for-pound great trapped for too long. Mayweather is taking this one over, and Manny will need to look for a knockout heading into the championship rounds. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 9

Manny Pacquiao isn't throwing enough punches, or landing a high enough percentage, Mayweather, conversely, is connecting at a higher percentage, with neither man doing much to give the other pause.

Pacquiao came to life in the waning seconds of the round, flurrying on Mayweather along the ropes, until Floyd escaped right before the bell rang. Still not enough to steal the round. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 8

We returned to more of a Mayweather pace for round eight, and although Pacquiao landed a few early, Mayweather, finding success with his left hook, landed the cleaner shots. Relatively even round, with no one landing much of any significance. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 7

Not much happened in the seventh, as Mayweather, becoming the aggressor, slowed down the pace. Though Mayweather landed quite a few jabs, Pacquiao landed the most demonstrative punch in the round, pushing Mayweather back with a heavy left. 10-9 Pacquiao

Round 6

Aggressiveness was the name of the game in the sixth, as Pacquiao came to life, pinning Mayweather against the ropes with a few furious flurries, though he wasn't able to do much damage, and "Money" mocked Pacquiao every time they split. 10-9 Pacquiao  

Round 5

Mayweather got back into the groove in the fifth, taking a more cautious approach while Pacquaio wasn't as active as he was in the previous round. "Money" landed the best punch of the frame, stumbling Pacquiao slightly with a big counter right.  10-9 Mayweather

Round 4

Pacquiao came to life in the fourth round, as he battered Mayweather along the fence with combinations to the head and body. Mayweather was legitimately stunned, as he shelled up while Pacquiao unloaded. Easy round for Pacquiao. 10-9 Pacquiao 

Round 3

Mayweather was able to land his lead right hand on a number of occasions. His speed was too much for Pacquiao who finds landing punches extremely difficult. Mayweather was essentially unhittable, and Manny was left swinging at air. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 2

Pacquiao came out more aggressive in the second, stalking Mayweather repeatedly while trying to back his opponent into the corner with combinations. The crowd was clearly in Pacquiao's corner, and although no one did much damage, Mayweather landed cleaner. Kind of a toss up round, though Mayweather landed the more meaningful strikes. 10-9 Mayweather

Round 1

The crowd buzzed as the two felt each other out for the opening minute. Mayweather scored the only decent shots of the round, connecting with a pair of hard right hands.  Not much from Pacquiao in the first. 10-9 Mayweather   

Pre-Fight

The wait is finally over.

After what felt like centuries of sitcom-level "will they, won't they" storylines, the two greatest boxers of their generation - Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao  - will finally stand toe-to-toe in a boxing ring Saturday night.

In the final fight of the undercard, Leo Santa Cruz completely ran roughshod over an overmatched Jose Cayetano, notching a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Although Santa Cruz, who was making his debut at featherweight, absolutely dominated Cayetano, Cayetano showed off an iron chin, absorbing punishment until the final bell.

In the pay-per-view's opening bout, WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko overcame a slow start to stop Gamalier Rodriguez with a ninth round TKO.

It was expected to be nothing more than a showcase fight for the talented Ukranian, but Rodriguez was more than game, hanging tough for the earlier rounds before he was eventually overwhelmed as the fight reached the later stages.

Lomachenko forced Rodriguez down to one knee with a left hook in the ninth round, and instead of getting up and enduring more punishment, Rodriguez stayed down until referee Robert Byrd counted to 10.

The celebrity hype for this bout is reaching dangerously ridiculous levels, and it showed at the Las Vegas airport Saturday afternoon.

To further prove the point that the average human being doesn't have access to the "Fight of the Century," here is a stark reminder:

Yep, that's $40,000 worth of tickets.

Outside of the usual controversy that follows Mayweather based on his checkered past, his camp's pulling of CNN sports anchor Rachel Nichols' media credentials, and the subsequent cover-up job, caused a stir Saturday afternoon.

Nichols posted the following on her Twitter page:  

Have had a bunch of folks asking questions about the Mayweather issue. Here's what happened: After asking tough questions of Floyd Mayweather on my program, I was not offered press credentials to cover tonight's fight. In an email dated April 23, I was told I would only be credentialed for the run-up events through the week, but in bold, italic letters the email stated "you do not have any access Saturday to any services or events." A CNN producer revisited the issue with the Mayweather camp on April 29, confirming to Mayweather's publicist that I would be in Las Vegas, and the publicist replied that I would still be denied a fight night credential. I was told the same thing when I arrived at the credential office in person on May 1, by two separate officials, in front of several other people. It doesn't surprise me that now, after facing significant backlash, the Mayweather camp has reversed its position. But despite this, and other outside parties generously offering me their seats, I will not attend the fight. I will also not let fear of retaliation prevent me from asking the tough questions the public deserves answers to in the future.