SONAHR: LAS VEGAS, Nevada – May 3, 2015- So, did yesterday?s mega-bucks matchup between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao live up to its billing as the fight of the still-new 21st century? It came close enough. It went the distance, as did the then-Fight of the Century first clash between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971. Mayweather-Pacquiao did not feature any truly dramatic moments like the knockdown Frazier laid on Ali in the 15th round of that bout. The decision ? 118-110 and 116-112 twice, all in favor of Mayweather ? reflected a clear victory for Floyd. That 118-110 card was extreme; the fight was not that one-sided. Cheers, not boos, resounded through the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as the momentum of the battle swayed back and forth. In the end, Mayweather did more of what he needed to do, and Pacquiao didn?t. That was the story of the fight.
Yet for all the torrid action that took place inside the ring, the real drama unfolded afterward, during the post-fight press conferences.
Pacquiao revealed that he had suffered an injury to his right shoulder during training camp, and was thwarted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission when he requested anti-inflammatory medication. There was no way Pacquiao and his brain trust, headed by trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum, were going to postpone the biggest-paying boxing match in history. So Pacquiao went into the ring hampered by an injury that reduced his arsenal. He performed well enough under the circumstances ? just not well enough to win. This fight was nothing like his first bout with Timothy Bradley, in which the judges essentially pickpocketed Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, Mayweather dropped a post-fight bombshell of his own while announcing, as expected, that his next fight, scheduled for this coming September, will be his last. The surprise came when he said his swan song won?t be for any of the five major titles he now possesses in two divisions ? two at junior-middleweight and three at welterweight. In a typically grandiloquent gesture, Mayweather declared that he intends to vacate all his alphabet championships. So his last fight will be for bragging rights only ? for his part, finishing his career with a perfect 49-0 record, matching that of 1950s heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. A loss would give the man who beat him a prominent position in boxing?s history books.
An absence of titles on the line probably precludes a rematch with Pacquiao, who lost his WBO welterweight belt to Mayweather. Pacquiao is too proud a man to fight Mayweather again simply for bragging rights. Most other fighters in the 140-154-pound weight range, however, will jump at the chance to score a big payday by participating in the Mayweather finale.
Of course, the purse for that fight will not come close to the record $300 million Mayweather and Pacquiao earned between them. That record is likely to last for a long time to come. After all, how often do the two best pound-for-pound fighters of their time actually trade punches?
The making of Mayweather-Pacquiao was definitely the Wait of the Century. As for Fight of the Century, it?ll do for now.
