Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao
had promised to give fans their money’s worth and were true to their word in
delivering an entertaining contest that had the capacity crowd on its feet
roaring from the opening bell to the end of the 12 round showcase.
“Manny Pacquiao is a hell of
fighter, I see now why he is at the pinnacle of boxing,” the 38-year-old
Mayweather said after an emotional embrace with Pacquiao. “I’m a smart fighter,
I outboxed him. We knew what we had to do. He’s a tough competitor ... a very
awkward fighter and I had to take my time and watch him closely.”
The fight between the two greatest
boxers of their generation was one that appeared might never happen as Pacquiao
resisted Mayweather’s demands for blood-testing for five years.
When the two camps finally hammered
out a deal, it was the richest in boxing history, setting new records for
pay-per-view (PPV) buys and gate receipts.
The fighters were also paid royally
for their night’s work, with Mayweather guaranteed $120m and Pacquiao $80m
although both men could pocket much more depending on the number of PPV
purchases.
“My last fight is in September and
then it is time for me to hang it up,” Mayweather said in the ring. “I am
almost 40 years old now, I have been in the sport 19 years, I have been world
champion 18 years. I am truly thankful and I am blessed.”
Dubbed the “Fight of the Century”
the MGM Grand Garden Arena crackled with energy as the rich and famous settled
into their ringside seats.
Actors Clint Eastwood, Robert De
Niro, Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington rubbed shoulders with sports
celebrities such as Michael Jordan, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady
and billionaire Donald Trump.
With prime seats commanding
six-figure sums on the resale market even the very wealthy and very famous were
forced to call in favors to secure a golden ticket while an estimated 150,000
to 200,000 fight fans flooded into the desert gambling capital to be part of
the buzz.
Wearing a simple white T-shirt,
Pacquiao knelt in his corner for a prayer as boos filled the hall when
Mayweather appeared on the giant screens.
There were no smiles from the
stone-faced American as he entered the ring wearing black, white and gold
trunks and sporting a $23,000 mouth guard with flecks of gold and pieces of a
hundred dollar bill.
Five years of hype then reached a
climax when famed announcer Jimmy Lennon stood in the centre of the ring and
told the crowd, “the wait is over, it’s go time”.
