Floyd Mayweather defeats Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision

Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in their much anticipated fight in Las Vegas on Saturday, unifying the world welterweight championship.

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
May 2, 2015

Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in their much anticipated fight Saturday in Las Vegas, unifying the world welterweight championship.

Mayweather won by a 12-round unanimous decision. He was the betting favorite from the day the fight was announced.

The judges' scores were 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 in favor of Mayweather.

With the win, Mayweather improved to 48–0 in his professional career. Both fighters are expected to take home more than $100 million, making the fight the richest in history. Mayweather takes home 60% of the purse and Pacquiao receives the other 40%.

• WATCH: Highlights from Mayweather's win over Pacquiao

Some of the discussion before fight centered around Mayweather's history of domestic violence. Mayweather has pleaded guilty or been found guilty in five domestic violence cases over the past 14 years.

For Pacquiao, the loss was the sixth of his career and the third in his last six fights. He lost his WBO welterweight title, giving Mayweather every major title in the weight class.

- Dan Gartland

GALLERY: MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: SI's Best Photos

Floyd Mayweather won a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao to run his record to 48-0 on May 2. Here are SI's best pictures from the bout.

Two of the judges scored the fight 116-112 for Mayweather, while the other judge scored it 118-110.

Mayweather was successful in throwing his his jab to keep Pacquiao at bay.

Pacquiao threw far fewer punches than he normally does in a fight, with Mayweather actually throwing more. (Text credit: AP)

Pacquiao chased Mayweather around the ring most of the night, but was never able to land a sustained volume of punches. (AP)

After the fight, it was disclosed that Pacquiao injured his right shoulder in training and that Nevada boxing commissioners denied his request to take an anti-inflammatory shot in his dressing room before the fight. (AP)

By winning the welterweight bout, Mayweather cemented his legacy as the best of his generation. (AP)

Pacquiao thought he had won the bout, largely on the basis of a few left hands that seemed to shake Mayweather. (AP)

There were no knockdowns, and neither fighter seemed terribly hurt at any time. (AP)

Mayweather fought confidently in the late rounds, winning the last two rounds on all three scorecards. (AP)

The crowd of 16,507 cheered nearly every time Pacquiao threw a punch. (AP)

Ringside punch stats showed Mayweather landing 148 punches of 435, while Pacquiao landed 81 of 429. (AP)

In the corner, Mayweather's father kept yelling at his son to do more. But Mayweather was content to stick with what was working and not take a risk that could cost him the fight. (AP)

Pacquiao landed probably the biggest punch in the fight in the fourth round — a left hand that sent Mayweather into the ropes — but he wasn't able to consistently land against the elusive champion. (AP)

"He's a very awkward fighter, so I had to take my time and watch him close," Mayweather said. (AP)

Pacquiao had vowed to take the fight to Mayweather and force him into a war. His camp thought Mayweather's 38-year-old legs weren't what they once were. (AP)

"You're tough," Mayweather said to Pacquiao after the bout, hugging him in the ring. (AP)

The fight unfolded before a glittering crowd of celebrities, high rollers and people who had enough money to pay for ringside seats going for $40,000 and up. (AP)

In the final seconds of the fight Mayweather raised his right hand in victory and after the bell rang stood on the ropes, pounding his heart with his gloves. (AP)

"I thought we pulled it out," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "I asked my man to throw more combinations between rounds. I thought he fought flat-footed too many times." (AP)