Mayweather on the money again, remains undefeated

He’s still perfect.

It wasn’t easy, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. was able to outbox Manny Pacquiao and remain undefeated Saturday night, going to 48-0 with a 12-round unanimous decision in front of a sellout crowd of 16,507 at the MGM Grand Garden.

Judges Burt Clements and Glenn Feldman had Mayweather winning 116-112, while Dave Moretti scored it 118-110.

“I take my hat off to Pacquiao,” the 38-year-old Mayweather said. “He’s a hell of a fighter. I see now why he has been so successful.

“But I didn’t get hit with a lot of shots. I was able to stay on the outside and outbox him. The only time I had trouble with him was when I stayed in the pocket. But when I kept him on the outside, I was able to control the fight.”

For Pacquiao, it was a tough loss as he fell to 57-6-2.

“I thought I had done enough to win,” Pacquiao said. “I was surprised by the scores.

“He never hurt me and I caught him many more times than he hit me.”

Actually, he didn’t. Mayweather was the busier fighter and was rewarded for it. The CompuBox stats showed Mayweather with a 148-84 edge in punches landed. Mayweather also held an edge in jabs thrown and landed 67 to only 18 for the 36-year-old Pacquiao. And Mayweather had an edge in power punches, 81-63.

But the most telling stat was this one: it was the 14th straight fight in which Mayweather’s opponent landed just 19 percent of total punches thrown at him. Mayweather always makes sure he’s the busier person inside the ring.

The fight, expected to do record numbers for live gate at $72 million as well as breaking the pay-per-view records for most buys and gross sales, was entertaining enough. It was a good, competitive fight and both Mayweather and Pacquiao earned their money.

HBO and Showtime announced after the fight that the networks will simultaneously replay it at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Mayweather, who finished as a minus-240 betting favorite at MGM Resorts sports books, was expected to make at least $180 million and some estimates have him surpassing $200 million, while Pacquiao was expected to pocket at least $120 million. The fight was delayed 30 minutes because of a last-minute crush of PPV purchasers across the country.

There were titles at stake — Mayweather’s World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association welterweight belts along with Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization title.

But this fight wasn’t about unifying a weight class. It was about legacy and history. Mayweather was looking to stay perfect while Pacquiao hoped to be the first man to defeat Mayweather as a pro.

Both fighters tried to go to their strengths from the opening bell. Mayweather relied on defense, his distance and setting up the big right hand with the jab. Pacquiao looked to pressure Mayweather, get him off-kilter and land multiple blows.

But Pacquiao was missing wildly more often than not and Mayweather would make him pay by tagging him with the right. However, Pacquiao did very good work in rounds three and four, especially in round four when he landed a big left to Mayweather’s face and hurt him. Pacquiao stayed on the attack and was raining blows on his opponent.

Mayweather survived the round but there’s no doubt Pacquiao now had his attention and he knew he was in a fight.

“My father (and trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.) wanted me to stay busier and throw more punches but I had to be careful because Pacquiao is so awkward,” Mayweather said. “I didn’t want to really take any risks.”

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach wanted him to step on the gas.

“I wanted Manny to throw more combinations,” Roach said. “I thought he was a little flat-footed at times.”

But Pacquiao was unable to duplicate his success in the fourth and later, the sixth round, when he landed a big left that backed up Mayweather and then swarmed all over him, throwing a flurry of blows, some of which had an impact.

Yet Roach still though his guy had done enough to win. “I thought we had pulled it out,” he said.

But Mayweather did enough to win. He was the superior boxer and while he endured some punishment, it wasn’t enough that he was in the danger zone and he never lost his composure inside the ring. He always appeared to be in control of himself and of the situation.

“We both did our best to entertain the fans,” Mayweather said. “He had his moments. But I never felt like I wasn’t in control.”

In other words, a typical Mayweather performance in an atypical setting. Tickets for the fight were priced from $1,500 to $10,000 and there were 16,507 inside the Grand Garden who will be able to boast that they were there.

Few were complaining over what they saw. Yes, the Pacquiao fan base was disappointed. Their man acquitted himself well. But Mayweather was simply better over the 12 rounds and earned the right to keep the zero on his record intact.

“He’s a tough competitor but I’m a calculated fighter,” Mayweather said. ” When the history books are written, this fight will have been worth the wait.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.