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Philippine International Sports - Most all of us already
know the result of the Fight of the century Floyd Mayweather Versus Manny
Pacquiao, well luckily Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Win the fight against Manny
Pacquiao. In this behalf Manny sealed his status as a boxing great, but
triggered an outcry in the Philippines and divided opinion amongst the sports
legends.
Feinting and dancing his way
to a unanimous decision, Mayweather comfortably picked off Pacquiao over 12
rounds to extend his 19-year unbeaten record to 48-0.
But the lucrative bout hyped
as the "Fight of the Century" failed to pack the visceral punch seen
in some of boxing's most celebrated confrontations, and Mayweather's win was
booed by sections of a 16,507 crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Yet the jeers could not
obscure a clear win for the skilful Mayweather, with judges awarding him the
decision by margins of 118-110 and 116-112.
Mayweather, who retained his
World Boxing Association welterweight titles and seized Pacquiao's World Boxing
Organization crown, faced down his detractors immediately after the fight,
clambering on the ring ropes and yelling: "I told you!"
"Everyone said this guy
could beat Floyd, that Floyd is a chicken," Mayweather said. "The
non-believers, well Floyd turned them into believers."
- '#underwhelmed' –
Not everyone was converted,
however, with former world champion Oscar de la Hoya, who lost a split decision
to Mayweather in 2007, bemoaning his "running style."
"Sorry boxing fans,"
De La Hoya wrote on Twitter. "Call me old school but I like the fans
getting their money's worth by watching an action-packed fight."
Former world heavyweight
champion Mike Tyson, who had picked Pacquiao to win, wrote on Twitter: "We
waited five years for that ... #underwhelmed."
Former world champion Barry
McGuigan called the fight "boringly one-sided."
Fans in the Philippines echoed
the disappointment of those in the ring, crying foul over the judges' decision
and claiming their man was robbed of victory.
Filipino politicians and
public figures ranging from the head of the army to swimsuit models weighed in
on the decision, lining up to cry foul in a land where Pacquiao, 36, is revered
as a national hero.
Pacquiao, who said after the
fight a shoulder injury had hindered his performance, insisted he had done
enough to win the bout.
"I thought I won the
fight," he said. "He didn't do nothing."
- 'Some people want blood' –
But other fight figures
praised Mayweather's exhibition of elusive ringcraft.
Britain's Lennox Lewis on
Twitter said: "If U can't catch it you can't hit it #Maypac that pretty
much sums up the fight.
"Some ppl want blood
& get disappointed when they don't get it. Doesn't take away from the fact
that Floyd is a great technician."
Frank Bruno hailed Floyd
Mayweather as a supreme "craftsman" of the ring.
"In this generation you
have to go very, very far before you can be a skilled craftsman, businessman,
technician, professional and a king in knowing his craft," he told BBC
Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme.
"As a boxer you've got to
admire him, he's got to go down as one of the greats."
The debate washed over
Mayweather as he retreated to count his winnings, estimated at more than $200
million for a night's work.
"I am the American
dream," Mayweather said, reiterating his insistence that he plans to
retire in September after one more win that would see him level Rocky
Marciano's legendary milestone of 49-0.
"My last fight is in
September. I'll do that and I will hang it up," said Mayweather.
Pacquiao will receive well
over $100 million in a 60-40 purse split the fighters agreed to beforehand,
with revenues believed to have soared past $400 million.
The unprecedented interest in
the fight saw the entrance of the boxers delayed about 45 minutes as heavy demand
for the pay-per-view telecast overwhelmed broadcasters and created technical
problems.
The audience at ringside read
like a who's who of Hollywood and the sports world with director Clint
Eastwood, actors Robert De Niro, Jon Voight, Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper,
musician Sting and former NBA star Magic Johnson in the crowd.
And at the last Even though Manny didn’t win the fight, still we love him
even Floyd won but in our heart he still won the game.
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