Millions gathered with friends, acquaintances, coworkers or really anyone that paid for the “Fight of the Century” Saturday night to watch Floyd “Money” Mayweather (48-0 26 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2 38 KOs) square off after years of failed negotiations.
Fans were hoping for an exciting match between boxing’s best. The fight went the distance with Mayweather winning by unanimous decision, 116-112, 116-112, 118-110.
With a $99.95 pay-per-view price, the boxing match was televised worldwide. Early viewership projections, expect the fight to be the most watched pay-per-view in television history.
With a projected three million pay-per-view sales, the fight would bring in approximately $300 million. With the steep ticket prices, revenue exceeded $74 million, more than six of seven World Series games ad the Super Bowl.
The boxers were to be paid based on the length of the fight. With the fighters lasting all 12 rounds, it is estimated that each will make over $100 million.
The fight started off evenly and the fighters danced around for the first round landing just three punches a piece. Rounds 2-6 were some of the most entertaining of the night, with both boxers trading blows and dodging punches.
Mayweather fought a calculated and defensive fight. Pacquiao took few power punches, but his speed was not on Mayweather's level. The undefeated champion avoided most punches and was never really staggered.
Most of the fight was a game of cat-and-mouse, but in this match Pac-Man wasn't the one running. Still, Mayweather landed jabs at will and controlled the fight from the outside. Though it was a tough fight to score, most experts had Mayweather winning on their unofficial cards.
“It was a good fight. I got him many times,” Pacquiao said after the fight. “I saw the punches. I thought I won the fight. He is moving around, it is not easy to throw a lot of punches.”
The fight, which unified the welterweight titles, was five and a half years in the making. In December of 2009, the fighters called off a possible meeting in March of the next year due to “contract disputes.” In 2012, more of the same.
The fighters split Saturday’s purse, 60-40 in favor of Mayweather.
After the fight, Mayweather announced that he will fight in September, then hang up the gloves as the only undefeated champion in the history of the sport.
“I take my hat off to Manny Pacquiao,” Mayweather said. “Now I see why he is one of the guys at the pinacle of boxing. I am truly blessed. Manny Pacquaio is truly blessed. I am a calculating fighter. He is a tough competitor. I had to take my time with him. My last fight is in September.”
At this time, it does not look like there will be a rematch.