Manny, Floyd Switching Roles in Wake of Pacquiao's Delusional Post-Fight Rant

As the final bell rang, ending the "Fight of the Century," there was a slight pause before Manny Pacquiao threw both arms in the air. It was a desultory and rote gesture. Hopeful at best. A little sad at worst. There was no way he actually believed he won his bout with Floyd Mayweather.

There's no way anyone did.

The judges scored the bout, unanimously, for Mayweather. So did scorers for both HBO and Showtime. Compubox numbers cleared up any questions, confirming that Floyd had been the more effective fighter, landing 148 punches to Pacquiao's 81.

"That was not the plan," HBO announcer Jim Lampley said simply. "The plan was to land a lot more than that."

That, of course, is always the plan for Mayweather opponents. And always, almost without exception, it's a plan he negates with a simple roll of his shoulders.

Mayweather, like he's done to so many other fighters in his 19 years as a professional, froze Pacquiao in his tracks. It was classic Floyd, not necessarily scintillating to the masses, as Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel pointed out, but a craftsman-like performance by a truly elite fighter:

"

...this wasn’t so much a boring fight as a Floyd Mayweather fight, and you can label it dull if you wish, rail that he just doesn’t excite the masses with the offense everyone craves, but this is exactly what was likely to happen.

"

"I was a smart fighter," Mayweather told Jim Gray after the bout. "I out-boxed him."

And yet, in the immediate aftermath, Pacquiao was insistent that he'd won the bout, telling an incredulous Max Kellerman "he didn't do nothing." It was a tone-deaf and classless performance, a proud fighter unable to reckon with the fact he'd been handled with ease in the biggest bout of his career.

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

You can forgive a fighter for almost any misstep in the ring after a fight. The adrenaline is still flowing and, unless he's Floyd Mayweather, he's likely been hit in the head by a professional athlete more than 100 times.

But Pacquiao, to his detriment, doubled down on his delusions at the post-fight press conference. After seemingly offering a mea culpa to start, telling the assembled media masses "my best wasn't good enough," he was back on the war path soon enough.

This time, however, he didn't come without ammunition. He brought an excuse with him—he had been injured during training.

"For two weeks I didn't train well," Pacquiao said. "Because I couldn't use my right hand."

Never mind that there hadn't been even a whisper of the injury before the bout. Never mind that no one, even when trying to explain his struggles in the ring, had suggested Pacquiao might be hurt. Never mind that Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar said "I have no proof of the injury," according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole.

Outside the ring, Floyd Mayweather is the ultimate coward. But, on this night, it was Manny Pacquiao who didn't have the courage to face an uncomfortable truth—in the end, he was merely second best. 

Mayweather, carefully polite just like he'd been after outclassing another popular fighter, Arturo Gatti, attempted to apply salve to Pacquiao's psychic wounds.

"He's a tough competitor," Mayweather said of Pacquiao. "He's a true champion at heart."

Before the fight, there was narrative that this was a battle of good versus evil. The crowd certainly seemed to buy into it, booing Mayweather soundly and cheering Pacquiao's every success, no matter how inconsequential.

But a true hero is gracious in defeat, as well as in victory. He doesn't whine about training-camp injuries or try to discredit his conqueror. Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be better than this. It's a shame he didn't live up to his lofty reputation.