Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Undercard: Highlights, Scorecards and Purse Info
Before all eyes turn to Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, there was a full undercard of fights to whet the appetite of the fans in attendance. Three of the five bouts were untelevised, with two kicking off the pay-per-view portion of the broadcast.
Originally, four undercard fights were scheduled, but per ESPN's Dan Rafael, the match between Andrew Tabiti and Anthony Caputo Smith had to be canceled:
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Results for all of the undercard bouts will appear here as soon as the fights are finished. Payout information will be updated when available.
| Fight | Winner | Method of Victory |
| Leo Santa Cruz vs. Jose Cayetano | Santa Cruz | Unanimous Decision |
| Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gamalier Rodriguez | Lomachenko | KO (Ninth Round) |
| Chris Pearson vs. Said El Harrak | Pearson | Unanimous Decision |
| Jesse Hart vs. Mike Jimenez | Hart | TKO (Sixth Round) |
| Brad Solomon vs. Adrian Granados | Solomon | Split Decision |
Leo Santa Cruz (30-0-1) def. Jose Cayetano (17-4) via unanimous decision
In the final match on the undercard, Leo Santa Cruz easily disposed of Jose Cayetano by winning all 10 rounds on all three judges' scorecards, via Steve Carp of the Providence Review-Journal:
This fight was expected to be a blowout, as Odds Shark had Santa Cruz as a -10,000 betting favorite, and it held serve. There was a clear disparity in talent from the time both men stepped in the ring, though credit Cayetano for hanging in all 10 rounds.
Cayetano's effort looks even better knowing he took the fight against Santa Cruz will just one week's notice. That also doesn't say much about where Santa Cruz's game is at right now, though he was moving up in weight class for the first time.
Lance Pugmire of The Los Angeles Times wrote that Santa Cruz seems to be walking a difficult tightrope with how he's handling his career:
"Since winning his super-bantamweight belt in 2013, he’s defended it four times and, with the exception of veteran opponent Cristian Mijares, the combined knockout percentages of Bedak and the three others is a woeful 44%.
Santa Cruz’s humility, toughness and dominating body punching have the potential to make him a favorite among the many Latino boxing fans, but television officials note his continued soft choices have caused interest in him to sag.
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While this win over Cayetano isn't going to do anything to change those opinions of Santa Cruz, he goes home with a victory and maintains his unbeaten record. Eventually, the opponents will have to start getting tougher, though he's just 26 and has time to become a star if that's what he wants.
Vasyl Lomachenko (4-0) def. Gamalier Rodriguez (25-2-3) via ninth-round KO
Vasyl Lomachenko entered tonight's event with a chance to emerge as a star, depending on the result of his bout with Gamalier Rodriguez.
After scoring a ninth-round knockout, it's safe to say Lomachenko lived up to the hype. Per ESPN's Dan Rafael, this was a destruction well before things ended:
Despite the limited professional experience for Lomachenko, he's got a vast boxing resume. The 27-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in two different weight classes (featherweight and lightweight).
According to Tim Gordon of The Buffalo News, Lomachenko's amateur fighting experience consists of 396 total fights with just one loss:
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told Rafael in the days leading up to this card that there is no ceiling for Lomachenko:
"I think the sky's the limit for this kid," Arum said. "He can be one of the great, great fighters of our time."
There's still a long way to go before Lomachenko reaches the category of greatest fighters in this generation, but the early returns have surely been promising. Taking care of business in terrific fashion on this stage gives him a chance to move up in competition as soon as he's ready to fight again.
Chris Pearson (12-0) def. Said El Harrak (12-2-2) via unanimous decision
Making Mayweather Promotions proud, Chris Pearson moved to 12-0 in his career with a convincing 10-round unanimous-decision win over Said El Harrak:
Per Ryan Maquinana of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Pearson won nine of 10 rounds from two judges and eight of 10 from the other:
Working for Mayweather Promotions made Pearson an easy candidate to appear on the card. He admitted to ESPN's Dan Rafael in March it wasn't a surprise, though he sounded like a fighter who felt like he still had something to prove to the bosses.
"When I got the call, I ain't gonna say I expected it, but I know I've been putting in the hard work and I know I am ready to go to the next level," Pearson said. "I'm glad we're on the same page. I'm ready to get in the ring and do what I do best."
Now with 13 fights under his belt, including one no-contest, Pearson seems to be showing all the right people he belongs on a bigger stage.
Jesse Hart (17-0) def. Mike Jimenez (17-1) via sixth-round TKO
The night's first stoppage came courtesy of Jesse Hart, who dropped Mike Jimenez just past two minutes into the sixth round. It was a dominant effort even before the TKO, as the super middleweight had won all five rounds leading up to it, per Maquinana:
Hart has been a knockout machine throughout his young career. It was only the fourth time in his 17-fight career, and just the second time in his last four bouts, that he went past four rounds.
Per Ray Flores of ESPN 1000 in Chicago, the end came for Jimenez when Hart landed a barrage of rights with some left hooks mixed in:
The loss marks Jimenez's first in 19 career fights (one no-contest). He was fighting an uphill battle the entire fight before tasting defeat. Hart was all over him from the opening bell, as Jimenez came out with plenty of facial bruises to show for his effort.
Hart is rising through the ranks at super middleweight. The win gave him the unified NABO, USBA and NABF super middleweight titles. The young Philadelphia native continues to show good things as he builds a resume.
It won't be long before he is on the pay-per-view portion of cards if he keeps winning like this.
Brad Solomon (25-0) def. Adrian Granados (13-4-2) via split decision
In the opening bout on the card, Brad Solomon moved his record to a perfect 25-0 with a split-decision victory over Adrian Granados. The 31-year-old Louisiana native had a 96-94 edge on two scorecards, while Granados was given a 96-94 advantage from one judge, according to Maquinana:
This marks Solomon's fourth fight in the last 12 months, with three wins coming by decision. He's not a huge power fighter, with just nine career knockouts, so taking a methodical approach that allows him to outwork opponents is key.
A quick turnaround between fights is nothing new for Solomon. His manager, Herm Harris, told Ryan Burton of BoxingScene.com in April that this may be a nice steppingstone to bigger things.
"I'm happy he's getting this opportunity," Harris said. "Hopefully after this he will be on to way bigger things. He came up the hard way taking fights on short notice and coming in as the opponent and upsetting a lot of good guys."
Solomon didn't disappoint on the biggest fight card in a long time. It may not have been a star-making effort with a split-decision victory, but at least he keeps his unblemished record.
The 25-year-old Granados needs to turn things around quickly. He's now lost his last two fights, though they've been hard-luck defeats. He lost via majority decision last November against Felix Diaz after being knocked down in Rounds 9 and 10.
Note: Boxer stats and records via BoxRec.com unless otherwise noted
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