Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Results, Punch Stats and Analysis of Superfight
You may not think much of Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a person, but only those blinded by hate, or those who are uneducated in the art of boxing, can question his greatness. On Saturday night, he soundly beat a fighter who is going to go down as one of the best in history.
It was a shockingly easy victory. Showtime Sports has the official scorecards:
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To have beaten Manny Pacquiao in this way is amazing.
You will hear many people calling the fight boring because of the style in which it was contested, but most of the critics are casual fans who don't bother to watch the sport unless there's a "big" fight.
These fans look for blood and guts in every bout. Mayweather should make no apologies for masterfully dominating a fight and taking minimal damage in the process. True boxing fans could appreciate his nearly immaculate defense, Pacquiao's speed and what it meant to see two icons of the sport share the same ring.
Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of the fight came when Pacquiao claimed he thought he had won the bout while being interviewed by a perplexed Max Kellerman of HBO.
An appropriate clarifying question from Kellerman would have been: "You thought you won which fight? The one against Floyd?" I understand competitiveness and pride, but for Pacquiao to believe he won, after he was controlled in almost every round, can only be described as delusional or dishonest.
This is not a matter of style preference. The punch stats confirm the concept. Per Round by Round Boxing, Mayweather dominated the volume and accuracy:
Pacquiao deserves credit for landing a few hard shots that seemed to hurt Mayweather on at least one occasion. In the fourth round, a straight left sent Money into the ropes. Pacquiao pounced on him with a flurry to the body. Mayweather's defense picked off almost every punch, but there was no question Pac-Man got his attention with the sequence.
In almost every round after that, Mayweather controlled the distance with his jab and counter right hand. The most impressive aspect of his performance was that he worked the jab more than he normally does.
Against Marcos Rene Maidana in their first meeting, Mayweather threw a total of 152 jabs. Against Pacquiao Saturday night, he threw 267 jabs. The punch slowed Pacquiao's output and set the tone for the fight early. Mayweather mixed in the straight right hand to keep Pacquiao honest. He would also interpolate a solid right-hand uppercut as well.
Ultimately, Pacquiao had no answer for Mayweather's length, speed and guile. I guess that's why he's the best of his era. Like it or not, we all know it's true.
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