Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao Results: Top Highlights from Title Fight

A unanimous-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday evening saw Floyd Mayweather take his unbeaten career record to 48-0 under the lights of the Las Vegas strip.

A smart and effective game plan paved the way to what was far from a glamorous win for Money, with Bleacher Report providing immediate reaction to the super-fight result:

It was billed as a fight between good and evil, the man of the people attempting to end the streak of a boxing baron, but Mayweather was every bit worthy of his 48th triumph, however lacking in flash it may have been.

All three judges agreed that unbeaten record deserved to stay unblemished, scoring the fight 118-110, 116-112, 116-112 in Mayweather's favor, as shown by ESPN's David Kull:

It was clear from the beginning just where the loyalties of the Las Vegas crowd lay, with Pacquiao drawing in the greater share of fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Dan Rafael of ESPN illustrates just how differently the two contenders were received upon making their way into the ring:

Those Pacquiao supporters will therefore have been disappointed with the early disposition of the encounter, where it was Mayweather who started in the ascendancy.

The pair predictably took their time to open up their hands, but it was Mayweather connecting with the greater percentage of what few significant shots were on show.

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Money held a 3-0 lead in rounds according to all three judges early on, and it would be this slow start that proved to have a dramatic influence on the rhythm of the fight and its resulting scorecards.

Backed by the cheers of "Manny" coming from those in attendance, Pac-Man finally got his fight off the ground in the fourth, though, as told by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix:

It quickly became clear this wasn't Pacquiao at his usual best, though, and it came to light after the bout, per Tim Dahlberg of The Associated Press, that he was in fact nursing a shoulder injury several weeks old.

BBC Sport's Dan Roan explained the Philippine and his camp were of the impression they would be permitted an inflammatory shot prior to the fight, but the Nevada Athletic Commission denied their request:

Unfortunately, this controversial change in the script may well be interpreted as having a fearsome impact on the matchup, preventing Pacquiao from unloading his usual bombardment of punches.

In a surprise turn of events, Mayweather even turned the tables in managing to throw and land more punches than the furious Pacquiao, according to the official Compubox numbers:

Nevertheless, Pac-Man did adjust to "find a home" for his left as the aforementioned Mannix suggested, but Mayweather is nigh impossible to beat on the best of days, never mind fighting with a weakened jab.

Southpaw Pacquiao did unearth some promising bouts of flair and saw success when able to back his opponent up against the ropes, but his lunging left him at times susceptible to Mayweather's counter.

Still, it's in these portions that Money does his best work, out-stepping the best his opponents have to offer and merely offering more, albeit not always more meaningful shots.

Bleacher Report's Jeremy Botter detailed just how easy it was for the victor to dance away from everything his rival unleashed, a remarkable achievement even against a subpar Pacquiao:

This wasn't the blockbuster affair fans worldwide were hoping it to be, and there's no doubt the pair would have made for a more enticing affair closer to their primes.

In his post-match comments, Mayweather confirmed his last fight will be in September, per SportsCenter, and it's inevitable talk of a rematch will be abundant before then:

That's especially the case when Pacquiao, even through any shoulder concerns, thought he deserved to be crowned the victor, per Audioboom:

One can still appreciate Mayweather for the athlete he is, so well conditioned to the point where executing his plan is more a matter of sheer stamina and less skill.

There may not be a knockout to speak of nor any great number of shattering blows, but the Money legacy lives on all the same, still as effective now as it's been for so many years.