Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Decision: Key Factors That Led to Money's Big Win

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0) cruised to a comfortable win by unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2) during Saturday's megafight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, winning big on the scorecards after dominating the bulk of the bout.

Sportscaster TJ Manotoc shared the judges' scorecards, which were as one-sided as you will ever see in such a big fight:

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said what everyone was thinking following the lopsided win: Mayweather proved he's the best fighter of his generation:

Let's have a look at some of the key factors that ultimately decided the outcome of a bout fans had been waiting to see for years.

Mayweather's Reach

Going into the fight, many fans and pundits wondered how Mayweather would deal with Pacquiao's superb hand speed. The defensive mastermind has made a career out of making opponents chase him with one punch instead of opening himself up to combinations, but with Pac-Man, people thought it might be different.

Boy, were they wrong. From the opening bell, Money used two punches to keep Pacquiao at a distance, and it worked to perfection. He used his jab to keep the fight in the center of the ring and dictate the pace, and he landed several good shots with his right lead.

Pacquiao simply had no answer throughout the fight, particularly in the early rounds. Andreas Hale of The Corner Podcast saw the same thing:

Mayweather is one of the smartest fighters in the business, and it should have been painfully obvious going into the bout that he would exploit the advantage he had in terms of reach.

Pacquiao never looked comfortable chasing after Money, and he resorted to lunging in with odd long lead punches, which allowed Mayweather to counter with his right hand.

Over the course of the championship rounds, it became clear Mayweather knew he had Pacquiao easily beat, and he told reporters as much after the fight. You can listen to those comments here:

Good fighters know how to negate their opponents' biggest strengths, and Money did just that on Saturday. Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach had no answer, and ultimately paid the price.

Pacquiao's Tactics

Speaking of Roach, the legendary trainer has to face scrutiny for his tactical approach to the fight in the wake of the decision. Pacquiao, universally feared for his ability to swarm opponents with combinations, looked tentative and fought without any real conviction throughout the bout, via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's Billy Hull:

Hull mentions the shoulder injury Pacquiao's camp started talking about post-fight, something Roach and Co. apparently managed to keep quiet for several weeks, per BBC Sport:

The injury likely affected the fight, but Pac-Man had been training with said injury for weeks, according to the article. He either knew his punches would lack their usual punch and alerted Mayweather and the event organisers or felt good enough about it going into the bout.

Regardless, it's doubtful the fight would have had a different outcome even if Pacquiao's shoulder had been just fine. The Filipino slugger refused to press the action and too often decided to go toe-to-toe with Floyd in the center of the ring rather than push him toward the corners.

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

He fought at roughly the distance of Mayweather's jab and didn't try and close the distance often enough, believing he could out-box arguably the best technician we've seen in decades. That's not a recipe for success.

Roach lamented Mayweather's decision to run around the ring after the fight, as shared by Top Rank Boxing, but those are usually the words of someone whose frustrated his fighter simply couldn't lay a hand on the other guy:

Mayweather didn't run; he fought a great defensive battle, played to his strengths and did a phenomenal job escaping the ropes quickly when Pacquiao pushed the action.

There's no point engaging a slugger like Pacquiao, and Mayweather wisely decided not to. Pacquiao could have forced him into more of a brawl, but he refused to press the action early and often. And as a result, the scorecards looked exactly like they should have looked.

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