Mayweather vs. Berto Scorecard: Full Stats, Analysis and Reaction from Megafight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. drew proceedings out longer than they should have lasted, but he still easily beat Andre Berto by unanimous decision at Nevada's MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday. In a typical display of miserly defending and ruthlessly scripted punching, Mayweather out-thought and out-hit Berto all night.

The final scorecard summed up how mismatched these two fighters really were, per ESPN Boxing:

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Floyd Mayweather (49-0) def. Andre Berto by UD (117-111, 118-110, 120-108) in what he said will be the final fight of his career.

— ESPN Boxing (@ESPNBoxing) September 13, 2015"

But that scoring didn't quite emphasise Mayweather's dominance the way the punching statistics did.

Citing numbers from CompuBox, ESPN Stats & Info showed the punching percentages, along with a rather sobering stat for fans of Manny Pacquiao:

To put Berto's low connection rate into perspective, Malik Smith of ESPN Stats & Info provided this fact: "On defense, Mayweather held Berto to a 17 percent connect percentage, lowest for any opponent of Mayweather’s since a 2009 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez (12 percent)."

Part of Mayweather's defensive work involved him relying on his jab to keep Berto at bay.

Prior to the fight, Berto had made it clear that he intended to get in close and take the fight to "Money," according to Boxing Junkie's Bob Velin: “Trying to sit back and be calculated and trying to stand around and look at a guy trying to move around, that’s not me,” he said. “I like to engage but you have to be smart. I entertain people. That’s what I do.”

But Mayweather's consistent jab rendered that plan useless and meant Berto never got near him. After two rounds, Mayweather's jab count was already impressive, per SHO Stats:

With that said, it's always been Mayweather's style to never stay with one thing for too long. Against Berto, his changeup involved working the body.

It made sense considering Mayweather was clearly more concerned with extending the fight than simply finishing Berto with a flurry or two early on.

By the time seven rounds were in the books, Mayweather had made the body a frequent target:

This was all about controlled, selective boxing. Mayweather defended well and picked his moments to strike, turning on some magic whenever he needed it.

A great example came in Round 8. 

"In the next stanza, Mayweather's finest escapology was on show as he jinked out of a difficult situation while landing his own punches on his exit," wrote Sky Sports' James Dielhenn. "The crowd appreciated the manoeuvre and the man himself, who strutted up and down and lapped up the adulation."

That mix of defensive mastery, punctuated by the sudden sting of an expertly timed flurry of punches, offers a snapshot of Mayweather's in-ring career.

If there was a minor interruption to Money's serene control of the fight, it came in the 10th round. That's when Dielhenn stated that Berto held sway, albeit briefly: "'Money' found himself having to escape some difficult moments in the 10th when Berto forced the WBC and WBA welterweight champion out of his comfort zone—but it was scant reward for the high work rate of the challenger."

Yet while Berto did make a fist of it in the 10th, BoxNation dismissed his sudden surge as the proverbial storm in a teacup:

After swatting away this mere hint of a rally from Berto, Floyd entered the 12th round with a chance to cap both the fight and his illustrious career in spectacular fashion. Indeed, Mayweather came close to landing a knockout shot, according to Boxing360:

As it was, there would be no final haymaker from Mayweather. He saw out the fight in much the same way he'd sauntered through most of the previous 11 rounds.

In a story familiar to most of his fights, Mayweather is remembered less for what he landed and more for how he stayed away from punches. WNBC-TV's Bruce Beck quoted commentator Mauro Ranallo summing things up well:

That might serve as a tagline for Mayweather's boxing legacy.

The fighter himself maintains his legacy will be more about the excellence he's shown over nearly 20 years in the ring. Mayweather may be bowing out, but he still believes he has no equal in the sport, per MLive.com's David Mayo:

While he's a divisive figure, Mayweather certainly has Berto's respect. He left the MGM Grand amazed at what his 38-year-old opponent had shown him:

Even Amir Khan, who has been critical of "Money" in the past, wasn't above wishing the 49-0 fighter his best for retirement:

Mayweather leaves boxing undefeated and with his place in history assured. To many, though, he'll be remembered for a pragmatic approach that was good for individual plaudits but did little to further the sport as a spectacle.