Mayweather vs. Berto Results: Punch Stats, Highlights, Complete Fight Breakdown
Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclassed Andre Berto in the final fight before his retirement, winning a unanimous points verdict for the 49th straight win of his career. Money exits the sport unbeaten and now dines at the table of the greatest boxers of all time, equaling the 49-0 fight record of the iconic Rocky Marciano.
The Pretty Boy dominated from start to finish, squeezing the ring and making Berto work for the few shots he managed to land.
ESPN Boxing confirmed the results from all three judges' scorecards, with no one individual believing Berto came within six rounds of Mayweather's performance:
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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"
The full scorecards make for fascinating reading, per the Telegraph's boxing writer Gareth A Davies, with Mayweather in control from first bell until last.
Adalaide Byrd's card gave Mayweather every round for a unanimous victory, with Berto winning just five 10-point rounds from a potential 36 across all three cards:
Mayweather dictated the opening exchanges, nailing down the first two rounds on both the front and back foot. Berto struggled to tag his opponent as the Pretty Boy showed world-class mobility, jabbing his opponent's chest and chin with ease.
The legendary champion appeared to slow in the sixth and seventh rounds, allowing the Beast to claim space on the inside, but Mayweather's head movement was superior compared to Berto's punch accuracy.
Berto attempted to up the aggression of his work as the fight progressed, but the punch stats show this was in vain. Despite throwing 85 shots more than his opponent, Berto's power shot accuracy plateaued at just 17 per cent, with Mayweather landing a credible 68 per cent, displaying his magnificence and class, per Davies:
Considering Mayweather is the more controlled of the two, it was Berto who attempted to utilise the jab as the fight continued, throwing a huge 301 shots compared to Money's 191. But once again the scoring was affected by Mayweather's brilliant defence and economical offence, with the champion landing 43 per cent compared to his opponent's embarrassing 13 per cent.
The 10th round saw the pace of the fight begin to die, with Mayweather clearly on his way to victory. The Pretty Boy had landed a devastating straight right to Berto in the fifth, and by the latter rounds he was scrapping for contact.
The pair exchanged verbal tirades as the minutes counted down to the final bell, earning both boxers warnings about point deduction possibilities, but Mayweather danced the final two rounds out, hitting Berto with a perfect right-hand uppercut to stop him in his tracks.
NFL Super Bowl champion Reggie Jones commented on Mayweather's lethal final contributions:
The crowd applauded and cheered as the final seconds of Mayweather's career counted down, and the legend sank to his knees at the final bell, looking skyward as he realised his professional career had closed.
ESPN Stats and Info highlighted the similarity in Berto and Manny Pacquiao's efforts against Money, proving the superior Filipino had no further joy in his superfight with Mayweather:
Mayweather spoke candidly after the fight about his desire to leave the sport after equalling Marciano's record, saying he now has "nothing left to prove" and that he deserves his place amongst the pantheons of boxing, per Sky Sports:
"I've been in the sport of boxing my whole life and they say I'm wrong for saying I'm the best. Every champion - [Muhammad] Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Larry Holmes - the list goes on and on. They opened up the doors and paved the way for where I am today and I'm appreciative. But now the young fighters say, 'We want to be like Mayweather.' It's not cool to take punishment in the ring. I'm not perfect but I strived to be a perfectionist.
"
Despite Mayweather's less than appealing style, he is by far and away the greatest boxing technician of his era—if not in the history of the sport. It is easy to think Money is all about the dollars and glamour, but his work ethic has not been matched by any of his peers—putting him in a top bracket of one.
Boxing will miss the focus Mayweather gives the sport; his personality is what the fight game is all about, and he generates huge revenues for his sponsors and venues.
However, it is the ring craft that purists will miss most; Mayweather was never a knockout specialist, but he deliberately held back on power to win fights at a canter with his unbelievable accuracy.
Berto is a good fighter, but the Beast simply didn't have the game to compete with the best boxer of our lifetime.
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