Pacquiao & Mayweather Boxing Match: “The Fight of the Century”

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao pose on a stage before they competed in the boxing match. Mayweather defeated Pacquiao in a boxing match on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao in a boxing match that was widely proclaimed as “The Fight of the Century” on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mayweather took early control of the match, winning the first three rounds. A major left hand blow from Pacquiao gave him the fourth round, but Mayweather recaptured the fifth round with a heightened aggression. At the end of 12 rounds, the three judges unanimously declared Mayweather as the champion with scores of 118-110, 116-112, and 116-112.

The fight brought upwards of $300 million to be split by the two boxers, though final earnings have not yet been released. Prior to the match, the boxers’ agreement stated that Mayweather would earn 60% of the purse, while Pacquiao would receive 40%.

Despite the hype and the hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue that the match brought in, critics and fans alike spoke out about their disappointment in the lackluster and defensive performances of both athletes.

Former boxer, Mike Tyson, called the match “underwhelming” and The New York Times described it as “far from electrifying.”

“I think it was overhyped. I was rooting for Manny he seems like the more genuine person, but congrats to Mayweather for his tenacity,” said Shiki Dixit (12). “Honestly though, I think they make too much money.”

Senior Arjun Ashok, on the other hand, enjoyed the defensiveness of the match.

“I had been waiting for this fight since like middle school so the hype was definitely real. I think the fight itself was not entirely exciting but that’s what Floyd Mayweather does,” he said. “He’s one of the best defensive boxers of all time and he’s so good at systematically dismantling an opponent. I guess there’s a reason why the guy hasn’t lost.”

In the aftermath of the match, both boxers face lawsuits. Pacquiao announced hours after the match that he was suffering from a shoulder injury. Four fans are suing him for at least $5 million, according to WGNTV. The fans bet large sums of money on a Pacquiao victory and claimed that his advisors should have made his injury public before the match.

Mayweather is also being sued by the mother of his children for lying about her drug use during an incident that sent Mayweather to jail for two months for domestic violence.
Pacquiao is expected to be out for nine to twelve months after a shoulder surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff last Wednesday, but Mayweather’s fighting future is still unclear with one fight left on his Showtime contract.