history, beating Manny Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision in Las
Vegas.
American Mayweather, 38, delivered a defensive masterclass against his
Philippine rival, making the necessary adjustments after only a few
rounds before disappearing out of sight.
Mayweather, who added the WBO welterweight title to the WBC and WBA
titles he already owned, was awarded the fight 118-110, 116-112 and
116-112 by the three judges.
With his victory, Mayweather also cemented his status as the greatest
pound-for-pound boxer of his generation.
The five-weight world champion is now undefeated in 48 professional
fights, stretching back 19 years.
Six-weight world champion Pacquiao, 36, falls to 57 wins, six losses
and two draws.
Tickets for the bout - billed as 'The Fight of the Century' - changed
hands for as much as $350,000 (£232,000) and American fans were
charged almost $100 (£66) to watch on television.
Mayweather and Pacquiao have won world titles in five and six
different weight divisions respectively
Rival broadcasters Showtime and HBO joined forces for the first time
since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002 to show the fight, with
Jimmy Lennon Jr and Michael Buffer sharing ring announcer duties.
A-listers in attendance included Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro,
Sting, Prince and Donald Trump while multi Grammy Award winner Jamie
Foxx sang the American national anthem prior to the fighters entering
the ring. So prized was a seat that many celebrities were even sat
behind the press row.
Pacquiao began his ring walk at 20:45 Vegas time - to the strains of a
song he recorded especially for the occasion - and was awarded a
rapturous reception. Mayweather, on the other hand, was roundly booed,
despite being effectively the house fighter.
The opening round was extremely cagey, with both men trying to
establish their distance, but Mayweather did land with a couple of
eye-catching right hands on the counter.
Not only did Mayweather look noticeably bigger than Pacquiao, he also
looked quicker in the early rounds.
And when Pacquiao did get close, Mayweather was content to tie him up,
to both Pacquiao and the fans' frustration.
Mayweather rocked Pacquiao with two more rights in the second,
although Pacquiao was able to get inside his rival's superior reach
and unleash a couple of flurries.
The third round was a more even affair, with Pacquiao able to draw
Mayweather into some exchanges and Mayweather doing plenty of rough
stuff on the inside.
Pacquiao really came into the fight in the fourth, staggering
Mayweather with a left hand, which many thought would be a key weapon
in this fight.
Manny Pacquiao suffered the sixth defeat of his career
Mayweather was forced to cover up on the ropes and many of Pacquiao's
follow-up punches were caught on the arms and gloves, but a smile from
the American signalled he was definitely hurt.
Mayweather's head had cleared by the start of the fifth and he
proceeded to win the round courtesy of his trusty right cross, with
Pacquiao not applying enough pressure or displaying the aggression
many felt he needed.
Pacquiao rocked Mayweather again in the sixth, before Mayweather got
on his bike in the seventh, slipping and sliding out of reach and
frustrating Pacquiao as he looked to engage.
In the eighth it was Mayweather's left that did most of the damage and
although he did ship another sneaky left, by now it was apparent that
Pacquiao, naturally the smaller man, did not have the power to hurt
him.
It was more of the same in the ninth, during which there were definite
signs that Pacquiao was tiring and the fight was beginning to get away
from him.
By the 10th, Mayweather had made all the adjustments he needed to make
and continually made Pacquiao miss, like a matador with an ailing
bull, while doing enough on the counter to win the round.
In the 11th, Pacquiao had gone from bull to mouse, getting snapped on
the nose time and time again by Mayweather's jab as he tried to get
inside.
Pacquiao said afterwards that he was not troubled by Mayweather's
power and felt he should have won
Pacquiao's expected late rally did not transpire and the air of
resignation in the arena at the final bell told you everything you
needed to know - that Mayweather had won an intriguing rather than
thrilling fight with plenty to spare.
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