Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather wins by unanimous decision. PHOTO BY REM ZAMORA/INQUIRER/See more at FRAME
LAS VEGAS—When Floyd Mayweather Jr. stepped in the ring again Saturday night, he was finally smiling. He can afford to.
Not only did he beat Manny Pacquiao, his pound-for-pound rival, he also fattened his bulging bank account by another $120 million. And millions more are coming in, depending on pay-per-view revenues.
Sipping a soda while speaking to the media during the postfight conference, Mayweather referred to Pacquiao as “one hell of a fighter, one hell of a champion.”
Unlike Pacquiao, however, Mayweather was certain that he had won the battle for ring supremacy as soon as the final bell sounded.
Mayweather raised his right arm in triumph, while Pacquiao followed suit by raising both arms.
According to Mayweather, he knew about the outcome right away because he fought and executed a calculated fight, basically anchored on his jab.
“I always find a way to win,” said Mayweather, now 48-0 and just a win shy of matching Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record when he retired as world heavyweight champion.
“I outboxed him,” added Mayweather. “He was a tough competitor. He was applying pressure, but he was not landing the punches. I was keeping the jab on his face.
“He is a remarkable fighter, but I just cannot say that he’s the toughest fighter nor the hardest puncher.”
Mayweather again stressed that his fight philosophy was “to fight smart, not hard,” as he wants to enjoy the fruits of his long labor in the ring—19 years, 18 as champion.
“I am just an American dream, I work hard to put my family in good position.”
Stressing that his last fight will be in September, the 38-year-old Mayweather said he’s giving up all his ring titles and is not going after Marciano’s record.
Mayweather said he struggled early on as he want to see Pacquiao’s jab.
“Everything was a calculated move,” he said. “I was brought up to win, win, win. That’s all I want.”
Taking potshots at the usually critical media, Mayweather offered them a headline for their future issues.
“The nonbelievers turned into believers,” he said.
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