American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains unbeaten in 48 professional bouts after earning a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines in their welterweight unification title fight, in what had been promoted as the latest “fight of the century.”

The 38-year-old Mayweather, with his longer reach, started strong in Saturday’s fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.  But left-hander Pacquiao countered aggressively in the later rounds – just not enough to overcome Mayweather’s renowned defensive skills.  Mayweather was able to frustrate the 36-year-old Pacquiao, while peppering in several effective jabs and punches of his own.

The bout fell short of being great, with long periods where both fighters appeared to be cautious.  There were no knockdowns and neither boxer seemed to be seriously hurt at any time.

Two ringside judges scored the 12-round fight 116-112, while the third had it 118-110, all in favor of Mayweather.

After the fight, Pacquiao said he thought he had earned the victory.  The Philippine star fell to 57-6 with two draws.

Mayweather said after the bout he will fight one more time later this year, then retire.

The showdown between the two best boxers of their generation, although years past their prime, is expected to be the biggest-grossing prize bout of all time.  Mayweather earned at least $180 million for the fight, viewed by millions around the world on pay-per-view.

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