Floyd Mayweather Jr produced a masterclass in counter-punching to beat Manny Pacquiao on a unanimous decision in their $500m mega-bout in Las Vegas and preserve his unbeaten record.
The long-awaited meeting between the world's two premier welterweights at the MGM Grand Casino offered some moments of excitement but was most notable for Mayweather underlining his defensive excellence as the more aggressive Pacquiao repeatedly struggled to pin him down.
One judge scored the contest 118-110 in Mayweather's favour with the other two seeing it 116-112.
Mayweather dominated throughout, using his long jab and straight right to cruise home in the richest fight in history.
Pacquiao's best round was the fourth when he landed with a hard left and for a moment the celebrity-packed crowd - who audibly favoured the Filipino - sensed an upset was on the cards.
But defensive maestro Mayweather showed his survival instincts and spent much of the remainder of the fight peppering the underdog with jabs, right hands and the occasional left hook.
"He's a hell of fighter, he's one of the guys at the pinnacle in sport of boxing," Mayweather, who now holds three welterweight belts, said afterwards.
"I know he was going to push me. He had moments in the fight. I wasn't getting hit with a lot of shots.
"He is a tough competitor, I have got to take my hat off to my dad without him I wouldn't be here."
Every stat in Mayweather's favour. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/1cJVV77opy
— ALEX SOUTH (@THEALEXSOUTH) May 3, 2015
Pacquiao claimed to have won the fight but although the 36-year-old Filipino did corner Mayweather on the ropes a few times he never did lasting damage and was chasing shadows for the majority of the contest.
Pacquiao said: "It is a good fight. I thought I won the fight - he didn't do nothing. I got him many times, I thought I won the fight."
WBA and WBC champion Mayweather came into the contest unbeaten after 47 outings, just two short of legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano's record (49-0).
WBO champion Pacquiao, by contrast, had lost five times (57-5-2) during his career but was widely viewed as the most dangerous opponent Mayweather would ever face. However Mayweather is unlikely to be under much pressure to offer a rematch after a convincing victory.
The 38-year-old American had insisted that he would only fight once more after meeting Pacquiao, saying: "Does the money mean more to me than a zero on my record? Absolutely! At the end of the day, my daughter can't eat no zero. The millions mean she can eat!" and repeated that promise after winning.
Years of wrangling had led to accusations Mayweather was avoiding Pacquiao, and the sense of anticipation once the fight finally materialised drove global pay-per-view takings towards the $500m mark, despite the fact some suggested the fighters were past their prime.
