On Saturday, May 2, two of the best boxers in the world squared off in Las Vegas for what was being called the “fight of the century.”
For years, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have been the best two boxers in their weight class. Many sports fans have wanted to see these boxers go head-to-head, but the two never agreed until January, when Mayweather announced the two would have the fight in May.
Up until May 2, the hype surrounding the fight was unmatched by any boxing match in the past decade or more. According to the New Yorker, the average cost for a ticket to see the fight at the MGM Grand was more than $6,000, and in order to see the event on pay-per-view television, it cost $100.
Despite these high prices, HBO reported that the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight was still the most-watched pay-per-view event of all time, with somewhere around three million views. The International Business Times reported that Mayweather made around $180 million on the night, while Pacquiao raked in just over $100 million. These statistics make it not only the biggest fight of the century but also the biggest scam.
Put simply, the fight did not live up to the expectations. Sports enthusiasts were expecting these two boxers to give the performances of a lifetime, where punches would be thrown left and right, and hopefully only one boxer would have remained standing. However, that is not what the public received when they witnessed this fight. It consisted of 36 minutes of minimal activity, lots of running, and lots of hugging.
Mayweather received much criticism for his defensive style of boxing because it is not as entertaining to watch. And despite the fact that it is a good boxing strategy, he should have focused more on the entertainment factor of the fight. If you are making $180 million in just 36 minutes, you should give the people what they want: an entertaining fight.
Pacquiao was also at fault for the lack of entertainment with the fight. After he lost, he came out and told the media that he was boxing with a torn rotator cuff. This injury prohibited Pacquiao from fighting to the best of his ability.
After 12 rounds of boxing, neither fighter came close to a knockout, and not many successful punches were thrown. Mayweather ended up winning by the judges’ unanimous decision due to the fact that he landed more punches and had a higher accuracy percentage than Pacquiao with his punches.
Sophomore Jack Sanders, who watched the fight, was also displeased with how the fight turned out.
“Overall the fight was just pretty boring to me,” explained Sanders. “The fight was so hyped up, but in the end, it really wasn’t worth the money.”
With no knockout and not even a single knockdown, the fight seemed uneventful and unentertaining.
Sophomore Ryan O’Linn believed that the fight does not deserve the criticism it is receiving.
“People are just annoyed with Mayweather’s strategy because it is smart,” explained O’Linn. “He has a different strategy, and people shouldn’t expect him to be on attack mode the whole fight.”
It seems unlikely that the two fighters will have a rematch, given that Mayweather only has one fight left in his career before his retirement.
