LAS VEGAS: Floyd Mayweather Jr put on a show in the last fight of his spectacular career.
Conor McGregor didn’t do so badly, either.
A ruthless Mayweather scored a 10th round technical knockout over mixed martial arts champion McGregor in their money-spinning superfight on Saturday, the American cementing his legacy as an all-time boxing great with his 50th win in as many fights.
Former welterweight boxing champion Mayweather, who had come out of a two-year retirement to take on the Irishman, bided his time before exerting his superiority from the middle rounds onwards at the T-Mobile Arena.
The end came in the 10th round with a tired McGregor doubled over on the ropes as Mayweather landed two hard left hooks, prompting referee Robert Byrd to intervene as a 14,623 crowd with A-list celebrities roared their approval.
It was a smashing end to a career that earned Mayweather more money than any fighter before him including an estimated $200 million for his last bout.
“He’s a lot better than I thought he’d be,” a jubilant Mayweather, who had guaranteed an early finish to the 12 round contest, said of McGregor. “He’s a tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight.”
Mayweather led comfortably on all three judges’ cards when the fight was stopped.
Before a pro-McGregor crowd that roared every time the UFC fighter landed a punch, Mayweather methodically broke him down after a slow start to score his first real stoppage in nearly a decade.
The American boxer said he had deliberately taken his time in order to take advantage of a fatigued McGregor.
“Our game plan was to take our time, go to him, let him shoot his shots early and then take him out down the stretch,” he said. “I guaranteed to everybody that this wouldn’t go the distance.”
The fight, which Mayweather insisted would be his last, sends the 40-year-old into his second retirement with a unblemished 50-0 record to surpass heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 mark for most wins without a loss or draw.
“This was my last fight tonight. For sure,” Mayweather declared in the ring. “Tonight was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with. A win is a win, no matter how you get it. Rocky Marciano is a legend and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day.”
McGregor boxed surprisingly well but after landing some shots in the early rounds, his punches seemed to lose their steam. Mayweather then went on the pursuit. McGregor backpedaled most of the way, stopping only to throw an occasional flurry as Mayweather wore him down.
McGregor suggested the fight could have been allowed to go on, but praised Mayweather’s clinical tactical display.
“He’s composed, he’s not that fast, he’s not that powerful, but boy is he composed,” McGregor said. “I thought it was a bit of an early stoppage. I was just a little fatigued. He was just a lot more composed with his shots. I have to give it to him, that’s what 50 pro fights will do for you.”
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2017