Floyd Mayweather Jr says his career is over, but if this was his final fight it fell far short of the memorable exit he might have hoped for.
‘Money’ coasted to a convincing points victory over Andre Berto, defending his WBA and WBC welterweight titles and moving his record to 49-0, matching the unbeaten streak of former heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano.
And, just like Marciano, Mayweather followed through on his plan to announce his retirement from the sport following 12 one-sided rounds in Las Vegas.
But despite the historic nature of the fight, there seemed to be little buzz surrounding it, with the MGM Grand failing to sell out and those who did pay up to watch on TV less than impressed with another flawless, if unexciting Mayweather display. A display which earned him a reported $32m.
Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya led the chorus, kicking things off before the fight even began…
I'm going to miss Floyd's action packed fights with prime fighters.
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) September 13, 2015
… then chipping in later with his verdict.
I'm sure glad I decided for Disney movies with my kids tonight.
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) September 13, 2015
Now that the worst boxing era is over let's look forward to the next 10 years. #Canelo #Cotto #Golovkin #Lemieux
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) September 13, 2015
This is what Manny Pacquiao posted during Mayweather’s final bout…
https://instagram.com/p/7jnhTfOd_W/?taken-by=mannypacquiao
Mayweather crushes Mayweather with a left hand. Mayweather sticks his tongue out for the camera. This is worse than a sparring session.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) September 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/642914804345270272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/GuillenLouie/status/642914261149216768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And MMA fighters were also less than thrilled by another defensive Mayweather masterclass.
So glad we didn't pay for this… Half the room is asleep #MayweatherBerto
— Al Iaquinta🗽 (@ALIAQUINTA) September 13, 2015
Keep the money, I want my 2 hours back. #MayweatherBerto
— James Krause (@TheJamesKrause) September 13, 2015
It's insane this two have "fought" for going on 12 rounds. Not a mark on either of them. #mmatakeover Mma vs boxing?? Easy decision nowadays
— Michael Johnson (@Menace155) September 13, 2015
But among the chorus of negative tweets, there were still plenty of people paying homage to Mayweather’s incredible career:
Congrats to @FloydMayweather and he officially retires tonight! #MayweatherBerto
— Sugar Ray Leonard (@SugarRayLeonard) September 13, 2015