Mayweather vs Berto: A Historic Fight That Nobody Watched
If Floyd Mayweather makes another life’s fortune for a single night’s work and there’s nobody there to witness it… does anyone even care?
Money’s now 49-0 after comprehensively dismantling the best efforts of Andre Berto with his usual defensive masterclass. 12 rounds were too many, this was a foregone conclusion after one. And if he remains true to his word then this was the final bout for Mayweather. The last chance to see a legendary fighter – the best of his generation – do his thing in the ring. So where was all the fanfare?
Keep in mind that Mayweather was coming off one of the most publicised fights in history when he beat Manny Pacquiao in May. He was already an icon in boxing circles but that fight made him a household name across the world. And just as he always does, he boxed his way to a comfortable victory, even against the man who for so long was considered his one major challenge.
Except that the people didn’t pay in record numbers to watch Mayweather beat Pacquiao into delusion (Manny’s post-fight claims that he should have won the scoring were almost pitiful). They wanted to see him lose or they wanted to see an exciting fight. Instead it was a clinic and Manny’s performance (and injury) had a lot to do with that disappointment. Manny was the hero challenger, a failed Rocky story, and Floyd was the big bad wolf.
Yet regardless of how the fight will be remembered, it’ll still undoubtedly be remembered. It was the peak of the Mayweather hype train, the cash-in that he’s built his entire career towards. So… now what? Andre Berto, of course.
Andre Berto who is a former welterweight titleholder but has lost three of his last six fights. Andre Berto who wasn’t even considered an option by most commentators. Andre Berto who was given no chance at all. Floyd could have chosen Amir Khan, an unorthodox and flourishing British contender. He could have organised a rematch with Marcos Maidana or Canelo Alvarez. He went with Andre Berto, to a collective sigh of disappointment.
The underwhelming opponent coupled with the fact that it was his first fight after The Big One meant it was always gonna carry a hangover with it. Been there, done that, bought the PPV.
It’s almost as if they weren’t even trying. The fight was announced five weeks ago. That’s a crazy short amount of time to sell a major boxing event (as all of FM’s fights are) and most of it was the fighter’s trying to talk up the validity of Berto’s chances. However Mayweather vs Berto had one massive selling point that should have trumped all of that: It was Mayweather’s last.
Or at least he’d have us believe that.
As to whether or not Mayweather has truly hung up the gloves now, time will have to tell. But most people are sceptical. In fact pretty much everyone is sceptical outside of Mayweather and his camp. Because if this was really his final bout then why was that not the whole angle of the marketing campaign? Why was that not hammered home to us? The last chance to see the champion of our times in action and they let us sleep through the whole thing.
For two years now, Mayweather has said he will retire at the conclusion of his Showtime contract. That contract just came to a close at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Of course, he’s retired twice before (after beating Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 and then seven months later after beating Ricky Hatton). He’s now tied Rocky Marciano’s legendary 49-0 mark and it’s hard to believe that a man so obsessed with his own standing in history that he’s dubbed himself The Best Ever wouldn’t stick around to pass the half-century. Especially when he’s so obviously still got it in him, even at 38 years of age.
Like, Mayweather may not have reached very high on the shelf for Andre Berto but Berto’s not without pedigree. Nor were the rest of Mayweather’s recent opponents. His last 16 fights have all been against current or former title holders. He may not go out of his way to destroy each and every possible threat but he’s beaten most of them all the same. Even if they weren’t always at their peak when he finally got to them.
That calibre of fighters he’s beaten is probably what holds back his legacy the most. As to what he could control, he did it all flawlessly. But it’s pretty clear that he didn’t fight in the greatest of eras. Oscar De La Hoya aside, there were very few opponents that ended up being legitimate challengers. Even Pacquiao was a bust. If only they’d fought five years earlier…
But who’s to say that would have made a difference? This is Floyd Mayweather, he is unbeaten. People have been rooting against him for years and every time he’s fought he’s risen above and beyond the occasion. So people reach for the next complaint on the shelf to launch at him, rather than accepting that this man, who is more than a bit of a dick, happens to be such a champion. He doesn’t really care what we think.
Mayweather came out against Berto and took the initiative from the ring of the opening bell. Not in a power-punching way, but he immediately established his range and controlled the fight for the duration. Floyd isn’t one to fully commit too his punches, he throws them to score rather than to damage. You could see him landing some brutal hits and yet rather than following through, he’d already be backing away for the next move as it landed. Always one to lean on his defence. If Floyd wanted to knock Berto out, he probably could have, only that would have meant taking risks. Mayweather had zero problems moving around the ring for 12 rounds, throwing an array of counter punches and working his opponent like the glorified sparring session that this was. If he didn’t win all 12 then it was something close. Not for a second was it in doubt.
Berto attacked when he could. He came with a positive fight plan and looked to take Floyd on the jab. The problem was, like so many before him, Berto just couldn’t land them. 83 of 495 punches were on target, that’s just 17%. Mayweather landed on 232 of 410 at 57%. Those numbers tell the story on their own. Cruise control.
To be honest, it was boring. Exactly like we’d all figured would happen. Hence why around 20% of the arena was empty on the night. Even Mayweather himself isn’t expecting the pay per view numbers to be any more promising.
If this was truly the final bow in one of the sport’s greatest careers, then it should have been a celebration. There should have been fireworks and film montages. There should have tributes from all sorts of famous faces. There should have been banners from the rafting and tears at ringside. He should have gone out with a bang.
Instead it was barely a whimper.