Mayweather’s plan works to continued perfection

You can hate him for his actions outside a ring, for his history of domestic violence charges, for his outlandish attitude about money, for those who enable his every move and word.

But this point remains unquestioned: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a smart, calculating, defensive genius when a bell rings.

The most hyped fight in history was, for the most part, a nice sparring session between a bigger, stronger, longer Mayweather and a fellow champion in Manny Pacquiao who just couldn’t crash through the proverbial castle doors enough.

It’s no surprise that most of the drama Saturday had more to do with sidebar tales than the main event, one in which Mayweather scored a unanimous decision victory before 16,507 at the MGM Grand Garden.

This was his 11th straight fight at the MGM.

It was the ninth time Mayweather won via decision.

He just won’t be outpointed, just won’t be outboxed.

Six years later, this was a good fight but in no way came close to reaching the ridiculously elevated hype that preceded it.

If the world really did wait for this with bated breath, it never had to be concerned with losing consciousness.

It was nothing spectacular, nothing overly exciting, nothing that would make those who paid nearly $100 to watch feel such an investment was a wise one. It wasn’t boring. It just wasn’t incredibly special, is all.

In other words, it was just as Mayweather had planned all along.

The scores — 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 — aptly described those Compubox statistics that saw him throw and land more punches than Pacquiao. More jabs thrown and landed. Far more power punches landed.

Translation: That prefight strategy of Pacquiao’s to win by being a volume puncher didn’t work out.

“Manny Pacquiao is a champion and a hell of a fighter,” Mayweather said. “Now I see why he has been so successful in the ring. When I moved to the outside, I was OK. I’m a smart fighter. When I came into the pocket, he was able to get me. He’s a very tough competitor. My dad (trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.) wanted me to do more, but Manny is very awkward and I had to watch him closely.”

Mayweather is 48-0 now and the last of a six-fight contract with Showtime is scheduled to occur in September, when he said again Saturday he will fight professionally a final time. I’m not sure anyone outside the Pacquiao camp — and perhaps not even them, given how difficult the promotion proved to be for both sides — wants that evening to feature a rematch.

It was chaos until the very end of this long journey, with Saturday morning bringing news that two female reporters from national media agencies claimed the Mayweather camp had banned them from the arena for the fight, reportedly due to their past reporting on the fighter’s domestic violence history. A third reporter also claimed he was banned for the same reason.

Such claims were denied by the Mayweather side, but it’s amazing to think either camp had any influence over which media would be credentialed for any of the fight week events. Amazing, but somewhat typical.

Then, following two uninspiring and forgettable undercard pay-per-view fights, news came that those cable companies showing the fight were crashing from one coast to the next.

Makes sense. They only had six years to get the thing right.

Pacquiao was insistent the judges got it wrong and that he deserved the decision. It was closer than the 118-110 that Dave Moretti of Las Vegas scored the fight, but to say Pacquiao got the better of 12 rounds is silly.

“He never hurt me,” Pacquiao said. “I hit him more than he hit me. It was a good fight. I was very surprised at the scores.”

Freddie Roach is the trainer who wanted this fight for Pacquiao and, to be honest, himself more than anything. He obsessed over this night. He dissected the matchup every conceivable way. He too believed Pacquiao did enough to win, but what would you expect him to say?

Roach wanted Pacquiao to throw more combinations, to not fight as flat-footed as he did some rounds.

He needed more than that.

He needed to land the sort of shots Mayweather’s defense never allowed.

This story should conclude here, because nothing could convince those who paid to watch Saturday that five months would produce any different of an outcome.

If he is to really retire after fighting in September, and many still are skeptical given the potential for him to one day go for 50-0 at the new MGM arena set to open in April of 2016, it’s best Mayweather pick on someone else next time.

“I’m almost 40 years old,” said Mayweather, 38. “I’ve been in this sport a long time, a champion for 18 years.

“After (September), it will be time for me to hang it up.”

For now, the fight of the century wasn’t even the fight of the year.

But we should have known that.

Think what you want about him outside the ring. Inside it, Mayweather is a decision victory waiting to happen.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. His new show, “Seat and Ed,” debuts Monday on KRLV 1340 and will be heard from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney