Boxing great Floyd Mayweather defeated mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor Saturday in a 10th-round technical knockout in Las Vegas.
The highly anticipated and much-publicized fight ended with Mayweather's 50th win — he has never lost. And, he said, it was his last.
"Tonight was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with," Mayweather said in the ring, Reuters reported. "Conor, you are a hell of a champion."
McGregor surprised fans with a stronger start in the fight's early rounds than many had expected, but was noticeably weary by the fight's end, observers said.
BoxingScene.com outlined how the fight progressed:
"Once Mayweather got a feel for McGregor's unusual style, he began taking more chances and throwing hard right hands that landed at times to McGregor's chin.
" 'He's a lot better than I thought he was,' Mayweather said. 'He used different angles. He was a tough competitor, but I was the better man tonight.'
"Mayweather went after him in the 10th round, knowing that McGregor (0-1) was exhausted and couldn't continue taking powerful punches to the chin. He hurt McGregor with a straight right hand that sent McGregor into the ropes several seconds before [the referee] Byrd stopped the fight."
The result was of little surprise to anyone. Mayweather was heavily favored to win.
Mayweather, with a 49-0 record, never had a loss or draw. McGregor had never professionally boxed before.
With a now 50-0 record, Mayweather surpasses heavyweight great Rocky Marciano's 49-0 career. "A win is a win, no matter how you get it," Mayweather said. "Rocky Marciano is a legend and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day."
Both men are making hefty sums from the event. Mayweather was lured out of two years of retirement with a guarantee of at least $100 million. McGregor was guaranteed at least $30 million. But Mayweather's final tally could top $200 million and McGregor's more than $100 million, according to ESPN.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
