Having watched the 2 May 2015 fight in its entirety, it is easy to come to a firm conclusion that the "Fight Of The Century" is actually "The Swindle Of The Century".
Just watch it here:
(1) Swindle No. 1
Clearly contrary to the official result, Mayweather did not win the fight. In fact, Pacquiao was much more aggressive, landing more and landing harder punches and was obviously inferior only in Round 11. Throughout most of the match, Mayweather was looking afraid, moving backwards, running away and throwing occasional light jabs just to keep Pacquiao away from him; and when he failed, he would be backing up against the ropes, holding up both his gloves to protect his face or clinch and hold Pacquiao to stop the latter's punches. He made a poor imitation of Ali (vs Foreman) by repeatedly shaking his head to say that Pacquiao's punches did not hurt him. It was almost comical to see what's happening on the screen and listening to what the 2 glaringly prejudiced commentators were saying about Mayweather being totally dominant or holding a masterclass in boxing. The sights and the sounds were so at odds that one wonders whether we were watching the same boxing match in the same universe. Clearly, someone thought that the spectator is an idiot who can be influenced into thinking that their eyes were deceiving them. All Mayweather did convincingly was to act after the match as though he had won and pose boastfully. If we looked at Pacquiao's reaction when he raised both arms almost immediately after the last punch was thrown, it was a much more natural and spontaneous reaction.
(2) Swindle No. 2
Much was made of Pacquiao's old right shoulder rotator cuff tear injury after the match. As a doctor, I can vouch that if the injury was causing any pain at all on fight night, Pacquiao would not be able to move his right shoulder much at all, much less to even throw a punch. Looking at the video, he was clearly able to throw right punches all right. Yes, rotator cuff injuries can be totally painless. Pacquiao did not throw as many punches as he usually does, not because of right shoulder pain, but because Mayweather kept running away. So, the drama about being denied a last-minute pain-killing injection before the fight and the doubts introduced into the minds of spectators about what might have been the result if there had been no Pacquiao injury are deliberate ploys for a desired effect. Which is ... (see Swindle No. 3 below)
(3) Swindle No. 3
What we all saw on May 2 wasn't a championship boxing match. It was a kind of cynical, farcical drama designed to convince celebrities and fans to pay big money at ringside and pay-per-view to watch a fixed pseudo-match involving their boxing heroes. Swindle No. 2 is to generate controversy and interest for fans to be willing enough to be swindled one more time at a future rematch. Mayweather must win no matter what happened in the ring because only a Mayweather win can bring in more money later!
Conclusion (wink wink)
Well, boxing fans like us are smarter. We have watched it for free on YouTube (even if we are 8 weeks late). Though it wasn't genuine or authentic, at the very least, it provided some light comedy on a night when there is nothing on TV.
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