Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his WBO Welterweight title on May 7 in a unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Shane Mosley.
The most anticipated fight of the year lasted the full 12 rounds, but Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 knockouts) spent nearly every one of them chasing Mosley, who only seemed interested in making it to the final bell.
Still, “Pacman” was able to connect on a few power blows, including a huge left hook that knocked down Mosley in the third round. From that point on, Mosley—who has never been knocked out of a fight in his 18-year career—mostly evaded Pacquiao keeping his record intact. Mosley’s tactics were similar to those he employed in a loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. last year.
“I fought the best fighter in the world,” said Mosley, who lost 120-108 on one judge’s scorecard, 120-107 on a second and 119-108 on the third.
“Manny has exceptional power,” Mosley said, “I’ve never been hit like this before.”
Mosley (46-7-1-1) had so much respect for Pacquiao’s speed and power that he constantly reached for a friendly glove-tap during rounds, and even gave Manny a hug at the start of the final round, which may have deflated Pacquiao’s desire to go after the knockout.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach had predicted a knockout coming into the fight and Manny probably would have gotten the job done had he not suffered a left leg cramp late in the fight that slowed down his movement.
“I thought Shane did a great job, he had some speed,” Pacquiao told reporters following the fight. “I couldn’t move because my left leg got tight. It’s a problem I’ve been having lately. I’m going to work on my legs in future training camps.”
Mosley is reported to have made a guaranteed $5 million for the fight, while Pacquiao is expected to take home a minimum of $20 million, not including the revenue generated from pay-per-view purchases of the event.
