Floyd Mayweather won the WBC and WBA light middleweight titles and stretched his unbeaten professional run to 45 fights last night when he defeated Saul Canelo Alvarez.
The judges scored the fight 114-114, 116-112, 117-111,Mayweather was never threatened making his Mexican opponent seem like a contender rather than a champion.
“It is about skills,” said five-weight world champion Mayweather. “I came out tonight and showed my skills.
“I just listened to my corner, listened to my dad [Floyd Sr, who is also his trainer]. My dad had a brilliant game-plan and I went out there and got the job done.”
“I didn’t know how to get him, it’s extremely simple,” said Alvarez, who was previously unbeaten in 43 fights.
“We tried to catch him but he’s a great fighter, very intelligent. There was no solution for him.”
Mayweather will go home with a world record purse of $45m(£26m) while the fight is likely to be the most lucrative pay-per-view show in history.
With ticket sales at the MGM grand going for $30,000 (£18,900), many expected the 23-year-old to put up a good fight. But Mayweather’s defensive mastery was too good leaving Alvarez spending most of the fight hitting arms or swinging at the air.
Mayweather took the first round courtesy of a few quick jabs with the second round panning out in the same fashion. Alvarez tried to apply some pressure in the fourth round, Mayweather made the most of his chances, delivering some effective combinations.
Alvarez went to rough-house tactics in the sixth round but the American was equally adept on the inside. Mayweather supplied a mean uppercut in the seventh and by this time, Alvarez already looked defeated. The Mexican did take rounds 8, 9 and 10 as Mayweather took a breather but got back on his game-plan down the stretch, easily getting the better of his opponent in the final two rounds.
Mayweather has now made $73m (£46m) for two fights in 2013 – he easily beat fellow American Robert Guerrero in May – making him the highest-paid athlete in the world for the second successive year.
