Floyd Mayweather Jr retires equalling Marciano's 49-0 record

Floyd Mayweather earned a unanimous decision over Andre Berto on Saturday to claim his 49th and he says final victim in a glittering unbeaten ring career spanning two decades.

All three judges ruled in Mayweather's favour and afterwards the American welterweight world champion confirmed that he was retiring.

"My career is over," he said. "It's official."

He equals the perfect 49-0 record of heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano and retains his WBA and WBC titles, embellishing his reputation as the best boxer of his generation.

The 38-year-old self-styled "TBE" ("The Best Ever"), who has consistently said that the Berto showdown would be the last time he steps into the ring, had too much guile and nous for the rank outsider.

Floyd Mayweather talks with the crowd during his Final fight against Andre Berto pic.twitter.com/OmxC9jW2DK

— Boxing Insider.com (@BoxingInsider) September 13, 2015

Berto, who has now lost four of his last seven fights, was set up as the fall guy for the pound-for-pound king's coronation - and he played the role perfectly, showing plenty of heart but not quite enough quality.

Mayweather has his critics, but he was given a hero's welcome at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas by a boisterous crowd who had come expecting to see him give Berto, 32, an old-fashioned shellacking.

He did not quite do that, but instead used his sublime defensive skills to avoid the worst that Berto - a former two-time world champion - could throw at him.

Berto kept coming at Mayweather; Mayweather would land a quick-fire combination and then dart out of trouble again - to roars of approval for the man fans have taken to calling simply "Money."

Turning the screw

Even when he had Mayweather against the ropes Berto found it hard to connect with anything meaningful.

The first real taste of a fight breaking out came at the end of the second round, when the two tangled after the bell, Mayweather giving his foe a dirty look.

The champion - hit by claims on the eve of the fight that he broke anti-doping rules earlier this year, which he denies - came out for round three clearly still riled.

Mayweather was sent scampering across the canvas after one exchange, bringing the crowd to its feet, but the move was more akin to wrestling than boxing.

Berto had his first real taste of success halfway through the fourth of the scheduled 12, forcing Mayweather to cower against the ropes as Berto chased one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Berto resorted to roughhouse tactics in the fifth, catching Mayweather with one particularly low shot that drew oohs from the stands.

The crowd were up on their feet in the sixth as Mayweather turned the screw, bamboozling the underdog with three shots to the body in rapid succession.

But still Berto - dismissed as a dud by some critics who wanted to see Mayweather take on a bigger name - kept coming forward.

But he was mostly finding air, not Mayweather's face, and Mayweather punished him in the closing seconds of the seventh, and Berto briefly looked in big trouble.

Mayweather was ominously gaining control and he knew it - striking a pose at the end of the eighth, and some in the crowd serenaded him with cries of "TBE! TBE!"

Referee Kenny Bayless had to stop the action in the 10th and  warn the pair to stop mouthing off at one another, and there was another flashpoint when the bell sounded.

Mayweather sealed his night's work by turning showman in the 11th, ducking brilliantly to avoid  several Berto haymakers and then looking behind himself as if to say mockingly to his opponent: where am I?

Dominant and defensive

Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't about to change what he does best in his last fight.

Both dominant and defensive, Mayweather used all the tricks learned in a 19-year pro career Saturday night to take a lopsided 12-round decision over Andre Berto and retain his welterweight titles in what he insists was his final fight.

Mayweather ran his perfect record to 49-0, tying a mark set by the late heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, in a fight where he was chased but never really tested.

49-0

— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) September 13, 2015

He piled up points with a sharp jab and quick counter punches, leaving Berto swinging at air most of the night.

By the late rounds, Mayweather was both talking to Berto and taunting him, secure in the knowledge he was winning big against the 18-1 underdog.

In the final seconds of the fight he took a victory lap, fist raised in air.

The ringside scorecards reflected Mayweather's dominance, with one judge scoring it 120-108, giving him every round.

The other scores were 118-110 and 117-111, while The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 119-109.

Mayweather earned another $32 million for the fight, and once again he didn't seem to have to work too hard to make it.

Berto, who had lost three of his last six fights, tried to make it a fight but his punches were wide and mostly missed their marks.

"What can I say, I was the better man tonight," Mayweather said.

Mayweather did what he's done best in his 19-year career, fighting defensively and picking his shots against Berto. He was especially effective when Berto rushed at him, using his counter punching skills to keep Berto away.

It was a winning combination once again, just as it had been in his 48 previous fights.

"I pushed him to the limit," Berto said. "But he was just better."

Mayweather had vowed to give fans an action fight in his last bout, after being criticised for fighting defensively in his win over Manny Pacquiao.

He did trade punches with Berto on several occasions, but never stayed in the pocket long enough for Berto to find his mark.

Mayweather complained to his father in the corner during the fight that he hurt his hand, but said since he is retiring it didn't matter.

"You gotta know when to go. I've had a great career," Mayweather said. "I'm leaving with all my faculties. I feel like I'm smart and sharp."

"I've accomplished everything," Mayweather said. "I've done everything in my sport."

Ringside punch stats showed Mayweather's defensive wizardry.

Mayweather was credited with landing 232 of 410 punches, while Berto landed only 83 of 495.

"I was in great shape but it was difficult to fight him," Berto said. "He was really, really slippery."

Mayweather weighed in at 146 pounds, a pound more than Berto.

If Mayweather retires it will end a career that saw him become a pay-per-view star and earn more money than any boxer before him.

Though most in boxing believe he will some day fight again, the 38-year-old said he had plenty of money and his health is more important than chasing records.

"I'm leaving the sport with all my faculties," Mayweather said. "I'm still smart and I'm still sharp."

Bulgarian Serafim Todorov was the last man to beat Floyd Mayweather in the SF bout at the Atlanta Olympic Games 1996 pic.twitter.com/TzKZkLSrV1

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 13, 2015

Floyd Mayweather earned a unanimous decision over Andre Berto on Saturday to claim his 49th and he says final victim in a glittering unbeaten ring career spanning two decades.

All three judges ruled in Mayweather's favor and afterwards the American welterweight world champion confirmed that he was retiring: "It's official."

“I want to thank god for this victory,” Mayweather says after his historic win. “I want to thank all the fans who came out to support this event.”

“It doesn’t matter what was said. Just trash talking. I’m used to doing trash talking at the Mayweather Boxing Club,” he said during the in-ring interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray.

He insisted this was his last fight.

“It wouldn’t matter if I hurt my left hand or my right hand. My career is over. It’s official,” he said.

“You got to know when to hang it up. I’m knocking at the door now. I’m close to 40 years. Been in the sport 19 years, been a world champion for 18 years,” added the unbeaten pound-for-pound king of the ring.

Undefeated boxers 51-0 Ricardo Lopez 1985-2001 49-0 Rocky Marciano 1947-1955 49-0 Floyd Mayweather 1996-2015 46-0 Joe Calzaghe 1993-2008

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 13, 2015

Mayweather equals Marciano's 49-0 record with unanimous decision over Berto in Vegas.

Round by round

It's 49-0! Mayweather wins again defeating Berto by unanimous decision in what Floyd says will be his final fight. 117-111, 118-110, and 120-108.

Mayweather drops to his knees after the final round in what may be the last bout of his career.

Floyd Mayweather kneels after the final round against Andre Berto #Mayweather #TMT pic.twitter.com/zTREdtyayC

— Boxing Insider.com (@BoxingInsider) September 13, 2015

Mayweather tries to finish with a flourish but lands only a couple of punches cleanly as Berto survives round 12.

Mayweather is laughing and dancing his way to another easy win in round 11.

Berto has thrown 10 punches early in round 10 but Mayweather has evaded all of them elusive as ever.

Action hots up in round nine, but this is shaping up as a lopsided decision win for Mayweather.

Mayweather lands two big blows with his back against the ropes. There is an exchange punches in the middle of the ring bringing the crowd to their feet in round nine

Mayweather lands a vicious uppercut and connects with a flurry of punches to the head of a confused-looking Berto who attempts to pin him on the  ropes again, but Floyd dances his way out of trouble in round eight.

Berto continues to hit and miss as Mayweather though the last 10 seconds of round seven gives the crowd a little excitement at least.

Berto pins Mayweather up against the ropes with a right-left combination and finishes with good right counter by Berto right before the bell.

No fireworks as Mayweather shuts out Berto landing a nice body combination in round six which is his best so far.

Berto is still chasing the elusive Mayweather who counters brilliantly.

Berto connects with a right uppercut in a clinch and also a low blow and is warned by Bayless in round five.

Mayweather has landed 71 punches to Berto's 21 after five rounds.

Floyd starts to open up shaking up Berto with a big right in round four.

Berto does not seem to have a game plan and after three rounds Mayweather-Berto fight is every bit the mismatch it was expected to be.

Mayweather wins second round as Berto is punching mostly at thin air.

Mayweather dances into his corner as Berto fails to make an impression after two rounds.

Mayweather cruises in the first round. Not much action but he does enough to win it.

Berto was surprisingly passive in the first round, which Mayweather dominates from the outside

Weigh-in

Boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) and Andre Berto face off during their official weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AFP)

Floyd Mayweather and huge underdog Andre Berto each easily made the 147-pound weight limit for Saturday's world title showdown in Las Vegas in front of a raucous crowd.

The welterweights engaged in a 30-second faceoff after taking to the scales, setting the stage for a fight that unbeaten pound-for-pound king Mayweather has repeatedly insisted will be his last.

Victory for Mayweather, 38, will see him equal the perfect 49-0 record of legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano for a place in the history books.

'Money' Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) weighed in at 146 pounds; Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), hit the scales at 145 pounds.

Serena

Huge underdog Andre Berto said Friday that he is taking inspiration from Serena Williams' shock defeat at the US Open tennis as he plots his own career-defining upset.

Berto has lost three of his last six fights and is a rank outsider for the welterweight world title showdown against unbeaten Floyd Mayweather on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mayweather, 38, the pound-for-pound king, says it will be his last time in the boxing ring and he wants to write his name in the history books by going a perfect 49-0.

"It don't matter," said Berto, asked if he was bothered that nobody was giving him a chance, after the two fighters easily made the 147-pound weight limit in front of a raucous crowd.

"Where I come from, we never had a chance to come out of that. Just the fact that I am here tells you something," he added, alluding once again to his troubled background in Florida.

Asked if he could emulate Italy's Roberta Vinci, the world number 43 who defeated Williams on Friday at the US Open semi-finals, Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) replied: "Of course, man. God is good, so you better tune in.

"We are here for a reason and I don't care about the other shit. I already been through a lot."

Pacquiao

Moments earlier, Mayweather and Berto - who go back many years - engaged in a 30-second staredown at close quarters that had fans on their feet.

Berto, 32, who hit the scales at 145 pounds, appeared to mouth several words to Mayweather, but would not reveal what he said.

"Last time I am ever getting on the scale," said Mayweather, who weighed in at 146 pounds, thanking fans who gave him a hero's reception.

Pundits and fight fans have widely dismissed Berto as having a big heart but no chance, but Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) was more cautious.

"I don't overlook any opponent. I have been here before and I know what it takes to be in a fight of this magnitude.

"Just stay focused and do what I do best - which is to win," he said, to more screams and cheers.

Asked what he would do with himself after hanging up his gloves - many do not believe that he really will - Mayweather said he was not looking beyond knocking out Berto.

"He is a tough guy with a high knockout ratio. He's a tough and rugged competitor," he said.

"But I have faced everyone in boxing - (Manny) Pacquiao, (Miguel) Cotto, Canelo (Saul Alvarez).. I have already faced the best fighters."

And Mayweather - whose final preparations have been overshadowed by accusations he violated anti-doping rules - could not resist another dig at Pacquiao, defeated on points by Mayweather in May in a so-called "fight of the century" widely acknowledged as a big letdown.

It was on the eve of that superfight that he received an intravenous infusion of saline and vitamins and minerals. The substances are not banned, but the infusion procedure required a therapeutic use exemption.

"The main thing is to be at my best tomorrow," Mayweather said. "Since Pacquiao did not give the fans a good fight, tomorrow is going to be a great fight."

The public, however, are seemingly unconvinced about that - tickets were still on sale on Friday, just 24 hours before Mayweather's supposed farewell.

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