Fight of the century: Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao - As it happened...

New Delhi: Floyd Mayweather Jr. preserved his unbeaten record as a professional with a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines in their welterweight megabout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday.

The 38-year-old American withstood an aggressive start by the Filipino and relied on his renowned defence and counter-punching to dominate the 12 rounds as he improved his career record to 48-0.

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Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao - As it happened...

Floyd Mayweather wins a unanimous decision. Judges turn in scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112. 

"Now I see why Manny is where he is. I was a smart fighter. I kept it on the outside. I out boxed him," says the American.

"My last fight is in September. I'll do that and I will hang it up," he added.

With scores of 118-110, 116-112 x 2, @FloydMayweather is 48-0. #MayPac #Mayweather pic.twitter.com/dlt3neD8Ha — SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) May 3, 2015

Manny Pacquiao felt he won that fight.

"It was a good fight. I thought I won the fight. He didn't do nothing."

"He was moving around. It's not easy to throw and land when we are moving around," he added.

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Round 12

Manny didn't go for broke with a fear of getting caught. Though Pacquiao may have won that Round, it wouldn't be enough to win the bout.

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Round 11

Floyd continued his strong show from the last three rounds. The American seems to have outboxed Pacquiao in that Round. That was one-sided action in favor of Mayweather.

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Round 10

Both fighters threw a series of punches but didn't connect effectively. Floyd's masterful defense was the key in that round. The American seems to be in control and continued to dominate the fight.

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Round 9

Manny threw a combination of punches, but the American emerged relatively unscathed from that assault. Floyd seems to be doing enough to win the points and edge Manny. The crowd gets behind the underdog from Philippines.

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Round 8

Mayweather landed more punches, while Pacquiao continued to throw more of them. The American might have increased his advantage over Manny in that round. Mayweather's reach seems to be making a big difference in his bout. 

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Round 7

Floyd connected with a right hook. Manny hit back with a left. That was a closely contested round. Too close to call.

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Round 6

Pacquiao had Mayweather against the ropes and threw a flurry of punches. Every time Manny threw a combination of punches, Floyd nodded suggesting it didn't get him. Manny did enough to edge that Round. Excellent stuff from the southpaw.

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Round 5

After an impressive Round 4, Manny couldn't sustain his energy in the 5th. Though Mayweather appears to have slowed down, he connected with his right.

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Round 4

Pacquiao got Mayweather on the ropes and landed a big left. Big Round 4 for the southpaw. Lightning-fast combinations from Pacquiao definitely hurt Floyd there.

The crowd is ecstatic with that fightback from Manny.

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Round 3

Floyd is landing 49% of his power punches to Pacquiao's 23%. Manny has steadily improved here, but Floyd's right hand has dominated this bout so far. Manny needs to catch the American with his combos soon.

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Round 2

Manny came out aggressively in Round 2. However, Mayweather's right did the damage again. Pacquiao finally ended a decent left on the American at the end of that Round. Again, Floyd was too quick for Manny. Also, Mayweather's reach seems to be making a big difference.

Pacquiao combos through 2 rounds: Round 1 (2 combos, 4 punches thrown) Round 2 (4 combos, 10 punches thrown) — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 3, 2015

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Round 1

Floyd tagged Manny with two rights early on. Mayweather looked really quick and sharp in the early exchanges. Manny appeared restless and a bit frustrated as Round 1 concluded. The Southpaw needs to find his range soon. The American should get that Round.

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Both the fighters are ready to rumble. Here we go....

This is it! #MayPac pic.twitter.com/YTjcJDUjWF — MayweatherPromotions (@MayweatherPromo) May 3, 2015

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Manny and Floyd are introduced to the crowd by the announcer. More cheers for Pacman, more boos for the American.

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Huge roar of boos for Floyd 'Money'Mayweather as he made his way to the ring to Ima Boss by Meek Mil.

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Fighting pride of the Philippines makes his way to the ring to chants of 'Manny Manny' from a predominantly American crowd. He is flanked by legendary trainer Freddie Roach and Jimmy Kimmel. The 36-year-old walked in to the ring with Lalaban Ako Para sa Pilipino (I Am Going to Fight for Filipinos), a song he recorded, playing in the background.

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Both fighters are honored with the national anthems of their respective countries. First up is Lupang Hinirang of Philippines, followed by the Star-Spangled Banner of USA sung by Jamie Foxx. 

. @iamjamiefoxx singing the national anthem #MayPac pic.twitter.com/da9ap1PXWb — MayweatherPromotions (@MayweatherPromo) May 3, 2015

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Shah Rukh Khan is hooked on too.

Money Fights Money. Pacquiao & Mayweather. Been yrs since such excitement for a fight maybe Tyson v Holyfield. Early Sunday totally worth it — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) May 3, 2015

Pay-per-view hitches hold up mega-fight

The stunning demand for pay-per-view telecasts of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather mega-fight had providers struggling to meet it on Saturday.

The start time for the pay-per-view telecast, which included two undercard bouts, had come and gone in the United States and complaints had surfaced on Twitter, that in some areas cable providers were unable to deliver the show.

The scale of the problem was enough to have telecasters Showtime and HBO hold up the main event for about 45 minutes.

Problems ranged from issues with ordering, to pixellated screens, to screens going to black after the broadcast had started.

"We are aware of the issue impacting the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao feed," US cable provider Charter Communications tweeted. 

"We are working to resolve as soon as possible." 

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Pacquiao and his mother share a pre-fight prayer.

#Pacquiao & his mom sharing a pre-fight prayer. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/yhPSqQ8TAt — SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) May 3, 2015

Mayweather readies himself as he prepares to make his way to the ring.

Who's ready? @FloydMayweather #MayPac pic.twitter.com/5rLLJ3mMHI — MayweatherPromotions (@MayweatherPromo) May 3, 2015

Final thoughts from Money Mayweather as he faces his toughest test yet.

Thank you God, my family, staff, friends and all my great fans from all around the world. — Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) May 3, 2015

Pacman's gear for this historic bout.

Tonight's gear for the fight. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/q2cpU2ypYO — Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 3, 2015

Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro and Paris Hilton are in the house.

G.O.A.T weighs in on Mayweather vs Pacquiao...

Great fight tonight in the desert. Rumble young men rumble. Good luck to @MannyPacquaio & @FloydMayweather #MayPac #AliTweet — Muhammad Ali (@MuhammadAli) May 2, 2015

Several Hollywood A-listers are expected to turn up for this fight. Here is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, left, is joined by director Antoine Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington before the start of the world welterweight championship bout.

Actor Liev Schreiber watches the action before the start of the world welterweight championship bout.

Knockout win for Lomachenko on mega-fight 

Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko launched a glittering night of boxing with a nine-round demolition of Gamalier Rodriguez on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather`s long-awaited bout.

Lomachenko, a 27-year-old two-time Olympic gold medallist, has exploded on the professional scene after a stellar amateur career.

His speed and accuracy were far too much for Rodriguez, who went down in the seventh round before Lomachenko landed two more punishing rights that sent him down in the ninth, unable to respond to referee Robert Byrd`s count of 10.

With the knockout at 50 seconds in the second round, Lomachenko improved to 4-1 with 2 knockouts and retained his World Boxing Organization featherweight world title.

As the bout progressed the MGM Grand Garden Arena still seemed to be in limbo -- awaiting the arrival of the night`s marquee players: Filipino icon Pacquiao and unbeaten American Mayweather.

As the MGM Grand hotel and casino thrummed with excitement, inside the arena seats had yet to be filled.

But the moment was drawing near. Pacquiao and Mayweather had both arrived at the arena and were in their dressing rooms preparing the welterweight world title unification bout that could yield a stunning $400 million in revenue and a possible $200 million payday for Mayweather and as much as $100 million for Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao - Preview

Las Vegas casinos were teeming with punters as the prospect of Pacquiao and Mayweather finally trading blows sent a crackle of anticipation rippling across the sporting world.

The long-awaited bout, which has been more than five years in the making, will rewrite the record books as the most lucrative fight of all time.

Total revenue for the bout could reach an eye-watering $400 million, fueled by as many as three million purchases on pay-per-view television.

The breathtaking figures -- a possible $200 million payday for the unbeaten American and an estimated $100 million bonanza for Philippine icon Pacquiao -- have intensified the spotlight on a fight between two of the greatest pugilists of their generation.

As a taster for the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, a raucous crowd of 11,500 turned out for Friday`s weigh-in, as Pacquiao and Mayweather went nose-to-nose.

The few tickets that did go on sale for the bout itself were reportedly snapped up in one minute, with A-listers and high-rollers making up the vast majority of a 16,800 sell-out crowd, making the fight more akin to a nightout at the Oscars than two men attempting to pound the other to the canvas.

With just hours to go, dozens of tickets were still available on the resale website StubHub, ranging in price from $2,690 to $37,442 apiece.

The MGM Grand was heaving with fans hours before the fight Saturday.

Swanky starred restaurants and fast-food outlets were already packed, and promised to be even more crowded by fight time. 

Lines were long to the betting windows at the sports book, where copies of the odds and proposition bets were being handed out so bettors could mull wagers as they waited. 

Souvenir T-shirts and caps were flying off the shelves, although many of the big-fight shirts being worn were knockoffs, bought on the streets outside at less than half the $35 price of the official version.

Las Vegas tourism officials said occupancy for the city`s 150,000 hotel rooms would approach 100 percent. Casinos were advertising red-carpet events hosted by hip-hop stars such as Puff Daddy and Snoop Dogg and pop star Justin Bieber -- a Mayweather fan and friend.Even if Saturday`s bout doesn`t measure up to Mayweather`s claim of the "biggest fight in boxing history," it is set to be an intriguing clash of styles between men of contrasting personalities.

Pacquiao, 36, a two-term congressman with a music and film career, credits the grace of God for lifting him from poverty in his youth and later guiding him away from a life of excess that his ring success made possible.

"Pacman," who undoubtedly had the crowd on his side at the weigh-in, will go into the ring with all of the Philippines in his corner.

Streets will be empty on fight night -- Sunday morning in the Philippines -- as the nation of 100 million cheers its "National Fist." Guns often fall silent in the war-torn south of the country when the beloved Pacquiao is in action. 

The brash Mayweather touts his status as a money-making machine and comes from a troubled past that includes jail time for one of a string of domestic violence incidents.

Mayweather, 47-0 with 26 knockouts, is a 2-1 favorite to add Pacquiao`s World Boxing Organization world title to his own World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council belts.

Public opinion is with Pacquiao; boxing experts say Mayweather to triumph, most likely by 12-round decision.

Mayweather, 38, is a supremely skilled boxer and potentially devastating counter-puncher, famed for his ability to hit without being hit.

Pacquiao, who owns a record of 57-5-2 with 38 knockouts, says he is content in his underdog role.

A winner of world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, Pacquiao noted that he`s beaten plenty of big foes, among them Oscar De La Hoya in 2008.

"No one thought I could beat Oscar, and I was the underdog then," said Pacquiao.