WS students felt gut-checked and cheated by what was hyped up to be “the fight of the century”.
On Saturday, May 2, two welterweight champions faced off in front of a sold out world audience. The fight lasted all 12 rounds, with Mayweather winning in a judge’s decision over his opponent, Manny Pacquiao. Though fans, and Pacquiao, seemed shocked at Mayweathers win, statistically Pacquiao was far from a victory. Throughout the entire fight, Mayweather landed more punches, and had a higher connecting percentage than the Filipino fighter.
“Mayweather fought fairly, but I felt like it should’ve been called the other way” said junior Darean Robertson.
But not all WS students were surprised by the outcome. Junior and Muay Thai Fighter Ron King said “I fully expected the outcome”.
King’s own experience in the ring taught him to recognize technique where others saw a lack of action.
“I was hoping to see a knockout,” said Robertson, a member of the majority of WS viewers who watched the fight simply for entertainment’s sake.
Viewers worldwide were left angered by the outcome. WS students felt that they had paid $100 to watch the fight, all for nothing. Those at the match were probably even more upset, with seats in the arena ranging from $6k to $250k for a single person. For that kind of money, you could send kids to a private college for a decade, or, for those without kids, one could buy a high end BMW.
Further tempers were inflamed following the fight when Manny Pacquiao claimed to have had a pre-existing injury that he and his team conveniently neglected to mention in a pre-match medical report. For those who had bets riding on this fight, the Filipino fighters’ neglect resulted in a massive drop in his fan base. The fighter is even being sued by fans for neglecting to mention this injury, with those fans claiming that, if the public had knowledge of the injury, audiences wouldn’t have paid hundreds of dollars for pay-per-view.
Will audiences be as intent to watch Mayweather’s next fight, considering the outrage over this “fight of the century”? If you don’t mind watching a defensive battle, then tune in to the next fight, because Mayweather may never face defeat.
“Mayweather’s defense is so good that he might possibly end his career without ever really getting into a true war in the ring,” said King.
If you’re simply looking for an entertaining fight, WS students may have to turn elsewhere, as not everybody is eager to drop more cash, because they don’t want to watch another defensive fight like the last.
“I wouldn’t pay $100 to watch another fight, I thought it was a waste of money” said Robertson.