The Mayweather / Pacquiao Era

From 2005 to 2015, the two most discussed fighters on the planet were Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. They held the pound-for-pound #1 ranking between them for most of the decade, and the fight between them — talked about as 'the biggest fight of all time' — was repeatedly negotiated and repeatedly fell apart. Mayweather's career was built on the Philly Shell defence, perfect range management, and 49-0 (eventually 50-0) record. Pacquiao won world titles in eight different weight classes — the only fighter in history to do so. When the fight finally happened, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas, it broke every pay-per-view record and grossed approximately $700 million. Mayweather won the unanimous decision; Pacquiao revealed afterwards that he had been fighting with a torn rotator cuff. The fight settled the rivalry but did not end either career — Mayweather went on to retire 50-0 in August 2017 (controversial McGregor exhibition), Pacquiao continued boxing until 2021.