Floyd Mayweather maintains his unbeaten record and wins the richest fight in boxing history after beating Manny Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

Floyd Mayweather, 38, delivered a defensive master class against his Philippine rival, making the necessary adjustments after only a few rounds before disappearing out of sight.

The American, who added the WBO welterweight title to the WBC and WBA titles he already owned, was awarded the fight 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 by the three judges.

With his victory, Floyd Mayweather also cemented his status as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of his generation.

The five-weight world champion is now undefeated in 48 professional fights, stretching back 19 years.

Six-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao, 36, falls to 57 wins, six losses and two draws.

Tickets for the bout – billed as “The Fight of the Century” – changed hands for as much as $350,000 and American fans were charged almost $100 to watch on television.

Rival broadcasters Showtime and HBO joined forces for the first time since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002 to show the fight, with Jimmy Lennon Jr. and Michael Buffer sharing ring announcer duties.

A-listers in the 16,507 crowd included Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Sting, Prince and Donald Trump.

Multi Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx sang the American national anthem prior to the fighters entering the ring. So prized was a seat that many celebrities were even sat behind the press row.

Manny Pacquiao began his ring walk at 20:45 Vegas time – to the strains of a song he recorded especially for the occasion – and was awarded a rapturous reception. Floyd Mayweather, on the other hand, was roundly booed, despite being effectively the house fighter.

The opening round was extremely cagey, with both men trying to establish their distance, but Floyd Mayweather did land with a couple of eye-catching right hands on the counter.

Not only did Floyd Mayweather look noticeably bigger than Manny Pacquiao, he also looked quicker in the early rounds.

When Pacquiao did get close, Mayweather was content to tie him up, to both Pacquiao and the fans’ frustration.

While many observers who paid to watch would have been disappointed with the action, the fact that Floyd Mayweather won so handily was more proof of his unparalleled genius.

Manny Pacquiao’s pride will no doubt be salved when he next checks his bank account – it is estimated the fight will generate $400 million in total, with Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao set to split in the region of $230 million.

Afterwards Floyd Mayweather confirmed he would fight one more time in September before retiring, although the opportunity to surpass Rocky Marciano’s mark of 49 fights undefeated might prove too tempting to pass up.