Manny Pacquiao would have his moments throughout 12 rounds. It was always going to happen, such is the quality of a man rightly regarded as one of the elite pound-for-pound fighters of his generation.

As it happened: Mayweather v Pacquiao

But when the curtain was drawn on his fight with Floyd Mayweather jnr, that's all they were - fleeting patches of intoxicating dominance when it seemed the undefeated champion may finally have met his match.

He hadn't. He won't. Like he had done in all of his previous 47 undefeated appearances in a professional boxing ring, Mayweather's purity as a boxer, unmatched smarts and underrated toughness would steer him to a victory that now ensures he can finish his career saying he didn't duck a single opponent of worth.

The scorecards had Mayweather taking a unanimous decision (118-110, 116-112, 116-112) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and he was rightly proclaimed the winner of a bout that was notable for its quality, if not its ferocity. Nobody was robbed, although somebody would complain.

Mike Tyson was among many that disapproved at the tempo of the fight, which tended to meander at times rather than burn down the ring. Give Mike a 'war' any day. But given the styles of the fighters engaged, this was never going to be violent madness of the Hagler-Hearns variety, nor produce the kind of early finish that defined early Tyson.

And for all of Mayweather's pre-fight chatter of being the greatest of all time, Pacquiao would take over the role of the delusional combatant at the end and throughout the evening, telling media after the fight that he swore he had triumphed.

"It's a good fight. I thought I won the fight. He didn't do nothing. He just moved outside," Pacquiao said. "I got him many times. I thought I won the fight. He was moving around. It's not easy to throw a lot of punches."

Pacquiao is easy to love but nobody that knows anything about the sweet science could agree. There were times in the middle rounds when he rattled Floyd to the extent that Mayweather's corner was wondering what the hell was wrong with their usually unflappable champ.

But as always seems to be the case against Mayweather, Pacquiao couldn't find that delicate balance between outright aggression and retaining energy for the later rounds, all of which belonged to Mayweather, who began to dominate once he rebalanced and refocused his energies.

Like heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, Mayweather can be criticised for being a 'boring' boxer. But his counter-punching against Pacquiao was a complete masterclass that had the Filipino icon frustrated and fruitlessly chasing Mayweather around the canvas, never landing enough power to seriously put the result in doubt.

He would back Mayweather into the corner and prepare to fire off his signature shots... a straight left, that ripping uppercut. But before he knew it, Mayweather had ducked, weaved, clocked him with a right on the counter and retreated to the sanctuary of centre ring, where he could control proceedings once more.

"He's a hell of a fighter. I take my hat off. Now I see why he's one of the guys at the pinnacle. I knew he was going to win some rounds but I kept him on the outside. We do what we had to do tonight," Mayweather said.

"I'm a calculated fighter. He's a tough competitor. My dad wanted me to do more but he's an awkward fighter."

Calculated is the word. Stats showed Mayweather would land 34 per cent of his punches, Pacquiao just 19 per cent. Less becomes more on the scorecards - that's how Mayweather does his business.

There was a twist later, of course. Pacquiao would reveal he went into the fight with a shoulder injury sustained a month before in training. He had requested a pre-fight injection but it was refused, with officials saying that was the first they had heard of the ailment.

With a record of domestic abuse, Mayweather remains a difficult person to like outside of the ring. He was greeted in his home country by a chorus of boos before the fight, after the right and even during interviews. After the bell, he jumped on the ring like a WWE wrestler, thumped his chest and screamed back: 'I KNOW I WON'.

Trying to reconcile the flawed character of the man with the greatness of the athlete remains difficult. He knows he cannot escape his criminal past and has done little to change his villainous image, often seeming to fan the flames instead of soothe his critics.

Inside the ropes, he remains in a league of his own. Pacquiao was his last great hurdle and in the end, he cleared it with room to spare. Mayweather's place in boxing history will be forever debated but at the moment, his record speaks for itself: 48 fights, 48 wins.