Mayweather dominates Guerrero in unanimous decision win

Photo: Tom Casino / SHOWTIME

So much for ring rust.

Floyd Mayweather didn't skip a beat in his return to the ring from a one-year layoff, retaining his WBC Welterweight title with a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision victory over Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero on Saturday at the MGM in Las Vegas.  All three judges scored the fight 117-111 in favor of the champion.

The 36-year-old Mayweather  (44-0, 26 KO's) looked sharp and in rhythm throughout the fight, using his superb defensive skills and accurate lead right hand to effectively get off first in the exchanges and then escape out of harm's way.

The punch statistics reflected the success of Mayweather's tactics, as he landed 60 percent of his power shots, while Guerrero only managed to land 19 percent of his total punches thrown.

Mayweather's improved defense can be partly credited to his father, Floyd Mayweather Senior, who replaced Roger Mayweather as the lead trainer. An underrated trainer, Mayweather Senior got his son to use his feet more and stay off the ropes, rather than trying to block incoming shots with his shoulders and arms.

"The less you get hit in this sport, the longer you last," Mayweather said. "I needed my father (trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.) this night and we were victorious."

"Everyone was saying that at the age of 36, I didn't have it no more. My defense wasn't sharp after the Cotto fight, but I have proved myself. Cotto is a future Hall of Famer. I've been in with some of the best. All I want to do is give the fans exciting fights."

Mayweather's superior hand speed not only allowed him to nail his opponent throughout the fight, but also made the normally aggressive southpaw Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KO's) somewhat wary of being countered.  As such, Guerrero's workrate was less than in his other recent fights.

"He was barely slipping by the punches," Guerrero lamented. "I landed some good punches. He's a great fighter. He's slick, he's quick. He came out and did his thing. He was a little better than I thought. I thought I was going to catch him. He was on his game tonight."

After the fight, Mayweather claimed his right hand was injured midway through the fight.

Undercard Fights

Photo: Tom Casino / SHOWTIME

Abner Mares dethroned defending WBC Featherweight World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon to win a world title in a third division. Mares (26-0-1, 14 KO's) knocked down Ponce De Leon (44-5, 35 KO's) twice en route to a ninth round (2:20) technical knockout victory.

Although the bout was exciting with both men throwing leather, Mares seemed to regress somewhat skill-wise, opting to swing for the fences rather than set things up with his jab. He will need to get back to boxing effectively now that he has moved up in weight.

Undefeated Leo Santa Cruz (24-0-1, 14 KO's) put on a dominating performance in his first fight at 122-pounds, knocking down Alexander Munoz (36-5, 28 KO's) three times en route to a fifth-round technical knockout win (1:05). The former IBF Bantamweight World Champion picked apart Munoz, a former world title challenger, in a scheduled 10-round bout that was never in doubt.

J'Leon Love (16-0, 8 KO's) overcame the bout's lone knockdown to score a 10-round split decision over the game Gabriel Rosado (21-7, 13 KO's) by the scores of 97-92, 95-94, and 94-95.

By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and news services