For both fighters, it was the best bout of their lives. For fans of boxing, it was a treat. For the judges who scored the fight, it was an unanimous decision. Floyd Mayweather Jr. took the most punishment ever in twelve rounds of boxing, and still managed to come out victorious against a strong and resolute Miguel Angel  Cotto Vasquez, who did not agree with the unanimous decision.

The Puerto Rican fighter did not attend the post-fight press conference. There was some speculation that he had gone to the hospital, but Puerto Rico’s news daily El Nuevo Dia confirmed that was not the case. Mr. Cotto retreated to his hotel room with his family, a staple at ringside during all his fights.

Mr. Cotto told ESPN Deportes that he was satisfied with his own performance in the fight:

“The judges say I lost the fight…. I have to accept my defeat. I brought out my best tonight, just like I did every day during training. I am happy with the fight I put up and with what I presented.”

On his Twitter feed, however, the Boricua pugilist voiced a stronger disagreement with the unanimous decision.

The fight started with fanfare. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was escorted by pop singer Justin Bieber and wrestler Triple H, while Miguel Cotto entered the MGM Grand with Calle 13. Mr. Cotto started out aggressive and put up a strong guard. Mr. Mayweather Jr. developed a nosebleed from early on. Mr. Mayweather Jr. is known as a fighter who likes to keep a good distance away from his opponents, but that was not possible against Mr. Cotto as he kept pushing him against the ropes. For the first time in many fights, Mr. Mayweather Jr. was forced to fight toe-to-toe instead of his trademark hit-and-run.

Mr. Cotto clearly dominated the early rounds, but Mr. Mayweather Jr. began to avoid him and took a break during the ninth and tenth rounds. On the eleventh round Mr. Mayweather Jr. went on the offensive and was very effective. He began to bruise Mr. Cotto’s face noticeably. Every attempt by Mr. Cotto to return to the ropes failed as his opponent slipped away, but not before delivering a parting shot. The final round was dominated by Mr. Mayweather Jr., and on a couple of occasions he could have knocked down Mr. Cotto and clinched all the points necessary to win the fight. He even seemed to have mercy on the Boricua fighter, or else he was cautious of a surprise counterattack.

Mr. Mayweather Jr. remains undefeated at 43-0. After the fight, he once again fueled speculation of a match against Filipino star fighter Manny Pacquiao, who is considered one of the best boxers in history. He called on Mr. Pacquiao to forsake promoter Bob Arum, something that many in the boxing world know is unlikely to happen.