Manny Pacquiao outscores Shane Mosley to retain WBO welterweight title

Manny Pacquiao throws a right at Shane Mosley in the WBO welterweight title fight in Las Vegas. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Sometimes we expect too much from our heroes. Boxing history dictates that the barricade which tumbled unforgivingly in front of the 39-year-old Shane Mosley's meandering career path will one day halt the march of Manny Pacquiao, who unanimously outscored Mosley over 12 rounds at the MGM Grand.

Echoes of the past, which boomed through the loser's performance, promise a future without the only man currently capable of transcending the sport. Despite the disappointing nature of large parts of the WBO welterweight champion's one-sided decision victory over the faded American, such foundations of disaster are yet to be set, and we should be thankful of that.

A tentative start from the Filipino was snapped violently in the third round when a typically pulsating attack concluded with a blistering left hand that landed just above the right ear of Mosley. As the veteran sank to the deck, the height of his task grew immeasurably.

"They're different kinds of punches to what I have ever felt before," the American explained beneath his delicate slur and swollen cheeks. "I really felt it [the punch that caused the knockdown].

"I was hurt, I was stunned. It didn't seem like a big shot when he threw it but it hurt."

Former three-weight world champion Mosley's infamous thirst for combat had been unsatisfactorily quenched. Despite experiencing fleeting moments of success, the desire to last the distance indelibly stained the veteran's pre-battle promises to win. Tedium ruled as the jubilance the crowd had previously imparted contorted into jagged boos. Some were undoubtedly directed at Pacquiao for his part in the anticlimactic combat. The 32-year-old, whose claim to have won world titles in eight divisions depends on your take on the validity of certain belts, blamed cramps in his right leg for his own part in the treacherous waltz but, crucially, he was winning the fight. Every outing does not have to be a licensed mugging.

"My first concern is that I want the people to be satisfied with my performance," the Filipino admitted when asked about the jeers. "I don't care if I've hurt my face, I still want to give a good fight. I just want people to be happy with my performance."

Friday's weigh-in offered clues of what was to come. Six thousand fans, some of whom had queued from 7.30am to watch the combatants stand on a scale eight hours later, were entertained by dancing girls. The rasping Las Vegas breeze weaved through the conditioned air of the MGM Grand to create serene warmth that the fighters reciprocated; unable to stifle the mutual respect, the stare-down ended in giggles. But they did not need to manifest any malice, this event sold all of the 16,400 tickets on name value alone.

Only one will be able to sell a show of this magnitude again. The evidence has been bubbling for some time that Mosley is spent and Pacquiao confirmed that "Sugar" Shane has all but dissolved.

The Californian's finest moment arrived when he illegally shoved Pacquiao to the deck in the 10th and the referee, Kenny Bayless, administered a count over the bemused superstar. The impatient spectators were grateful that the mistake breathed life into "Pacman" who finished the bout slashing his wounded opponent around the ring. The judges' scores of 120-108, 120-107 and 119-108 proved they did not make the same mistake as the man in the middle. Tellingly, the winner ignored the customary final bell embrace and turned his back on his foe.

Reflecting on the incident, Pacquiao said: "I'll tell you the truth, however long the fight lasts, whether it's 10 or 12 rounds, I want my opponent to fight toe-to-toe with me. But what am I going to do if they won't do that? I was expecting him to fight but he just wanted to survive."

The only men deemed capable of legitimately challenging the Filipino, Juan Manuel Márquez – who has already engaged in two hotly disputed contests with Pacquiao – and the unbeaten but seemingly unwilling Floyd Mayweather Jr, were dismissed by the promoter Bob Arum. "There is a student of the game who knows that Floyd Mayweather won't fight Manny Pacquiao," Arum boomed at the post-fight press conference, "and that is Floyd Mayweather because he knows he can't win. I guarantee you that Pacquiao would beat the crap out of Mayweather if they ever fought." Shane, who was soundly beaten by Floyd last year, was not as forthcoming with his prediction on the foully flirtatious superfight.

The talented light-welterweight Timothy Bradley, who has recently pulled out of negotiations to fight Amir Khan, looks like the legendary Top Rank manager's No1 choice. "I don't care who I fight," the southpaw whispered. And quite frankly, with Márquez and Mayweather indefinitely off the table, neither should we.

Mosley predictably refused to retire after his latest humbling. The boxing world can live with another deluded time chaser but, certainly, it will struggle to survive without Pacquiao. Make the most of him, he'll be missed when he's gone.