Fifty and out as Mayweather stops brave McGregor

– ‘A win is a win’ –

Mayweather will now head into what he says is a permanent retirement with a perfect 50-0 record, one better than heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.

He rejected suggestions that his 50th win, against a novice boxer, would be destined to have an asterisk against it.

“A win is a win, no matter how you get it,” Mayweather said. “Rocky Marciano is a legend and I look forward to going into the Hall of Fame one day.

“This was my last fight tonight. For sure. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with.”

Mayweather is also expected to be around $200 million wealthier, taking his career earnings to around $1 billion.

McGregor, who was an unemployed former plumber four years ago before emerging as one of the biggest stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is expected to earn around $100 million.

If pay-per-view television targets are met, the fight could become the most lucrative in history.

The start of the bout had been delayed by several minutes as anticipation built to fever pitch and television providers struggled to cope with the surge in demand from pay-per-view customers.

Anticipation had built steadily at ringside as an array of stars from the sports and entertainment worlds took their seats, including Bruce Willis, LeBron James and Mike Tyson.

Ever since the fight was announced in June, it had been dismissed as a farce and a freakshow by the boxing community.

But fears of a one-sided massacre failed to materialise and McGregor finished with some respectable statistics. The Irishman’s 111 landed punches were 30 more than Manny Pacquiao managed against Mayweather in their 2015 “Fight of the Century.”