LAS VEGAS -- It was the exact result we expected, as Floyd Mayweather rode off into the sunset Saturday with his mission of a perfect 49-0 mark complete.
But there was something about watching Mayweather so easily pick apart massive underdog Andre Berto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena that was frustrating to see.
Still without peer as the pound-for-pound king of the sport at age 38, Mayweather executed his philosophy of “hit and not get hit” against Berto in a way that left you imagining he could have done the exact same to any other welterweight or junior middleweight in the world on this night.
That’s the problem.
Kneeling in the center of the ring after the final bell with one glove extended to the sky, Mayweather closed out a comical mismatch amid a mixture of cheers and boos. In the final bout of his landmark, six-fight deal with Showtime/CBS, Mayweather earned a minimum of $32 million as fans paid $74.95 on pay-per-view to see a fight that played out exactly to its most negative expectations.
This is how it had to end for a fighter who made a career out of winning fights by minimizing danger. He did the same thing as a matchmaker too, as he almost exclusively chose the path of least resistance in pursuit of financial reward.
Mayweather might have walked away on his own terms as the most financially decorated prizefighter in history and the world’s richest athlete. But he left the appearance that he could have done more Saturday, just as he did over his entire career.
This night should have been a celebration of Mayweather’s greatness, with the sport saying goodbye to the undisputed best of his era and one of the purest boxers in history. Instead, in many ways, it was a microcosm of what his legacy has become to his many detractors.
Once again, Mayweather failed to win over the fans as he wrapped a career that often lacked sincerity -- both in his response to criticism and in the true message of his marketing and matchmaking.
The fact that Mayweather has been able to so often tiptoe the flames without getting burned has been a credit to his masterful skills. Yet it has been that same reluctance to stand directly in the fire that has left just enough doubt regarding how good he truly is.
At the news conference after the bout, Mayweather said he accomplished everything he wanted to since he turned pro in 1996. But he never quite accomplished what the rest of us believed he -- a truly special fighter -- was capable of, and that proved to be his career’s lone defeat.
Instead, it has been a constant sell job for Floyd, who has built an empire behind a brand that prematurely proclaimed him “The Best Ever.”
Saturday’s sell job was no different. More than any of his 49 victories in the ring, that will be his ultimate legacy.