MAYWEATHER WINS BY DECISION

Round by Round Commentary - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
Corley goes first with a single jab to the body. Floyd retaliates with aggressive combos, walking in behind punches, and making the first real impact: a body shot. The action is not altogether as awkward as it could be given the southpaw factor. Mayweather seeks to dominate; he connects with a couple of short rights. Corley is evading, countering and also looking to go first sometimes too. The action has been fairly balanced, with neither man giving up much ground. Mayweather edges Chop Chop out of a round, perhaps, with a final roundhouse right.

ROUND 2
Floyd Mayweather continues to be effective with the right, but Corley is not intimidated. In fact, DeMarcus is going after Floyd, looking for a brawl. And so Mayweather stands and trades with him. Very brisk action for these 2 men! Getting tangled only for a moment, the fighters stand at arms-length and go to work. Mayweather finds the mark with body shots, Corley stays very busy. In the final moments Corley snaps Floyd's head with a sharp left hook. What a pleasant surprise!

ROUND 3
It is interesting to see Mayweather trading power shots! Corley walks in, and Mayweather greets him with punches. Again and again, Floyd's right hand is proving to be his most effective tool. Coming out of a clinch, Corley connects with a downstairs/upstairs hook. And moments later it's a big left from Chop Chop; Floyd recovers and keeps setting up that reliable straight right. Both men are in fine condition, and throwing with good frequency; Floyd has the edge on accuracy.

ROUND 4
Here comes DeMarcus Corley! He kicks off the round by stunning Mayweather. Floyd leans back on the ropes and Corley puts his head down and fires away to finish him. But he doesn't. And now Floyd hurts Corley! It's a left hook that evens things out for Pretty Boy! Corley hangs on and fights back. Two warriors have emerged tonight, in a fight that has wildly exceeded expectations! Again Mayweather drills Corley with that right hand. Corley takes a knee, but gets back to his feet. Maybe Floyd still has the edge. What a great round!

ROUND 5
Here we go again. Floyd is still cruising on the sprint from round four. His straight right lands flush again & again. Though Floyd could play keep-away and maximize his speed advantage, he has decided to brawl. And he's doing just fine. DeMarcus Corley is doing a great job, but starting to lose ground. At one point when he walks in, Floyd is waiting for him and lands a sharp combination. Chop Chop has a lot of grit, and manages to stick in a body shot coming off the ropes. But he gets peppered in this round. Pretty Boy is showing remarkable ferocity tonight.

ROUND 6
At the halfway mark, with Mayweather sometimes in southpaw stance, the action continues in the same vein. Though Floyd is probably well ahead with slightly higher activity and greater accuracy, DeMarcus Corley is still very much in this fight. He goes down on a Mayweather left; it is ruled a slip. With a minute to go, the boxers pause to catch their breath: a few long punches, a few clinches. Then it's Corley lunging in and Mayweather backing into the ropes, glancing blows from both. The next time he has the ropes against his back, Floyd manages to slip away and evade several punches. Interesting night at the fights!

ROUND 7
Floyd extends a tentative jab. Corley responds in kind, and the boxers circle in the middle of the ring. DeMarcus can't seem to make the right adjustment needed to take some control of the bout. He still gets an "A" for aggression, but otherwise has not done as much as Floyd. In more moderate action, that Mayweather right still connects, but not with as much authority. Corley's right hook finds the mark, as does Mayweather's uppercut. In slowed but steady action, Floyd is coming after Corley a bit more, but retreating to higher ground with more frequency as well. DeMarcus is no pushover, however, and he is not going to make it an easy night for Mayweather.

ROUND 8
Now this fight is looking more like what would have been expected. Floyd Mayweather manages to control the pace; at this point that means that the action has slowed considerably. Corley is moving slower, but still aggressive; still lacking in accuracy and not hurting Floyd - for the moment. This round sees lots of leaning and trading in the pocket. Corley lands a couple of power punches, but Mayweather's retaliation is on the mark and damaging: It's an uppercut/ hook combo and DeMarcus goes down. He gets up and gets back in the game, but he's not steady. Corley falls forward one last time before again regaining his feet. This looks like the beginning of the end.

ROUND 9
Some blood has appeared near Floyd's right eye. Corley plods in, walking through screens of punches from Mayweather. Now Floyd is starting to feint with confidence, and pick his punches. Corley steps in, but his short punches are most often deflected by Floyd's shoulders. The bout is lacking in the crispness and firepower that typified the earlier rounds. Floyd looks very certain that it's his night; Corley looks very determined not to give up - but decidedly uncertain as to how to turn the fight around.

ROUND 10
Will Corley be stopped tonight? He goes down again, and he still has a long round ahead of him. But again, he's up. He's not badly hurt, but he's taken a lot of punches. At this point in the fight, the action is not exactly blistering, but both men dig deep: At one minute to go, Corley is flailing away and the crowd responds as Mayweather answers the call; it's another squall (not enough stamina left for a full-fledged brawl). Floyd is really showing a great level of versatility tonight. He ends the round with the hardest punch.

ROUND 11
More of the same: Corley walks in, Mayweather tees off on him. But sometimes DeMarcus connects. Though the score undoubtedly is pretty close to a shut-out in favor of Floyd, Chop Chop has gotten some punches in. Floyd makes a good point this evening in demonstrating that he can come into this weight class and trade with the bigger men. Both fighters look tired, but neither is exhausted and neither is giving up. DeMarcus Corley is a solid, fit journeyman; Floyd is showing elite talent tonight.

ROUND 12
Final chapter: Rugged and game, Corley stays busy to the bitter end. Pretty Boy Floyd has sustained a cut & bruise, but he looks otherwise confident and comfortable. Always and again, it's the Mayweather right that keeps finding the mark. Corley is not showing frustration or fear, but he has been losing ground in accuracy. In a final play, Corley charges in and flurries; Mayweather is on the ropes for a moment, but when he fights his way off them, he sends Corley to the canvas one more time.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
As many consummate prizefighters do these days, Floyd Mayweather started off his post-fight remarks by thanking God. "I'd like to thank God for this victory. Without Him this fight would not be possible." He also mentioned hurting his right hand in the fourth round - not that his punches seemed to reflect that. When asked for a realistic wish list for upcoming matches, Mayweather had Arturo Gatti on the top of his list. Beyond that, he simply welcomed all comers: "I want to fight the best." Though it turned out to be a one-sided fight after all, it was surprisingly engaging. Not inspirational but admirable, DeMarcus Corley proved to be a competent backdrop for Mayweather's division debut. Though he can't afford to take such risks with everybody, it was fun to see Floyd stretch his repertoire and get into a fight!