The only payday that was easier was against Ortiz. Mayweather was on cruise control until the 8th and didn't need 10 rounds to get the job done. He decided that it was better to go to 10 instead of decision after 12, which is what would've happened if Mayweather started dominating at 3 like he usually does. McGregor should've been penalized for all those hammers and keeping his arm out for 9 rounds like Khan did. Good call on the ref to stop the fight though.
Easy money for Mayweather.
Well, I'd say Mayweather played it smart. I've seen a bunch of people saying stuff like "He could have ended it in the 1st round if he wanted to!" But the whole point of the gameplan was wearing McGregor out so that his punches didn't have anything on them anymore. If Floyd had come out aggressive from the get go, when Conor was fresh, he could have gotten countered with something very hard.
So, I have no qualms with saying Mayweather outclassed McGregor, but I think it's disingenuous to act like McGregor was never a threat at all. Had Floyd fought the first rounds like he did at the end, things could have gotten crazy. But he was very smart, tactical, and disciplined about it. It was a perfect gameplan, perfectly executed.
And say what you want about hammerfists, but Floyd also threw some forearms to the neck and turned his back and turtled numerous times...both of which are also illegal in boxing. But Mayweather has been getting away with that stuff his entire career. I thought it was decent that the ref gave both of them a bit of an extended leash. Made it look more like an actual fight, instead of just Floyd exploitng technicalities for 36 minutes.
I also found it a little humorous that Mayweather was so proud of himself for "going at him like I said I would". He basically just announced to to the world how unusual it is for him to go out there and actually engage in a fight, lol. Like Conor said, he got him to fight like a Mexican. :lol:
Also...just to be clear, if Floyd had been brave enough to allow something as minute as leg kicks, he'd be dead right now.