The hotly anticipated showdown between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., billed as the bout which would save boxing, ultimately failed to match the hype.

Saturday's World Boxing Council super welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino generated an electric atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd of 16,200 but it was certainly no classic.

Mayweather, widely regarded as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound, snatched the crown from De La Hoya in a split decision that owed more to slippery, skilful defence than exhilarating aggression.

De La Hoya, one of the sport's most popular and marketable figures in the last two decades, did his best to set an attacking pace with impressive hand speed early on but neither fighter landed enough significant punches over the 12 rounds.

Trumpeted as the "Fight of the Century" with billboards proclaiming that "The World Awaits", the contest had to settle for much more modest claims when all was said and done.

However, the mixture of boxing fans, celebrities and high-rollers crammed into the MGM Grand arena had no cause to complain that they did not get their money's worth.

In an era lacking charismatic fighters with the stature of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, De La Hoya and Mayweather are unquestionably the best out there.

On Saturday, they provided an honest, pure fight between two proud champions who embraced each other warmly after the final bell rang.

There were several moments to savour and most of the sellout crowd were on their feet when the two fighters traded punches toe-to-toe in a furious finish.

The atmosphere began to build shortly before the start when A-list celebrities such as basketball great Michael Jordan and film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Helen Mirren and Will Ferrell were introduced to the fans.

FEVER PITCH

As Mayweather made his way to the ring wearing a Mexican sombrero, perhaps mocking his opponent's heritage on Cinco de Mayo, the decibel level reached fever pitch. It stayed there for the rest of the bout.

"It was a great fight," De La Hoya told reporters.

"You can't say anything bad about him because he is a talented fighter. We did a good job tonight of entertaining the fans.

"As a champion, I wanted to stop him," added the 34-year-old, who has won world championships in six different weight divisions. "I tried to close the show to give everyone their money's worth."

"Pretty Boy" Mayweather, who extended his record to a perfect 38-0 by winning a world title in his fifth weight division, felt the contest lived up to its billing.

"I told them we were going to give them a good fight and we did," the 30-year-old said. "We gave the fans what they wanted: Golden Boy versus the Pretty Boy.

"It was a masterpiece of boxing and I showed you why I am the best fighter of this era. I have nothing else to prove."

Mayweather's final words may come back to haunt him.

Immediately after defeating De La Hoya, he announced his retirement from boxing but just one hour later hinted that could change.

"As of right now, I'm sticking to my word but I'm going to go home and talk with my team," he said.