Key #1 for Marcos Maidana Stamina
Marcos Maidana isn’t suddenly going to morph into Pernell Whitaker. There’s no chance of him outboxing Mayweather.
He’s got to fight the exact same way as he did the first time, with one major exception–if he wants to win, he’s got to bring that pain for 12 rounds. Not 6. Not 10. He cannot afford to take a second off in this fight.
He’ll need a “Baby Bull” style where he keeps up relentless pressure until the final bell sounds.
Maidana started out well enough the first time around, but his aggression waned in the second half of the fight, where Mayweather took over. The gap in talent is wide, but Maidana has youth and hunger on his side.
He has to impose his will and make this thing an ugly fight. If we’re seeing elbows, headbutts and nasty groin stuff, chances are Maidana is on the right track. The key here is that the artillery thrown Floyd’s way has to be unrelenting. If he can fire away for the entire fight, he’s got a shot.
Key #1 for Floyd Mayweather Stay of the Ropes
By Gabe Rivas
Clearly, this is a no-brainer, but this is a lot easier said than done.
There are many factors to consider when looking at Floyd Mayweather’s movement in this fight. Will his age be a factor? Will Maidana’s awkward style be a factor?
If these aren’t factors and Mayweather “chose” to fight at close range in his first right, then he needs to stay off the ropes in his rematch.
Although he is sharp on the ropes and can deflect and duck many of Maidana’s punches, he can often have his countershots stifled by the closeness and awkwardness with which Maidana works on the inside.
Mayweather needs to jab to the head and to the body, move both ways and keep Maidana off balance so that he cannot land any hard shots.
