Editorials

Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: How Did We Get Here?

Saturday night on Showtime PPV, Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana will battle for a second time. Here, we break down the recent events that led to the surprising rematch, and how Maidana scored another shot at the best fighter in the world.

Mayweather Maidana - Idris Erba Mayweather Promotions (12) Photo By Idris Erba

Marcos Maidana is the second man to be awarded a rematch with the great Floyd Mayweather Jr. Consider the list of fighters Mayweather has beaten–Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Diego Corrales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, etc. The fact that Maidana did well enough to earn a rematch is somewhat paradoxical–of all the ways to describe Maidana, “master boxing technician” is not one of them.

Yet here he is, about to take on Mayweather again Saturday night on Showtime pay-per-view.

The guy who lost every second of every round against Devon Alexander. The guy who made 87-year-old Erik Morales look dangerous again. The guy Victor freakin’ Ortiz knocked down about 17 times. This man gave Floyd Mayweather his toughest fight in well over a decade.

If you’re asking just how the hell he scored a rematch, there are a couple of reasons. The most obvious, of course, is entertainment. Floyd’s tenure with Showtime, like much of his career, hasn’t exactly been scintillating television. He’s one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time, so the contact is usually a one-way street.

All of that tension, the explosive atmosphere that permeates a big fight has usually emptied the building by about Round 7, when Floyd has totally taken over and put it on cruise control for the remainder of the fight. Canelo Alvarez, who was undefeated and hugely popular, was thought to be Mayweather’s stiffest test. But he proved to be severely outmatched, despite what a seemingly drunken, blind woman thought.

Before that, Robert Guerrero was equally hopeless. That fight, like many of Mayweather’s, was excruciating to watch, as Guerrero flailed helplessly at Mayweather while being drilled with right hands for his troubles.

Even Cotto, who gave Mayweather a relatively tough night at the office, was spent by the end of the fight. In fact, Mayweather probably could have stopped him had he pressed on the gas a bit, as Cotto looked to be in rough shape in the last two rounds.

Enter Maidana, who had just utterly destroyed Mayweather wannabe and Jim Gray offender, Adrien Broner. Though it was predicted to be another one-sided whipping for Mayweather, and though it kind of was another one-sided whipping for Floyd, the air of uncertainty that nearly every Mayweather fight has been utterly devoid of was, was there for the entire fight.

Maidana pressured the hell out of Mayweather, and whether it was age or style, Mayweather wasn’t quite as sharp as he normally is when countering that intense heat. Maidana threw everything he had at his opponent, which included his fists, elbows, head, knees and a chair. He probably would have thrown trainer Robert Garcia at him had he been close enough.

The result was the most entertaining 117-111 fight you could ask for. One judge actually had it scored a draw, but frankly must have been counting every forward step Maidana took as a punch landed.

Of course, for all the entertainment the first fight brought, there are other factors in play. The reality is that there aren’t a whole lot of other options for Mayweather. He’s not taking on anybody from Top Rank, so he’s got a limited arsenal of fighters to match up against. He’s not going anywhere near a guy like Keith Thurman, who brings a lot of danger and zero marketability.

That marketability is another sticking point. Mayweather, who has been a lock for a million PPV buys since his fight with De La Hoya, has seen a dip in those figures, just like his Top Rank counterpart, Manny Pacquiao. Obviously, his fight with Alvarez brought huge numbers, but Alvarez himself has a huge fan base.

Mayweather’s iffy numbers against Guerrero and Showtime’s subsequent refusal to even release PPV stats for Maidana made it quite clear that those figures aren’t quite where they want them to be.

This isn’t just a Mayweather problem. Pacquiao’s numbers have dipped as well, with the obvious factors being the oversaturation of PPV events lately, and the lack of compelling opponents for both guys. For Pacquiao, many have blamed it on the the supposed loss of his punching power. While that might hold some weight, the reality is that Pacquiao’s knockout percentage is surprisingly close to Mayweather’s–roughly 60% for Manny to Mayweather’s 56%, according to BoxRec.com.

No, the issue for Pacquiao is the same for Mayweather–the lack of opponent.

So while Pacquiao tours the world holding hands and becoming BFF’s with Chris “Lady Killer” Algieri, who is TWO FIGHTS REMOVED from ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Mayweather goes back to the well with Maidana.

The response from the boxing world for the rematch has been lukewarm at best. Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions stoked the fire even more by defecating out a pathetic undercard that no one cares about. John Molina decapitating the ghost of Humberto Soto will be the highlight of the night, if anyone is still awake to catch it.

The result is a seriously underwhelming night of boxing that Showtime will charge the public $75 dollars to sit through, virtually guaranteeing lower PPV numbers that Stephen Espinoza will first claim to be eleven million buys before destroying the evidence altogether.

So now we’re days away from the second rematch of Mayweather’s storied career, with an opponent virtually no one expects to defeat him. The reigning opinion is that the fight will be a continuation of their first encounter, where Mayweather takes control after a few rocky moments.

The card is called “Mayhem,” which is the perfect name if you’re going for irony. Perhaps Maidana will have a few surprises in store for Mayweather. He combines a difficult style with vicious punching power, and his trainer is one of the best in the world. Maybe the first fight was a sign of things to come, where Mayweather finally starts showing his age and time catches up with him.

Probably the best thing for Mayweather is a close, heated fight, one where Maidana exposes some kinks in Floyd’s armor. If he shows some vulnerability, it may spark more interest in his subsequent battles.

Certainly, for the money it will cost, it would be the best thing for us.

 

Some Random Notes From The Boxing World:

If Adrien Broner fought for all 12 rounds the way he did in spurts against tougher-than-expected Emanuel Taylor, it would almost be worth listening to his incessant idiocy. Almost.

Yes, Benjy Esteves botched the count in the Matthysse fight, but Ortiz’sliver had been liquefied and was running down his leg. He was about to be destroyed. Esteves probably saved him from a horrific beating.

Broner called out Matthysse. Matthysse called out Danny Garcia. Odds are that they’ll instead be fighting guys far inferior to them. On the same card. Again.

I’ve said this a few times now, but I’ll put it in print. Broner gets his head torn off by Matthysse should that fight ever materialize.

Andre Berto won in his comeback fight, but good god– he’d be wise to avoid any semblance of a puncher from here on out. His defense is non-existent and his chin is iffy. He’s a vicious knockout waiting to happen. To think, people were comparing him to Shane Mosley when he first emerged on the scene.

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