Photo by Rocky Martinez/Getty Images
On Saturday, May 3, 2014, Marcos “Chino” Maidana gets his shot at making history as he attempts to be the first man to defeat the long-standing pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
When rumors began to surface that Maidana—and not Amir Khan—was to be chosen as the next opponent for Mayweather, many fans voiced their displeasure on social media networks claiming Maidana was just another plodding, easy-to-hit slugger that Mayweather would outclass.
While Maidana is indeed a come-forward slugger, the fact that he knows exactly what he is certainly plays to his favor.
Maidana will not try to outbox Mayweather and for that reason alone this fight can be exciting.
Maidana doesn’t mind making things ugly in the ring and in the biggest fight of his life against one of the most accomplished boxers in the history of the sport, ugly may be the most beautiful weapon in his arsenal.
The first thing that Maidana must realize is that defense is just as important as offense.
There were a few instances in his fight with Adrien Broner where Maidana came flying in with his awkward, looping left or right hands with his other hand held low.
Photo by Naoki Fukada
While that worked well against Broner, things will be much more difficult with Mayweather who is not a stationary target.
Mayweather has the reflexes and boxing IQ to know that you simply don’t stand directly in range all night and try to shoulder roll that looping punch.
If Maidana tries the same bombs away approach with little regard for defense, there is a good chance that he’ll get a precise counter for his trouble.
For a man who all too often shows his emotions all over his face, a precise shot from Mayweather that hurts Maidana could spell trouble and lead to a knockout.
Mayweather is not Josesito Lopez and if he smells blood in the water, chances are he will be able to close the show with pinpoint punches.
Maidana must also take a page out of the legendary Roberto Duran’s playbook.
Before last September’s mega-letdown in which Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was soundly defeated, Duran gave his thoughts on how the budding Mexican star should fight Mayweather. Speaking to Boxing Scene, this is what Duran said:
If I was going up against a boxer like that, I would bust him up. I would bust him all over the place…the arms, the ribs. The first thing you have to do is forget about the head. The head is smaller than the body. You have to break a man down, and in order to do so you’re going to hit him in the kidneys and he’ll slowly begin to stop [his movement] and after four rounds he will no longer be able to walk.
Duran hits the nail on the head when he says “forget about the head.”
While Canelo did not take that advice, fight fans should hope that Chino channels his inner “Manos de Piedra.”
Maidana cannot go into this bout simply head hunting and except to land the same game changing power punches upstairs in the early rounds that he did against Broner.
To quote the new school urban code of conduct, there’s levels to this!
Maidana must focus downstairs first and attempt to soften up Mayweather’s defense before he begins targeting the head later on in the fight.
Like Mayweather said earlier in the week—and most boxing heads know—if you are throwing huge shots and repeatedly missing them, it takes a lot out of you.
Not only will missing big lunging shots affect Maidana’s stamina, but it also may affect his confidence.
He’s got a difficult task ahead of him and his focus must be at 100 percent so every last detail is vital in his gameplan.
Lastly, Maidana must not forget the effectiveness of a sturdy jab.
Photo by Big Joe Miranda
Since working with Garcia, Maidana’s boxing skills have gotten a lot better and even though he’s not going to outbox Mayweather, he can’t solely really on power punches.
Last week, Maidana spoke on his mindset going into the May 3 fight and how he can defeat Mayweather.
[Adrien] Broner, everybody thought I had to knock him out and I beat him with a decision. I am preparing myself to go 12 rounds if it’s necessary. I’m preparing to hurt him every time I throw punches and if a knockout comes, then great, but I am preparing myself to win after 12 rounds.
It’s imperative for Maidana to know that he may never land that one, fight-changing punch and he must know that he may have to grind out an ugly victory.
He’ll make things more manageable for himself by working behind a jab and pacing himself. Even though pressure will be of utmost importance, Maidana must employ smart pressure and if he leave some gas in the tank for the later rounds.
Rome wasn’t built in one day and the best boxer of his time will not be crumbled with one shot. If Chino stands a chance to shock the world, he must focus on a systematic dismantling of the man who calls himself TBE—The Best Ever.
