Photo by Ed Mulholland/Golden Boy/Golden Boy via Getty Images
“The Moment” has come and gone and we are now embarking on Mayhem as Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Marcos “Chino” Maidana prepare to rematch for another 12 round championship fight on September 13, 2014 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Floyd may have been declared the victor in their first meeting, but Maidana was undoubtedly the toughest battle yet in Mayweather’s unblemished 46-0 professional boxing career.
As these two meet again, boxing fans can expect to see another all-out war with more than just a WBC or WBA championship belt at stake.
Maidana is out to prove that he is truly the man with the ability to end the lengthy supremacy of Mayweather. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Floyd Mayweather is determined to remain boxing’s greatest showman and keep his reputation as the pound-for-pound king as his career reaches its final chapter.
When preparing for a rematch, a boxer is not only in competition with their opponent, but also themselves as they must look within their craft to find how to improve from their previous meeting.
Both Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana have areas in which they will need to focus on improving for their rematch. Maidana will need to have stamina of epic proportion in order to beat Mayweather on the scorecards.
In their first meeting, Maidana was aggressive and scored well early on, but as the match wore on, he began to fade. This lack of lasting push from Maidana left Mayweather able to regain his dominance, winning every round from the fifth on out.
Maidana’s camp has created nutrition and training composition that they believe will take Chino to a stellar 12 round high paced performance level. Money Mayweather should look to be dominant in the earlier rounds of this fight by doing what he does best, make his opponent miss, make them frustrated and then make them pay.
The dirty tactics Mayweather thought were used in the first fight by Maidana will likely by kept in check early on from no nonsense referee Kenny Bayless.
The subtle changes implemented from training and strategy could impact the outcome, as Mayhem is truly anyone’s game. Though it has only been a few months since their original meeting, both Marcos and Floyd have had to face battles outside the ring that could impact their performance within the ring.
Chino has become an Argentine hero which undoubtedly adds immense pressure on his desire to gain the belt. Also, Maidana has had time to question his self-claimed “victory.”
Maidana has stated time and again that he truly felt he beat Floyd, though the scorecards disagreed. One can’t help but wonder will his lack of respect for Floyd’s victory and his thoughts of unjust scoring help or hinder his performance in their rematch?
Mayweather himself has been in the middle of a social media bashing from rapper 50 Cent, who has accused Floyd of being illiterate as well as being served an assault and battery lawsuit from his ex-fiancé, Shantel Jackson.
It is safe to say that both fighters will have their share of baggage to shed as they enter the ring on September 13. As the fight comes closer, the training camps end and the pressure mounts, the only question that remains is, which fighter can handle the Mayhem?
Header photo edit by @Cinimodfx
