Mayweather vs. Maidana Fight Preview:
Pound-for pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will take on hard-slugging Marcos Maidana on May 3 in Las Vegas. Mayweather is looking for his 46th consecutive win, while Maidana is looking to punch his ticket to greatness. This one win alone would get Maidana into the Hall of Fame and set him up for life. He certainly has his work cut out for him, but the potential rewards are sky-high.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr., 45-0 (26 KOs), Las Vegas, Nevada
vs.
Marcos Maidana, 35-3 (31 KOs), Santa Fe, Argentina
- Date: May 3, 2014
- Site: MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Titles: WBC and WBA Welterweight Titles
The problems for Maidana are somewhat obvious. From a match-up viewpoint, he may just be made to order for the unbeaten king of boxing.
The Argentine has added some new facets to his game in the past year or two working with the Garcia camp in Oxnard. He has been boxing more, using his jab to better set up power punches, and has the look of an improved fighter, especially when compared to how he looked after getting schooled by Devon Alexander in 2012. He has come a long way and improved when most people thought he was waning.
Still, Maidana is not much of a defensive master, nor is he particularly fast. Those two things alone make this a tough fight for him. In addition, he seems vulnerable to the body, though his chin has been very dependable. With Maidana, working his body is a good plan and that is an area of Floyd’s game that has improved. With Floyd has been using his legs less in recent outings, he settles down more on his shots and can throw wicked blows to the body.
Maidana showed a lot of character in beating Adrien Broner in a fight not many people picked him to win. Mayweather is a far-tougher assignment, despite the similarities in styles between him and Broner. Still, some of the things that allowed Maidana to beat “The Problem” are at play here, namely an unwavering self-belief and the ability to lay it all on the line.
A guy like Maidana is not easy to beat. He really believes he can win and won’t be shy about going for it.
Those looking to make a case against Mayweather have some fodder to use, though those are the same things that people always mention and they haven’t manifested yet. He is getting up there in age at 37. After a fight with the more-threatening Canelo, maybe he will be looking past Maidana. This final chapter in his career has a certain aimlessness to it. But again, when have any of those things hurt him before?
He never looks past anyone, hasn’t shown the slightest sign of erosion, and never really has an off-night. So why would any of those things surface here? They might, but you can’t count on it.
The one thing to like about Maidana are his legitimately-heavy hands. He has that kind of god-given power that is true and if he connects right, no fighter is above being affected–even Pretty Boy Floyd. It’s just hard to get away from the notion that even though Mayweather has never fought Maidana, we have seen this fight before.
Maidana has the durability and persistence to give Mayweather good work, but at the end of the day, he’s going to be at a major deficit when it comes to ring IQ and defense. Maidana trainer Robert Garcia is a smart cookie and will come up with a good plan. It won’t be enough. Mayweather‘s defense, unlike Broner’s, is true. While Maidana cut through the smoke and mirrors of Broner, now is when he gets to see what real talent looks like.
When thinking back to Floyd Mayweather circumventing the furious attacks of Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Robert Guerrero, and Canelo Alvarez, it becomes difficult to imagine Maidana gaining much offensive foothold. Those fighters were all far more sophisticated and versatile in their offensive output. Maidana can throw hooks, but are they better than Cotto’s? He can crack with one-punch power, but is he a harder-hitter than a still-dangerous Mosley?
Mayweather vs. Maidana Prediction
It’s hard to conclusively rule out Maidana. He’s a hungry fighter who is heavy-handed and is willing to walk through some punishment and pain to get his point across. If looking for a longshot to beat Mayweather, it might as well be a guy with guts who can bang.
Unfortunately for Maidana, one of Mayweather’s best assets is his ability to get himself up to a high level for every fight, regardless of the opponent. He may get Maidana out of there late, but the more likely course to victory may just be another Mayweather 12-round special.
Prediction: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. wins by unanimous decision.
