Some of the best Mexican fighters of all time, including Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales, here talk about Marcos Maidana and how he possesses some similarities to great Mexican fighters. See what they have to say here, plus, find the full transcript from a recent conference call held by Maidana & his trainer, Robert Garcia.
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ
“We all know Marcos Maidana is not a technical fighter, but nobody can deny he is a very dangerous one, perhaps one of the most dangerous fighters Mayweather has ever faced.
“I must confess I was amazed to see how courageous Maidana was; he squared up in front of Mayweather and just went at it with everything he had.
“Maidana possesses a singular characteristic that we usually see only in Mexican fighters – he is simply fearless. He is brave and powerful and from the moment he steps into the ring he fights like there’s no tomorrow.”
ERIK “EL TERRIBLE” MORALES
“When you think of what makes a great Mexican Champion, you think of determination, aggressiveness, heart and the guts to get the job done. That’s what it means to be a great Mexican warrior; you leave everything in the ring, your heart and soul are out there.
“I remember watching the first Mayweather vs. Maidana fight back in May and I can say, Maidana left his heart in the ring. He fights with passion and aggressiveness. He leaves it all out there.
“There’s no boxing in Las Vegas or anywhere without great Mexican fighters. We all know that. And Maidana has the heart of a Mexican warrior.”
ISRAEL “MAGNIFICO” VAZQUEZ
“Marcos Maidana’s boxing style resembles that of the great Mexican fighters. He is fearless, doesn’t stand down, he likes to pressure his opponent and has a very powerful punch.
“You have to give Maidana some credit for his boxing skills; he has won the lead role in a rematch fight against one of the best fighters in the world, Floyd Mayweather.
“Besides being a very good fighter, Marcos has a very nice characteristic, he’s truly humble. That’s a feature you don’t find that often in boxers of his caliber.
“This is a very tough fight for the both of them; that’s why I’ll refrain from any predictions. Both fighters have a big test in front of them.
RAUL “DIAMANTE” MARQUEZ
“Maidana is a fighter that takes the lead and doesn’t back up. He comes prepared and he comes to fight.
“Nobody thought that he was going to stand up to Mayweather like he did. He left his heart in the ring.
“He made all Latinos proud. He stood in front of Mayweather like true Mexican champions do.
“He can go the distance if he wants, he’s aggressive. He fights with the determination of a Mexican.”
Here are the quotes from the Robert Garcia & Marcos Maidana conference call:
Robert Garcia
Thank you, Eric. Well, training camp is going great. We’ve been training hard, sparring well. We have great sparring partners, and everybody’s doing a great job. Everybody in the gym, the whole team-not only myself and Maidana, but everybody that makes Team Maidana-everybody’s doing their job, and so far everything’s great.
We’ve had a full training camp this time around. We’re not short on sparring rounds. I’m not short on legwork. I’m not short on anything. We had our full eight weeks of training camp, so training camp is better than ever-I think the best training camp I’ve had with Chino since he got to me.
E. Gomez
Great. Thank you very much, Robert. Thank you. Also, to introduce to you to say a few words and talk about how things are going is Marcos Maidana himself.
Marcos Maidana
Good afternoon to everybody. I’m training hard and I’m ready for September 13th.
Q
Do you agree or disagree that the only way to beat Mayweather is probably by knockout?
M. Maidana
No. I don’t agree with that statement. I think that I can win by decision or by knockout. The first fight was a very close fight. It was a decision that was a majority decision, so I feel that I just have to make a few adjustments, put a little more pressure on, land better punches, and yes I can win, I can win by decision. But obviously the knockout would be nice, and that’s a possibility as well.
Q
Robert, for those saying that the only way that Maidana can beat Mayweather is by knockout your answer is what, sir?
R. Garcia
Oh, definitely not. We could also win by decision. Like “Chino” just said, it would be very nice to get a knockout, but if we win the rounds the way we were doing the first half of the fight I think there’s no question that we could also win the fight by decision.
Q
Marcos, what are the one or two things that you need to do differently to make sure that you secure a victory in the rematch?
M. Maidana
The first fight I think that my attack, the pressure, was very good, but I didn’t do well with my distance control. I think I smothered a lot of my punches, I wasn’t able to really catch him with good solid shots, being able to extend my punches, and that’s one of the things that I’m working on.
Because I smothered my punches I don’t really think I ever hurt him, but this time around if I get him with good solid shots, work my distance control, I think I can hurt him.
Q
Robert, could you answer the question of what Marcos needs to do most differently to make sure he gets the win this time?
R. Garcia
Look, we are fighting the way we did the first fight with the pressure. But like Chino is saying, we need to have a little more distance, a little more control in his punches, and we are working on that. His punches are thrown a lot more accurate, straighter punches, and our sparring partners are telling us that this time around they feel the power even harder than they did the first time. So he’s actually listening and doing the job that he’s supposed to be able to make those changes.
Q
Did you have a shorter camp in preparing for the last fight? How long was the first camp compared to this one?
R. Garcia
Yeah, that is correct. We had about five weeks for the first fight, and even though Chino came in already semi in shape, it was still not the same. This time he came here nine weeks before the fight, since we started training full camp. We had a good eight weeks of training, so I think that it’s going to make a big difference. Five weeks compared to eight weeks of training makes a big difference for this type of fight, and I think with everything that he’s doing and learning new things, they’re going to see a different fight this time.
Q
Marcos, do you agree with Robert on the fact that being able to focus entirely on the camp and having a more normal length camp will benefit you for this fight?
M. Maidana
This time around, yes, that’s true. This time around I’m training to win. I know what to expect. I know Mayweather now, his style, what he brings to the table. I’m coming to win. I have more concentration, no excuses whatsoever, and adequate time.
Q
Marcos, do you think fighting in a rematch like this, back-to-back, does it benefit you or Floyd more? And Robert, if you can answer that question when Marcos is done I’d appreciate it.
M. Maidana
I think it’s an advantage for me. It might be a little bit of an advantage for him, but I think it benefits me more having a rematch with him. I’m able to correct the mistakes I made in the first fight and take advantage of his mistakes. Even though he makes very few mistakes I already know what they are, and I think I can exploit that and take advantage of them.
R. Garcia
Look, you just said Mayweather’s only done one rematch, and obviously everybody seen he easily out boxed Castillo. But it’s a big difference, Castillo’s style to Maidana’s style. Maidana is going to come in with an aggressive style that nobody, not even the best boxer can get away with, and Mayweather’s not going to get away with it.
Maidana is going to pressure, and he’s going to be the fighter that everybody wants to see. I think in this case the rematch benefits us because Mayweather can’t do much more different things. We can, and we are, and the rematch benefits us.
Q
Do you feel, Marcos, that Floyd Mayweather is giving you the rematch because you deserve it or because they can do business on the pay-per-view?
M. Maidana
I really don’t think about that. I really don’t care. My concern is winning the fight. I want to beat him this time. I’m going to do whatever it takes to beat him.
Q
Who really gave who the rematch? Did Floyd give you the rematch or were you willing to give him the rematch? How did the rematch come about?
M. Maidana
Look, I really don’t know the details how it came about. My manager, Sebastian Contursi, called me, and he just said, “hey, we got the rematch”, and I’m happy.
Q
For Marcos and Robert, do you feel that Mayweather was forced into this position because of the perception that the fight was so close and the notion that people thought you won, or do you think that he could’ve moved on without taking this rematch and without his legacy taking a hit?
M. Maidana
I think that I got the rematch because it was a close fight. It was a close fight. He probably wants to prove a point. He wants to demonstrate that he can beat me outright. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the rematch is happening, and I’m very happy.
R. Garcia
I truly believe that he had no other options. He was forced to give us a rematch. He was forced to fight Maidana. There were no other names out there that he could’ve fought in September that would make sense. A rematch with Maidana is the only fight that makes sense to sell pay-per-views to please the fans, and he had no other options. That’s what I think.
Q
Do you think that the referee will be a factor given that Floyd was not happy with Tony Weeks and that Bayless has more of a working familiarity with Mayweather, having officiated his big fights with De La Hoya, Mosley and Canelo? For both Marcos and Robert.
M. Maidana
Maybe. Maybe the referee is going to intervene. Maybe he’s going to be a big part of the fight. I really don’t know. I’m going to go in there and I’m going to do my job. I’m going to do what I’ve been training for, what my work is, and I’m going to go there and work. It really doesn’t matter to me.
R. Garcia
Yeah, I think that Tony did a great job in the first fight. Kenny Bayless is also a great ref. He’s done a lot of championship fights, so he’s experienced, and I have no problem with him. Nobody knew who the ref was, and Mayweather by starting to announce that Maidana is a dirty fighter, Maidana is an MMA fighter, well that was pretty much already preparing whoever the ref was going to be to see that and to have that in his mind.
Well, I don’t think there’s going to be a big difference because Kenny is a professional. He knows. He’s done a lot of fights and he has to be fair. It’s a fight between two fighters. Kenny’s a great ref, and I know he’s going to do a great job.
Q
Robert, you’re using the Powerlock gloves, correct?
R. Garcia
I’m still not very sure. I know Sebastian Contursi is still on that. I haven’t talked to him lately. I know Maidana yesterday was still asking me if we had resolved that. I told him no. So maybe that’s a question Sebastian or maybe Leonard Ellerbe could answer, but we have no problem. We don’t have a problem with the Powerlocks.
We just wanted enough time to train and not use them the day of the fight when we had never wore those gloves before. There is no problem. The Powerlock is a good glove, and we have to wear that-we are already training in it just in case, but I have no problem. I’m already training my fighter to be prepared for that.
L. Ellerbe
Yes, Marcos will be fighting in the Powerlock gloves.
Q
Robert, win or lose, if Floyd is say dominant or just if he wins, will you be able to move on without talking about the gloves?
R. Garcia
Look, when we agreed to the fight then we can’t go back and say, “oh, we should have used the gloves.” No, there’s nothing we can do. We agreed, we’re fighting in those gloves, so there’s not going to be no excuses. The fight is going to be the fight, but it does make a difference, and Mayweather’s the only fighter that can make those calls, make those decisions, and we also have to understand that that’s the way it is. That’s what business is. But no, we are not going to have any and we can’t have any excuses.
Q
For Marcos and Robert, do you feel that by the time you get to September 13th given that Floyd was willing to engage more in the first fight, that that’s a result of him slowing down a little bit as a professional, or do you think that was just because of the pressure that Marcos was able to bring to him on the first fight in May?
M. Maidana
I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I don’t think it does because in the first fight, yeah, he could’ve fought with me a little bit, but then he started boxing and moving at times. So I don’t think age has anything to do with it. He’s a good athlete. He’s in shape. I think that it was his decision to stand and fight with me. This second fight I hope he decides to stand and fight with me, to fight like a man. I hope he doesn’t start running or trying to move away.
R. Garcia
I agree with what Chino just said. Mayweather is going to be 38, but he’s taken care of his body. He’s an athlete. He’s a natural, so I don’t think age is a factor in this fight. But like Chino said, we just hope that he wants to please the crowd like he said he tried to do it the first fight, well hopefully this time he does it even better.
Let’s stand in front, let’s exchange punches, and let’s see who is the better man is. Let’s see who is the stronger man is, and we’ll show him the difference there. But I think age is not a factor in his age right there.
Q
How do you change or adapt stylistically in the second fight to maybe cut the ring off better and make sure that Mayweather is forced into more of those tight spots that favor your offensive output?
M. Maidana
Yes, you’re right. I was able to force him. I was able to force him to fight, to stand and fight. It had a lot to do with conditioning. The times when he decided to box were because I let him. I let him get away. I let him be able to box and move. I think that I did well in forcing him to fight because of the pressure I put on.
This time around I’m not going to get tired. I’m going to be on him from the opening bell for the entire fight, and I think that’s going to force him to fight.
R. Garcia
I think Chino just said what I have to say. We’re training to be able to do what we did for 12 rounds. We’re training to do that. The first fight we only had five weeks of training, so sparring wasn’t the same. We didn’t have enough rounds.
This time we’re having the full training camp, so I don’t see why we can’t do the same thing we did for the first five, six rounds for 12 rounds. I think we’re going to be able to do it for 12 rounds.
Q
Now that you know Mayweather, what can you do to benefit you in this fight that’s going to work for you in this fight?
M. Maidana
I have to keep pressuring him. When I was able to pressure him in the first fight and get him on the ropes and fight with him, make him fight, I did very, very well. Whenever he moved, that’s when I had problems with him, but this fight here I want him to stand and fight like a man.
Q
Do you think you’re going to be able to intimidate Floyd? Do you think you’re going to be able to do things to make him fight?
M. Maidana
Yes, this fight I’m not going to respect him. I’m not going to respect him. I’m going to go at him, and I want him to fight like a man. Stop crying like a little [expletive] and fight.
Q
What can you do in this second fight to make it better to make him fight you?
M. Maidana
I’m going to do my job. I’m going to come to fight. I want him to come and to fight, and to stand and fight like a man. Don’t be a little [expletive] and run around. Come and fight like a man. Stand and fight me.
Q
What are you going to do after this fight win or lose?
M. Maidana
I’m not thinking about anything else but the fight. I’m not thinking about what’s after this. I’m just thinking about this fight and winning this fight. That’s all I’m thinking about.
Q
Mayweather has made comments that the first fight he stood and fought with you toe to toe because he wanted to please the fans. Do you think that’s the case?
M. Maidana
No, I think that I forced him to fight. I didn’t let him try to box. I think that I’m the one that forced the issue. I made him fight me, and that’s the reason he fought that way.
Q
How is training going? How is the sparring going for you?
M. Maidana
It’s been great. I’ve been sparring with Mikey Garcia, Thomas Dulorme, Stevie Forbes, and I’m very, very content with the work they’ve given me and the work I’ve done in the gym.
Q
Marcos, at any time have you dreamt or had a dream about knocking out Floyd?
M. Maidana
No, I haven’t had the pleasure of having such a nice dream.
Q
Your manager and cousin, Sebastian Contursi, they say that you’re going to knock him out within nine rounds. What do you think of that?
M. Maidana
I’m going to try. It’s very difficult to knock out Floyd because he runs, but I’m going to do my best, and we’ll see what happens.
Q
How do you feel about Floyd saying that you’re a dirty fighter?
M. Maidana
You know what? It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t bother me. There’s things that he does as well in there, so it’s time for him to stop crying and just fight.
Q
Marcos, I’m curious how close do you really think you would’ve came to retiring if you didn’t get a fight with Floyd, and if you don’t win this rematch can you see a scenario where you would actually retire?
M. Maidana
Yeah, that’s true. I haven’t really thought about past this fight, but that is true. I did make those comments, and I was really contemplating retiring if he didn’t give me the rematch, and I would’ve retired for the rest of this year at least and then see what comes up next year. But, yes, it was something that crossed my mind, and I was willing to retire.
Q
How do you see yourself winning the fight if he runs away from you more and if he tries to stay away and just simply box? Can you see yourself winning the fight if he just completely tries to stay away through the whole fight?
M. Maidana
Look, I’m preparing for anything. I hope that he stands and fights. But if he’s going to run like a little [expletive] I’m going to have to chase him all around, and I’m prepared to do that.
Q
How do you expect Mayweather to change for this fight, and how will you counter whatever change he makes?
M. Maidana
Yeah, I’m sure that for this second fight he can come out and fight differently, have a different game plan. I’m not going to change. I’m going to come, and I’m going to put the pressure on, and I’m going to try to force him to fight. I’m hoping again that he doesn’t start running like a little [expletive] all over the ring.
Q
How would you counter a lot of the moves that he does, the shoulder roll? Even when you cut off the ring and he gets in the corner he’s able to make his opponents miss. How do you plan to counter those types of situations?
M. Maidana
The way to counter that, his defensive moves with the shoulder roll and the arms and all that, I’m going to hit him there. I’m going to hit him in the shoulder. I’m going to hit him in the arms, and come eighth, ninth round he’s going to be so tired from all the punches that he’s not going to be able to defend himself anymore.
