Adrien Broner takes on Marcos Maidana this weekend as the headline fight of another big Showtime card. Many are expected his record to remain unblemished, but the hard-hitting Maidana can, and will, pull off the upset. Here are the top 5 reasons why.
Heart & Determination
Maidana is a warrior who possesses tremendous heart. In previous fights he has shown he can take a punch, and he can get up off the canvas as well. His best asset is that he is a relentless fighter who puts the pressure on his opponent, which is reflective of his 31 knockouts in 34 wins.
In Maidana’s fight against Amir Khan he was badly hurt by a vicious body shot and it looked as though he wouldn’t be able to continue. But a determined Maidana rose up from the canvas and bounced back to fight on to a close decision loss. Additionally, when Maidana took on Victor Ortiz he was knocked down several times, but was persistent and pulled out the TKO win. Maidana is like the hulk, in the sense that the more you hit him, the madder he’ll get, and the harder he’ll punch.
Broner is No Mayweather
Broner may claim that Floyd Mayweather is his older brother, but that doesn’t equate to Broner actually being Mayweather. Yes, they have similar styles, but Broner has more flaws in his defense than Mayweather. This was evident in the Paulie Malignaggi fight, and even some early rounds of the Gavin Rees fight, facing a totally-overmatched fighter. Maidana, who is a legitimate 147 pound fighter, will pack a much bigger punch than Malignaggi and Rees, which means Broner can’t afford to make some of the same mistakes he made in those two fights.
Broner may fancy himself a mini-Mayweather, and so may many fans and media members, but Mayweather is one of kind, and Broner hasn’t shown himself to have either the technical skills, or the dedication, of Mayweather.
Maidana is Underrated
Maidana’s most recent win against Josestio Lopez was an overt display of power and will. He has a resume that is often overlooked — Victor Ortiz, Erik Morales, and Jesus Soto Karass are among the big wins he’s racked up. He also has experience from several some notable losses, which include his fights with Khan and Devon Alexander. Broner on the other hand, receives a lot more recognition, but is still relatively untested, and will have a big challenge on his hands as he goes up against a fighter the likes of which he has never seen before.
The Weight Class
Broner decided to jump two weight classes to face Malignaggi who had the WBA championship belt, skipping the stacked 140 pound division. Malignaggi, who is a light puncher, was a clear underdog, but fought to a competitive split decision loss. This will be Broner’s second fight at 147 pounds and will be by far his toughest test to date. Malignaggi, while a welterweight in stature, is by no means a welterweight in terms of power punching or physical strength. That means Broner is still very much unproven in this division.
Maidana Has Already Prevented One Fighter From Becoming a PPV Superstar
Coming into the Victor Ortiz fight, Marcos Maidana was a relativity unknown fighter. It was his first fight on American soil, and he was essentially supposed to be a sacrificial lamb for the up and coming Ortiz. While the bout turned out to be a big slugfest, with each man tasting the canvas on multiple occasions, Maidana rallied and devastated Ortiz.
Ortiz was supposed to be the next Golden Boy, a star in the making, until Maidana put a stop to that, and broke him both physically and mentally.
Broner is another fighter who is aspiring to be a huge superstar and he is on the precipice of doing so. Broner, as he would put it, is supposed to be the heir to Mayweather, but will have a big roadblock in Maidana before he can come close to claiming the throne. Maidana thrives in the role of the underdog and will look to do it again on December 14th.
