Mayweather vs. Maidana
**
In-Depth
Preview and Analysis **
By: Tony Penecale
Four
months ago, Floyd Mayweather was pressed to the maximum over 12
rough-and-tumble rounds by an upset-minded Marcos Maidana. At the bout’s conclusion, some observers even
thought Maidana had earned the victory.
His blazing start and rough-house tactics had the usually-untouchable
Mayweather fighting to preserve his unblemished record. Mayweather’s adjustments allowed him to
control the bout’s second half and capture a majority decision by scores of
117-111, 116-112, and 114-114. In order
to erase any doubts, Mayweather has granted a rematch, intending to vanquish
his ruthless adversary. Will Floyd
Mayweather take the next step towards his goal of retiring undefeated or can
Marcos Maidana bring unprecedented mayhem to the boxing world?
AGE,
RECORD, AND STATS
Mayweather: Age:
37 years old
Record: 46-0 (26 Knockouts)
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 146 *
* Weight for last bout (5-3-14)
Reach: 72”
Maidana: Age: 31 years old
Record: 35-4 (31 Knockouts)
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 146 *
* Weight for last bout (5-3-14)
Reach: 69”
RING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Mayweather:
1996 Olympic Bronze
Medalist
WBC Super
Featherweight Champion (’98-’02)
WBC
Lightweight Champion (’02-’04)
Ring
Magazine Lightweight Champion (’02-’04)
WBC Junior
Welterweight Champion (’05-’06)
IBF
Welterweight Champion (’06)
WBC
Welterweight Champion (’06-‘07)
WBC Junior
Middleweight Champion (’07)
WBA Junior
Middleweight Champion (’12)
WBC
Welterweight Champion (’11-Pres)
Ring
Magazine Welterweight Champion (’06-‘07)
Ring
Magazine Pound-4-Pound #1 Boxer (’05-’07, ’12-Pres)
Maidana:
WBC Junior Welterweight
Champion (’11-‘12)
WBA Welterweight
Champion (’13-‘Pres)
STYLE
Mayweather:
A
pure boxer with great speed who does everything well with an arsenal that
includes a snapping jab, accurate right hand, and left hook that can be doubled
and tripled with tremendous effect. Uses
feint moves to freeze opponents and open punching lanes. Tucks his chin well behind his shoulder to
roll with punches. Even on the ropes, he
is a difficult target to land a solid punch.
He doesn’t have great punching power.
Most of his stoppage victories come from outpunching and outclassing his
opponents but rarely scoring clean knockouts.
Maidana:
An
aggressive and physical pressure fighter with power in both hands. Comes straight ahead and attacks with
swarming punches to the head and body.
Often neglects defense and relies on his chin and resiliency. Likes to fight in close and utilize
rough-house tactics. Is a seasoned
finisher once an opponent has been hurt, attacking without caution. Not especially fast, he is best served when
keeping the action in close where he can dominate with his strength.
STRENGTHS
Mayweather:
*
Experience – Boxing is in Mayweather’s blood since his childhood. Completed an extensive amateur career by winning
the bronze medal in the ’96 Olympic Games.
He has been competing successfully on a championship level for the past 16
years, facing and defeating all styles.
* Conditioning – Mayweather
is a fitness freak with an amazing work ethic when it comes to training. Few fighters push themselves as much as
Mayweather does in the gym, even doing midnight training sessions. It is evident in the ring when his stamina
carries him in the late rounds.
* Ring Generalship –
Mayweather knows every inch of the ring and how to control a fight. He knows when to attack, when to box, when to
turn up the heat, and when to coast. Mayweather
owns the ring when he is in there. Even the
rare times when he has been stunned in fights, he was able to quickly settle
down and quell the threat.
Maidana:
*
Punching Power – Of Maidana’s 35 professional victories, 31 failed to see the
final bell. Maidana complements his
swarming pressure with thunderous power in both hands. He has hurt opponents with both hands with
shots to the body and head.
*
Resiliency – Maidana has been floored or hurt early in fights and he has always
managed to rebound. Victor Ortiz floored
him three times and Amir Khan had him down and seriously hurt with a body
shot. Maidana rebounded to knock out
Ortiz and punish Kahn en route to a close decision loss.
*
Conditioning – Maidana is always in tremendous shape. He applies pressure from the opening bell and
rarely backs up or slows down. Like an
Argentina-version of Joe Frazier, he wears opponents down with pressure,
stamina, and will.
WEAKNESSES
Mayweather:
*
Aging – Mayweather may have an unblemished record but Father Time has never
been defeated. Mayweather seemed
flat-footed and more hittable during his first encounter with Maidana. It could be a case of taking his opponent
lightly or having an off night. But it
could also be the proof that his skills are slowly starting to erode.
* Extra circular
Activities – Maweather loves to be in the public eye. Whether he’s gambling on sporting events,
flying on his private jet to various functions, or making appearances at
different boxing events, Mayweather is always going full tilt. While he still trains at an elite level, his attention
is becoming more frequently divided.
* Punching Power –
Most of Mayweather’s stoppage wins have come from an accumulation of
punches. The usual result is the referee
or opposing corner stopping the bout to prevent further punishment. Notwithstanding his explosive knockout of
Victor Ortiz, it is rare to see Mayweather finish a bout with one punch dating
back to his days as a 130 lb boxer.
Maidana:
* Lack of Speed – Maidana’s main weakness is a
lack of foot and hand speed. He often
struggles to keep up with fleet boxers and has been outboxed during stretches
of bouts. His power has bailed him out
on several occasions. When Mayweather
was able to shift their fight into the center of the ring, Maidana’s offense
became impotent.
* Defense – Maidana
fights under the belief that the best defense is a good offense. He comes straight in and throws a variety of
wide punches, leaving himself wide open for counter punches.
* Dirty Tactics – Maidana
is not shy about bending or breaking the rules.
He has been penalized in past bouts and against Mayweather, he brought
out all the dirty tactics. With the
complaints levied by the Mayweather camp, referee Kenny Bayliss will be
watching closely for any infractions.
PREVIOUS
BOUT
(5/3/14)
– Mayweather won a tougher-than-expected majority decision over Maidana four
months ago. Maidana had early success,
applying relentless pressure and bullying Mayweather back to the ropes. While Maidana’s high volume punching was
impressive, he didn’t land as many clean punches as it originally
appeared. Mayweather controlled the
final six rounds, keeping the action in the center of the ring and negating
Maidana’s pressure. Despite it being a
far-from-dominant performance, Mayweather was correctly awarded the decision
victory.
3 BEST PERFORMANCES
Mayweather:
*
Diego Corrales (1/20/01) – Experts were torn on who to pick in this one with
many leaning towards Corrales to win by KO.
Mayweather never let him in the bout, knocking him down five times
before the bout was halted in the 10th round.
* Arturo Gatti
(6/25/05) – Although Mayweather was a solid betting favorite, many expected
Gatti to make things rough for Mayweather.
It never happened as Mayweather floored Gatti in the 1st round and dealt
out a severe beating before Gatti’s corner stopped the bout after six one-sided
rounds.
* Ricky Hatton (12/8/07)
– Hatton was undefeated coming into the bout and set a gameplan of constant
pressure to wear out Mayweather. After a
few uncomfortable rounds, Mayweather was able to find his range and take over,
flooring Hatton twice in the 10th round and forcing a stoppage.
Maidana:
*
Adrien Broner (12/14/13) – Broner
likened himself to a Mayweather clone, a tribute to this friend and idol. Maidana exposed Broner as a cheap carbon
copy, backing him up with constant pressure, and breaking through his
Mayweather-esque style of defense. Maidana
scored knockdowns in the 2nd and 8th rounds and handed
Broner his first career defeat.
* Victor Ortiz (6/27/09) – This was supposed to be
Ortiz’s breakout party on HBO, but Maidana stole the show. Both fighters exchanged knockdowns in the 1st
round and Ortiz had a big round in the 2nd, scoring two
knockdowns. Maidana recuperated and
willed his way back in the fight, battering a tiring Ortiz in the 6th,
knocking him down and forcing him to surrender.
* Victor Manuel Cayo (3/27/10) – Cayo was undefeated
in 24 bouts coming in and had pockets of success using his boxing skills
against Maidana. But he was unable to
stand up to Maidana’s pressure and power.
A brutal body shot crumbled Cayo in the 6th round where he
was counted out.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Mayweather:
*
Use angles and time Maidana with a straight right hand.
*
Keep the action in the center of the ring and stay off the ropes.
*
Do not try to retaliate with Maidana’s rough tactics.
Maidana:
*
When Mayweather uses his shoulder roll, step over and fire left hooks to the
solar plexus and head.
* Cut the ring off
and force Mayweather to fight in confined spaces.
* Fight aggressive
but fight smart.
QUESTIONS
Mayweather:
*
Are Mayweather’s skills really declining?
*
Will Mayweather get drawn into Maidana’s game?
*
Does Mayweather really want to fight anymore?
Maidana:
*
Can Maidana duplicate the success he had in the early rounds?
* Is Madiana
versatile enough to switch gameplans?
* Can Maidana stay
within the rules?
PENECALE PREDICTION
Maidana
will come out like a bull on the rampage, looking to replicate his early-rounds
success in the first encounter.
Mayweather will be looking to continue his late-rounds success, using
angles to keep the action in ring center.
Maywather will feint, pivot, and jab.
Maidana will try to up the tempo with his aggression. Unlike their first encounter, when Mayweather
was forced on his heels, this time, he will be more inclined to tie up his
adversary and force Maidana to expend energy trying to free himself and land
wild punches.
Maidana
will finally get Mayweather on the ropes in the 2nd round and launch
a two-fisted attack, focusing on Mayweather’s torso and landing a few looping
shots aimed at the head. Only a handful
of shots will land clean, but he will be content to land punishing blows to the
shoulders and forearms. The 2nd
round will be effective for Maidana but he will also get a few stern looks from
referee Kenny Bayliss for his rough-house tactics, pushing and jamming his
shoulder under Mayweather’s chin.
Mayweather
will look to regroup in the 3rd and 4th rounds, pivoting
left and right whenever Maidana backs him towards the ropes and using the
opportunity to land counter right hands and left hooks. Mayweather will double his jab and drop a
right hand to the body that causes Maidana to wince.
Maidiana
will have a slight resurgence in the 5th, pinning Mayweather to the
ropes, and following a looping right with a hard left hook that splits through
as Mayweather is rolling away and crashes square into his face. Maidana will burrow in and, as Mayweather
intiates a clinch, bounces his shoulder under Mayweather’s chin. Bayliss will issue a formal warning to
Maidana. The round will end before
Maidana is able to follow up on his attack.
Maidana
will continue to press the action in the 6th round and will get
frustrated as Mayweather ties him up on the inside, thwarting any offensive
opportunities. Maidana will try to fight
his way out and will sink an uppercut well below the belt. Bayliss will issue a final warning and allow
Mayweather time to recover.
Mayweather
will start to make adjustments, finding a home for lead right hands and
uppercuts as Maidana attacks. The
shorter punches will split Maidana’s guard and continually beat him to the
punch. Maidana will pound his gloves
together in frustration but Mayweather will just smile at him and stick out his
tongue as the 7th round ends.
As
Mayweather asserted control over the final rounds in their first encounter, he
will do the same here. His versatility
and ring generalship will own the day.
Maidana will continue to press the action but will find himself getting
hit more frequently while his looping punches increasingly fall short.
Maidana
will come out for the 11th round with blood dripping from his nose
and abrasions around his left eye.
Mayweather will not be unscathed with his lip split and some welts
around his ribs and shoulders. But
Mayweather will be the fresher fighter and in control, firing one-two combinations
and sliding away when Maidana tries to counter.
The final bell will see both warriors raise their weary arms, but the
look in their eyes will show that Mayweather knows he clearly won while Maidana
has a defeated expression.
The
decision will be unanimous. Dave Moretti
and Guido Cavalleri will both score 118-1110, while John McKaie sees it closer
at 116-113. The winner by Unanimous
Decision will be Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr.
