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It
would be easy to say that Marcos “El Chino” Maidana, 35-3 (31), who will face
pound-for-pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather, 45-0 (26), in Las Vegas, Nevada
on May 3rd, “won” the Floyd sweepstakes when he was chosen as the
undefeated Mayweather’s next opponent. And the bout will certainly pay Maidana
handsomely with sweepstakes-like cash in a career-high payday. However, the
reality is the tough banger from Argentina earned his shot at Floyd. The other
name considered at the time, if news reports were accurate, was England’s Amir
Khan. However, one of the biggest media campaigns out there was waged by Amir
himself, who publicly protested that he was by far the worthiest challenger.
The
general feeling among many fight fans is that Khan’s speed, heart and power
would serve him well and might even cause a few problems for “Money.” That is until
Mayweather, one of the game’s most accurate counterpunchers, returned fire and figuratively
bounced one off Khan’s chin, one that has betrayed him on several occasions in his
career. And many fans feel Maidana, as tough as they come in boxing, will
simply get outsped and outboxed by the talented Mayweather.
However,
make no mistake, Marcos earned his trip to the plate and he’ll go down swinging
for the fence.
Mayweather
will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight and World Boxing
Association (WBA) “super” welterweight titles as part of his ongoing,
multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports. With his impressive record, he is
considered by many to be the best of his era in the game, with a collection of
world titles that include (along with his current straps) a WBC super featherweight,
lightweight, super lightweight, light welterweight and light middleweight
titles. Mayweather also held the International Boxing Federation (IBF)
welterweight title along with the International Boxing Organization (IBO) light
welterweight title. He also has a résumé packed with wins over some of the
sport’s biggest names of the divisions he’s ruled over the last 15 years including
Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo
Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar De la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto
and current Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez.
Maidana
surprised more than a few fans when he outgunned and outgutted Adrien “The
Problem” Broner last December in San Antonio, Texas. Broner, a slick,
shoulder-rolling counterpuncher, was thought to be a little too cute for the
rugged-but-oft-predictable Maidana. However, nuts and guts won out in this one
with Maidana dropping Broner in rounds two and eight and going on to win a
clear decision. He also relieved Broner of his WBA welterweight world title. Now
Maidana, the former WBA light welterweight titleholder, looks to come to the “Live
Entertainment Capital of the World” and upset the apple cart for the biggest
win of his career. While “El Chino”, who has wins over Victor Ortiz, Josesito
Lopez and Erik Morales, knows he is the underdog, it simply won’t faze the Argentinean
tough guy. He’s been there before in his last fight and just the same, heart
and determination took him a long way that evening.
The
unflappable Mayweather will continue to try to do what he has done for 45
previous fights: find a way to win against whatever style he has in front of
him. In recent interviews, Mayweather has stated, “Maidana’s last performance
brought him to my attention,” which was great news for his opponent. Maidana,
who trains in Oxnard, California with world-class trainer Robert Garcia, stated
recently that he was “extremely happy to be facing Floyd Mayweather.” Along
with his career-high payday, this championship outing will allow to test
himself against the division’s best in Floyd. And while many boxing fans wait
(and hope) to see Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather clash someday down the line, in
the meantime, this tussle has serious potential to be fun, not to mention
wrought with drama.
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