Moments after collecting my credential for the ‘Action Heroes’ event inside of the MGM Grand I ran across HBO analyst Max Kellerman who was in town to cover the pay per view event. While maybe not the most accessible of boxing figures, Kellerman is always one for a good conversation if you are ever able to track him down.
At that moment we were mere hours away from Marcos Maidana’s thrilling war with Erik Morales, a fight he would struggle in before pulling out a majority decision. I asked Kellerman for his take on a guy like Maidana.
“Maidana is a big, strong, very determined fighter who technically has deficiencies that people think they can exploit but when they get in the ring it’s another story,” Kellerman stated.
Of course the world was able to see how well Morales adapted in the fight and the brilliance of his performance seemed to stand out more than anything. Maidana captured the win while Morales got the crowd’s approval and each man will be eyeing more lucrative contests in the near future.
In the new: Zab Judah says that Erik Morales should have gotten the nod over Maidana
Prior to this fight we saw Maidana in a similar situation to Morales as he fought valiantly despite losing a close decision to WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan inside of the Mandalay Bay. Khan has shown immense improvement since teaming up with trainer Freddie Roach after his disastrous loss to Breidis Prescott in September of 2008 and Kellerman seems to be a believer.
“Super-talented and I think he showed against Maidana, that at 140 pounds that the reason he got knocked out by Prescott really was the weight,” said Max. “If Maidana didn’t’ get him, as hurt as he was in the 11th and 12th, his chin is better than he’s given credit for and he has heart.”
Khan defends his belt this coming weekend at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester against undefeated Irishman Paul McCloskey in an HBO attraction. The co-feature to that fight, taking place at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut, will see WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto defending his crown against former junior welterweight contender Victor Ortiz.
I asked just how risky of a proposition this was for Berto.
“It’s very dangerous. Because Ortiz is fast and he can hit. Usually Berto has an overwhelming speed advantage. This time if he has a speed advantage it’s a slight one,” said Kellerman.
As for his thoughts on the May 7th Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley bout at the MGM Grand, Kellerman’s response was brief, noting that Mosley is simply ‘too old’ to compete at this level. Kellerman went on to add that Pacquiao’s run of success over the past few years has been nothing short of amazing.
Slideshow: Behind the scenes at the wild Maidana-Morales fight and post-fight presser
On June 4th Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will be blessed with his first world title opportunity when he faces off with German-born WBC middleweight king Sebastian Zbik, who isn’t exactly the most imposing of threats at 160 pounds. I had to ask Kellerman whether he feels Chavez Jr. has what it takes to become a champion.
“A champion or a belt holder? There are belts that he can grab but is he ever going to beat a guy like Sergio Martinez? No. But can he beat a guy like Zbik? Sure,” Kellerman said bluntly.
Before heading off to ringside to get ready for his duties I asked Kellerman whether we would ever see Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the ring again he seemed to hint that we would. Speaking on the enigmatic superstar a bit more, I asked Kellerman what exactly are Floyd’s motives these days.
“His motivation is money. He’s a prizefighter.”
