Tactics like these are usually frowned upon, but we all knew Maidana was doing what the doctor ordered ? fighting ugly?
I switch off when the fight?s over. At least I try to.
Mayweather the promoter is tough going. Cameras harvest his dialogue as if it was food, and phrases are repeated to the point he becomes a talking keychain with, perhaps, five buttons. Reselling these stale mantras with no consideration for our sanity, Floyd?s mouth recalls cinema adverts; they only change comes, not in the content itself, but the duration. Good films are an adequate pardon, as are good Floyd bouts. You may not remember or even know what a good Floyd bout is though I?m pretty sure we got one last time out.
If I knew where my Stetson was I?d tip it to both champion and challenger.
We?ve all seen Floyd glide around and pop for twelve. In that post-fight air you?ve probably heard some pug offer that ?it takes two to Tango.? It does, but there?s a problem with this clich?. We don?t want boxers to Tango. We want them to tangle. Their rhythms must be out of sync, so that they grind away at each other like faulty cogs.
As Maidana crudely but cleverly marched Floyd into the ropes, another clich? came to mind ? hit n? don?t get hit ? a stone rule, but one with a fissure. Bare-knuckle throws may no longer be in vogue, but a physical aspect is intrinsic, and then there?s that extra lenience given to those who rabbit punch like it?s a scoring shot. Tactics like these are usually frowned upon, but we all knew Maidana was doing what the doctor ordered ? fighting ugly.
Guilty of smothering his work, it was an effective sacrifice as he didn?t give Floyd punching room; Alvarez take note. Thudding hooks to the waist shortened into little choppers. So many modern fighters rely on the referee?s intervention to reset. It was nice to see Marcus hack away with his free hand, even when Tony Weeks jumped in with ?Stop! Stop! Stop!?
A welcome, almost cherished voice in this era of sensationalist commentary, Paulie Malignaggi once again cast his analytical light. Observing the Argentinean?s irregular pattern of swarming and jabbing:
?I?m not even sure Maidana knows what he?s gonna to do.?
With Floyd there?s no tell because he?s in the bullseye of the zone. With Maidana there?s no tell because his style is constantly leaping from the zone to the wilderness, animal like, and Marcus knows a good thing once he gets a whiff of it. For three rounds he gave Floyd two options ? work or cover up. Round four saw Floyd bleeding via a head-butt. A dangerous looking flurry preceded the ding.
Back in the corner, senior cuts man Rafael Garcia pushed hard against the wound. It was a manageable cut, but this face isn?t supposed to get cut. Floyd detected tremors beneath his empire. ?I can?t see?I can?t see.? The last syllable could have passed for a squeal. It was the perfect time for a flawed diamond to shine.
Clean right hooks, lead hooks no less, thumped Floyd?s temple. He was again, if not mugged, ruffled, and a raw jab worked a treat like a rookie enjoying beginner?s luck. The sixth was closer, but after six the man who I gave virtually no chance was ahead. For another six he would continue to fight hard and snarl at the rules.
Floyd needed to dig himself out of a hole.
After the final bell, and a majority decision had gone to the right man, Maidana explained that Floyd didn?t ?fight like a man? ? understandable defiance, but not accurate. The punches which slipped through in rounds 7-12 were accurate.
Floyd-Alvarez was frustrating viewing because, as it turned out, the ginger hombre couldn?t trouble his opponent; a bad joke considering the hype. Can this older Floyd navigate choppy waters? This is the real question that needed answering, not will Floyd lose. Cotto provided a good spar. Maidana provided a fight. Floyd responded as he?s use to saying, like a true champion, and for a moment the crowd showed their appreciation for this professional of 18 years.
?U-S-A! U-S-A!?
The left stab to the body, the pull-counter; the primary weapons got into action. A left hook, often a stiff counter, sometimes tapped Maidana to confound his guard. What felt like running to Marcus, and bitter fans, was more along the lines of the mongoose than the antelope. Body shots came from underneath, were slung to the kidneys, and when the mood struck him Floyd decided to turn southpaw.
?Not since Genaro Hernandez.?
Paulie was good enough to remind America of when the last time this had occurred. Usually a sign of frustration, Mayweather started to work a sweeping left hook, and to see the veteran adapt underlined that spiel about him being the smartest. Such guile is why names like Jim Driscoll, Archie Moore and James Toney have a richness about them.
The twelfth round, close and strangely riveting, concluded a gooden. Credit to Maidana. He peeled away with his attack, and in doing so we were able to see the various layers of Floyd?s game. There was also a reminder on the point of toughness. The victor may have a mouthful of pearly whites and a reputation for swimming without getting wet, but those body slugs came through loud and clear. Our pound-for-pound king isn?t made of candyfloss.
Maidana may have fought the fight of his life. Floyd, while brilliant, is slowing down. Clean living and hard work means this decline is a gradual one, and the Money man might have the good sense to turn off the bright lights before realizing he?s done slid. It?s apparent that his body doesn?t move like it did in the noughties. Something that will refuse to change is that acidic arrogance.
It would be nice if, somewhere down the line, a more humble Floyd asked only that he be rated fairly. History would then escort his legacy to a place where immortals are visible and greats are within touching distance. Let?s not dispose of the fantasy, but it?s important to stay grounded. Unbeaten records are difficult to weigh. Floyd may find that out in due course, but he indeed believes the hype, and this unbeaten streak, this shield raised at the sound of cameras, doubles as a money shovel.
Floyd is not going to stop thanking the soulless for doing ?a helluva job,? his critique of opponents is not going to go much further than ?hungry lions? or ?tough competitors,? and he will remain oblivious to the fact whether a fight was good or not. I will do well to bare it all as I live in hope of hearing something interesting, though a bigger fish is sizzling away. Mayweather the fighter, a superb fighter, is still with us and recently gave this critic something to get his teeth into.
Floyd deserves to walk with his chin up. The immortals are in approval. They just need to send a gust his way.
And blow that TBE cap off.
