Argentine slugger Marcos Maidana was the driving force behind Floyd Mayweather Jr. producing one of the most exciting fights of his career when the two met for the first time in May.
But despite pushing the pound-for-pound king to the limit in Mayweather’s toughest fight in 12 years, Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) was unable to pull off the upset despite coming so close. His performance, however, created enough demand for a rematch that Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) agreed to a second fight for just the second time in his career.
Maidana, 31, will get his shot at redemption when he faces Mayweather in Saturday’s rematch at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (Showtime PPV, 8 p.m. ET).
Does the exciting fighter have enough in the tank to hand Mayweather, 37, the first defeat of his career? It wouldn’t hurt his chances if he considered these keys to victory:
Even more pressureIt might seem ridiculous to ask more of Maidana in this area after he relentlessly stalked Mayweather in a way no other fighter outside of Jose Luis Castillo has been able to do. But clearly the more intense Maidana’s pressure was in their first fight, the more effective he became in cornering Mayweather and preventing him from taking the offensive. Maidana has talked about coming in leaner for the rematch and increasing his volume of punches thrown in favor of setting up one big shot. Taking his foot off the gas — even a little — will allow Mayweather room to make his adjustments. Maidana needs to enter in the best shape of his career with a willingness to empty the tank each and every round.
Jab your way inAs much as Maidana had success cornering Mayweather and mauling him with wild punches from unpredictable angles, he had little success hitting Floyd flush to the face. Mayweather should have an easier time picking up Maidana’s frenetic rhythm in the rematch with 12 rounds of experience in his back pocket. Maidana likely won’t be able to take as much advantage of dirty tactics this time around either after a change in referees from Tony Weeks to Kenny Bayless. All of these factors lead back to Maidana’s heavy jab, which he didn’t throw often enough in their first fight, as being crucial to his success. “Chino” has a way of disguising it well and when he crouches down low and releases it from an unorthodox position. He should use it as much as a weapon as he should to set up his right hand over the top.
Hit what’s openMaidana found out first-hand how difficult it is for any opponent to hit Mayweather clean to the head with more than one punch. Simply put, there’s a reason why Floyd has been able to remain on top for so long. But Mayweather’s ability to preserve himself upstairs does open up room for his opponents to land to the body, provided they can catch him. Thanks to his constant pressure, Maidana is the right type of fighter. After proving able to take Mayweather’s best shots in the first fight, Maidana shouldn’t hesitate to drop his hands and go for broke with hard hooks downstairs. It could pay major dividends by slowing down Mayweather’s legs late in the fight.
Straighten things out (just a bit)Mayweather is an absolute master at figuring out his opponents’ style and using his advantages in speed, smarts and technique to neutralize their best weapon. So it’s fair to argue that a great deal of Maidana’s success against Mayweather was due to his unorthodox style, which features looping punches thrown from unthinkable angles. It would appear asking Maidana to refine his style would make him more of an ordinary fighter, playing directly into Mayweather’s hands. Despite trainer Robert Garcia’s success in helping Maidana use his raw qualities to his advantage, a commitment to mixing in straighter shots in key moments could go a long way toward surprising Mayweather with a big punch.
Throw caution to the windMaidana is at his absolute best when he fights like there is no tomorrow. It has gone a long way in making him one of the most fan-friendly fighters of this decade. He gets the most out of his ability, fights at a terrifying pace and doesn’t shrink on the big stage. But as good as he performed in the first fight against Mayweather, the odds are against him duplicating that effort in the rematch thanks to a variety of factors. To overcome that, Maidana will need to leave it all in the ring and take as many chances as he needs to pull off the upset. Only one other fighter in Mayweather’s 18-year career has been given a second chance at defeating him. Maidana needs to be sure he has no regrets of any kind when the final bell is rung on Saturday.
