Fresh off his closest victory in 12 years, pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. enters just the second rematch of his career on Saturday.
Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) faces Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (Showtime PPV, 8 p.m. ET) in a rematch of their May showdown, which Mayweather won by majority decision.
Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), who came surprisingly close to solving Mayweather’s riddle, will need to amp up the pressure even more in order to get a victory in the rematch.
Should Mayweather, 37, hope for a second straight victory against the Argentine slugger, he should follow these keys to victory:
Wide-open spacesIt’s no secret that Mayweather does his best work in the center of the ring, where his advantages in speed and technique are better showcased. Against Maidana in the first fight, he found himself cornered or trapped against the ropes more often than just about anyone anticipated. Regardless of the reasons it happened, Mayweather made clear midfight adjustments to limit such occurrences in the second half of the fight. He should have a much easier time in the rematch if he prepares for a track meet and circles away from Maidana. Utilizing his lead right hand will be a key for Mayweather to intercept Maidana’s advances.
Keep calm and counter onMayweather has 12 full rounds under his belt dealing with Maidana’s awkward rhythm and unorthodox punching angles. But despite surprising Mayweather early with corkscrew right hands and helicopter hooks, Maidana was rarely able to land flush to Mayweather’s head as the fight progressed. Floyd did well while under attack to keep his composure, and he’ll be much more comfortable in the rematch identifying the punches if he remains calm and looks to counter.
Jab to the bodyA distinct advantage in speed allows Mayweather, although a natural counterpuncher, to get off first against Maidana whenever he needs to. Utilizing his quick jab to the body will be a major factor for Mayweather to avoid finding himself trapped in the rematch. While Maidana is a straight-ahead fighter who never relents in his pursuit, Mayweather was able to offset his rhythm in their first fight by touching him downstairs and forcing him to reset. Much of Maidana’s success is built upon volume punching, and anything Mayweather can do to curb that will help him in the long run.
Play to your strengthsMayweather has preserved himself remarkably well for a fighter who is 37. He’s reaping the benefits of a life spent devoted year-round to his craft. But one of these days his advanced age will show itself in the ring. In fact, some question whether it already has, which might explain why Maidana was so competitive in the first fight. Maybe it was simply that Mayweather took his opponent lightly and was caught off guard by Maidana’s relentless and awkward style. Either way, “Money” should avoid taking any chances in the rematch and would be smart to focus exclusively on boxing. Attempting to stand and trade in order to make a statement might sound enticing, but Floyd’s safety-first style has gone a long way in helping him hold off Father Time.
Eyes on the prizeIt’s fair to at least suggest that Mayweather wasn’t himself in the buildup to their first fight. He was emotional in many of his public appearances during fight week and often referred to his career in the past tense. He was also dealing with the aftermath of a very public breakup with his ex-fianc?e, Shantel Jackson. How much did that affect his performance? You can draw your own conclusions. But drama has continued to follow Floyd entering the rematch, including a social media feud with former confidant 50 Cent. Mayweather needs to focus on giving Maidana his full attention on Saturday despite what is going on around him.
