LAS VEGAS — He’s no politician, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. can clearly do some waffling, too.
He’s spent the week going back and forth on two issues ? one boxing-related, one not ? while passing the hours until Saturday’s pay-per-view rematch with Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The two men fought at the same venue on May 3, when Mayweather emerged with a majority decision victory and improved to 46-0 after two judges gave him eight and nine of 12 rounds, respectively. The other judge saw it even at six rounds apiece. The loss was Maidana’s fourth in 39 career fights.
Only one original judge, Dave Moretti, returns for the second fight. His card matched the scorecard tallied by CBSSports.com that saw Mayweather as a 116-112 winner, or eight rounds to four.
But while the fight with Maidana was the central theme for Mayweather’s appearance at the final fight-week press conference at the MGM, he spent at least part of his time there addressing a pair of items he’d discussed during less-formal media gatherings earlier in the week.
First, after insisting on Tuesday that he’d retire in 2015 after the Maidana rematch and the final two fights on the six-fight PPV contract he signed with Showtime last year, he’s now implying that 49-0 might not have to be the end of the line, particularly if Showtime approaches him with a new offer.
Mayweather will turn 38 in February, three months before he expects to fight again in May.
He had his first professional fight in October 1996, when Maidana, now 31, was 13 years old.
?I can’t really say,? Mayweather said. ?They may come with another contract, which I’m pretty sure they will. It’s not hard to stop right now. But I feel good, I feel strong.?
As for the other issue, his backtrack was perhaps equal parts PR and personal reflection.
Mayweather said on Tuesday that the NFL should have stuck to its word and maintained a two-game suspension on former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, even after claiming that it hadn’t previously seen recently released footage of Rice and his wife, Janay Palmer, in an Atlantic City elevator.
Rice was suspended indefinitely by the league and released by the Ravens after the new footage became public.
Incidentally, Mayweather spent time in a Las Vegas jail in 2012 after a domestic violence incident with a former girlfriend. He was sentenced to six months, but wound up being released in less than three.
At the press conference, after saying he was sorry, he tried to steer attention back to the fight.
?All I can say is if I offended anyone, I apologize,? Mayweather said. ?I apologize to the NFL. I’m not perfect. I strive to be a perfectionist. But no one is perfect. I don’t condone what happened, of course not. I don’t condone what happened. My main focus has been on this fight. I’m not focused on no one else’s problems. I got this tough, rugged fighter in front of me. that’s what I need to focus on.?
Mayweather will risk both the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) versions of the 147-pound championship in the rematch. He entered the first fight with the WBC belt and captured the WBA title that Maidana had won five months earlier from Adrien Broner.
The main event will top a four-bout Showtime pay-per-view card that will go live at 8 p.m. ET.
Preceding Mayweather and Maidana on the broadcast are a 10-round bout between 160-pounders Alfredo Angulo and James De La Rosa, a 12-rounder at 135 pounds matching Miguel Vazquez against Mickey Bey and a 12-rounder at 122 pounds between Leo Santa Cruz and Manuel Roman.
Showtime will also air a 10-round bout at 140 pounds, matching John Molina Jr. and Humberto Soto, on a pre-PPV countdown show. Mayweather and Maidana are expected in the ring after 11 p.m. ET.
Mayweather is again a significant favorite, though at slightly lesser numbers than the first fight.
It’ll take a $750 wager to return $100 on him this time at VegasInsider.com, while a $100 outlay on Maidana would return $475 for an upset. In May, it took $1,000 on Mayweather to recoup $100, while a $100 bet on Maidana would have raked in $650 if he’d have walked away with the decision.Tale of the Tape Floyd Mayweather Jr. Marcos Maidana Record 46-0, 26 KOs 35-4-1, 31 KOs Height 5’8″ 5’9″ Reach 72″ 69″ Weight 147* 147* Age 37 31 Stance Orthodox Orthodox Hometown Grand Rapids, Mich. Margarita, Argentina Rounds 351 181
*NOTE: Official weigh-in is Friday.
How does Mayweather win?
As he’s said many times in pre-fight run-up, all Mayweather feels he needs is to go out there and ?be Floyd Mayweather.? Presumably, being ?Floyd Mayweather? will indeed be enough to get it done again. It was rough and competitive in the first go-round in May, but he still won eight and nine rounds on two of the official scorecards. Precision and defense would serve him well in the second meeting, too.
How does Maidana win?
Maidana is what Maidana is. He’s going to come forward. He’s going to throw tons of punches from less-than-textbook angles. And for as long as he can maintain a pace, he’s going to make things difficult for anyone he’s in with. He faded noticeably in the back half of the first fight in May, which was when Mayweather established himself. If the Argentine can stretch the zeal over 12 full rounds, who knows?
Prediction: Mayweather by 10th-round TKO
Rematches are studies in adjustments. A little tweak and a slight switch can often have a profound impact. And unless every indication is faulty, the fighter with more capacity for adjustment for the second fight is Mayweather. He’s seen Maidana up close and can alter his approach. Maidana, as stated earlier, essentially is what he is. And this time, he’ll not be able to offset Mayweather’s precision.
CBSSports.com will have live coverage of Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 on Saturday, Sept. 13. Come back for full fight results and analysis.
