What did Maidana actually accomplish besides pushing Floyd against the ropes?
He got beat on the inside and the outside.
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She carried Maidana all the way to the final bell... to make it seem like this fight was competitive. Meanwhile, Maidana made sure that his right hand hit nothing but air... all twelve rounds. A sleeper of a fight!
His opponent. Floyd didn't "choose" anything here. He was in a fight
Also, Beiber ffs and literally surrounding himself with clowns
Maidana landed over 200 punches against one of the most effective defensive savvy fighters in the world. He outlanded Mayweather in half the rounds. He did effective work on the inside and outside, just as Mayweather did in the rounds he did well in.
In response to the OP, I think Mayweather prepares hard for every fight, but perhaps expected Maidana to be on the level of Guerrero and be coming at him slow and be countered accordingly. Maybe also with thoughts of Gatti in mind too. However, Mayweather is 37 and at the lighter weights fighters always slip at around this age. Mayweather got Mosley at the right time and in turn Maidana got Mayweather at the right time. I don't think Mayweather has his legs for 3 minutes a round anymore and only became semi-elusive after Maidana had worked so hard in the first half of the fight. I think it is just down to age. Cotto showed glimpses of it and now a few years on I think there is further erosion.
I know that sounds like I am discrediting Maidana, who I think actually won the fight, but I don't think he would have walked through the Mayweather of 2008 so easily. Maidana is awkward and difficult, but Amir Khan showed for the first half of their fight how to evade him. Maidana has probably improved too, but advanced age can only mean deterioration for Mayweather too. The man has a practically white beard, he is aging and auditioning for the role of King Lear.
Mayweather was getting ploughed from the off here. I hate to say it, but I think Khan could also outwork Mayweather. He is just old and I don't think he is Calzaghe smart in knowing when to get out. Maybe he flattens Maidana in the rematch, but he is only going to get older. Sam Peter was never as skilled as James Toney, but younger and bigger will happen to someone who doesn't get out at the right time.
Just look at my charming signature image and compare that with the face of Mayweather today. That's a lot of years no matter how well you preserve yourself. 37. I think the same about Marquez today and don't see why he is continuing. Boxers seldom cut the scene with the perfect ending.
Pretty much this. I had it 9-3 for Mayweather. Maidana did ok. But he also cheated a lot. Headbutts, low blows and at one point he tried to knee Mayweather. Somehow, that translates to Maidana showing effective aggression. In reality, effective aggression still has to allow you to land punched for it to be effective. Nullyfying someone by keeping them on the ropes doesn't win you rounds unless you land cleanly, especially when Mayweather still finds time to land a couple of really clean combos. This happened in probably 10 of the 12 rounds, and in at least 4 or 5 of the rounds, Maidana was visibly outclassed.
It just wasn't close. It was competitive. I don't particularly want to see a rematch. It wasn't that exciting. It was full of fouls and clinching. I dread the day he is in a close fight tho. The way the judging is going lately, he's going to get a bull shit loss.
While I applaud Maidana's effort, I don't particularly like this tactic of pushing someone against the ropes, sometimes using the head to do so as well, and teeing off with looping shots. With Maidana having the weight advantage, this helped him shove Mayweather against the ropes sometimes. I'm just not sure this is a technique that makes boxing enjoyable. I find it sort of ugly and questionable as a "skill". I mean, this is boxing and not MMA. Cornering on the ropes is fine but not gluing someone to the ropes with your weight. That said, Mayweather needs to take better care then to end up cornered so often.
To be honest I think it's good that a fighter like Maidana did not beat Floyd. Maidana, IMO, would start underdog against pretty much every top welter, junior middle weight out there
It must hard to bite down and suck it up and go in the trenches when you earn a million a month as Mayweather says he does.
I thought Mayweather did not match Maidana's intensity. I dunno with Floyd at times you almost get the impression that he thinks fighting....REAL FIGHTING (Were the bombs are throwing) is beneath him
It's almost like he's been so indoctrinated into his own defensive style, pot shotting, shoulder roll style that's it hard for him to break out of that. Funny thing is I actually think if Mayweather did war with Maidana i reckon he would have stopped him. I believe Mayweather is one of a few fighters that will be able to think clearly even in the hottest of fights.
I though Floyd won, by the way, the quality shots came from him. Not sure if there will a rematch. I reckon Khan deserves it after doing to Collazo what no-one else has done, beating him soundly, and knocking him down three times.
In case you can't tell I'm trying to be gracious to Marcos here, of course Floyd won a comfortable decision. I am giving Maidana a bit of credit for roughing Floyd a bit whereas previously thought he'd simply knock Maidana out. I am just dead against ascribing any perceived drop in performance to his age!!!
Anyone who thinks it was Floyd getting old in there is a jackass.
This is a brand new Chino who was supremely prepared and came in with a fantastic game plan. He fought great defensively: Floyd had more trouble hitting him clean than I remember of any Floyd opponent in a long time. And that wasn't a fluke. Floyd landed at a high %, but most of those landed shots were either partially blocked or Chino was rolling away from.
Chino mixed up his attack and really kept Floyd guessing. Sometimes he'd bullrush, sometimes he'd sit behind a very effective power-jab that was clearly bothering Floyd at times, and sometimes he'd become the boxer/puncher looking to set up a haymaker.
Mayweather had a tough night in there and almost lost the fight. Chino turned the heat up and fought his fight a lot of the rounds. It's very rare to see someone else dictating the pace of a fight against Mayweather.
I should clarify that yeah, Floyd IS getting old and has been getting "old" for the past few years. Floyd is out of his prime and is nowhere near as quick as he once was.
But it's stupid to use that as a reason. This Floyd was no difference than the Floyd who completely whitewashed Canelo last year.