Quote Originally Posted by cyclone View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Max Power View Post
Not as dominant as I expected (I thought it might be a late KO) but still a clear victory for Floyd (some wad reckons it was a "draw" above, must be C J Ross's husband lol).

You should have added a FOURTH possibility...

Imo the most accurate one...

4. Maybe, just maybe, he had a bad night.. And maybe in addition, Marcos had a good night. That's life!

Seems like a passable reason to me for the champ.

But credit to Maidana, he's no fluke now, he's a serious factor in the division.

His performance against Floyd will probably make Broner feel a little better now LOL. Maybe we'll hear that mouth open again soon!!
What did Maidana actually accomplish besides pushing Floyd against the ropes?

He got beat on the inside and the outside.
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.