"My wondering is, if Maidana (past or future) was given better quality training, gym equipment and so on. Could he go on to beat the current crop?" Even with just the skillset he has at the moment he might still beat some of the current crop, it's not like he's been blasted out by anyone yet. As for your question I don't think you would see the same determination and grit that you see from him if he had it "better" in his past. Like that liver shot in the first round, he may have well said fuck it and decided to lay down right there. Maybe he would have been a better boxer with better defense or something if he had better training and equipment in the past but he'd still probably be just as slow as he is now. I think his style now is the one best suited for his physical abilities actually. It's also interesting in the commercials for the fight on hbo maidana almost comes off as not liking boxing, he says he would never let his son box.