Mayweather vs. Maidana Start Time 2014: Important Info for Anticipated Bout

Speed versus power, take your pick.

While that is certainly simplifying things a bit when it comes to Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana, the only way Maidana has any chance to knock off the reigning king of boxing and undefeated Mayweather is with his powerful punching. Mayweather checks in at 45-0 with 26 knockouts, while Maidana sports a 35-3 record with an impressive 31 knockouts. 

Showtime Sports set the scene with a look at the majestic lion at the MGM Grand:

The entire card begins at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, with Mayweather and Maidana serving as the headlining bout. Here is a look at the card’s entire slate:

Boxer	Boxer
Floyd Mayweather	Marcos Maidana
Amir Khan	Luis Collazo
Adrien Broner	Carlos Molina
J'Leon Love	Marco Antonio Periban

Maidana, who has won four fights in a row, earned the right to compete against Mayweather by stunning Adrien Broner in December with a unanimous decision victory.

However, Mayweather brings the entire package to the table. His defense and reflexes are unparalleled, and his athleticism will allow him to dodge those power punches that Maidana uses in every fight. He is also capable of going on the offensive with a flurry of punches (hence the 26 knockouts) and is about as difficult of a matchup as Maidana can ask for.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

One thing to keep an eye on is the fact that Mayweather was upset about the lack of padding in the knuckles of the glove Maidana had at the weigh in. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer discussed some of the nuances of the controversy.

“When you have gloves, to make them eight ounces is easy, the question is where’s the weight distributed," Schaefer said, via Nick Schwartz of USA Today." You can have gloves with eight ounces, and two ounces (in the front) and six ounces (in the back).”

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Regardless of Maidana’s gloves, as long as Mayweather can avoid the power punches, he should add yet another victory to his undefeated record. Mayweather has the longer reach (72” to 69”, according to Showtime) and has better foot speed than Maidana as well. It is difficult to envision Maidana technically outboxing Mayweather over a full 12 rounds. 

Look for Mayweather to use his counterpunches to set the tempo early and gradually wear out Maidana over the course of the fight. His speed will simply be too much for Maidana to handle throughout a full bout, and the undefeated record will continue.

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