Mayweather vs. Maidana 2014: Money May Will Dominate Inferior Foe

Here's an experiment for you ahead of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana fight. Find a boxing neutral who at least knows a little about the sport and ask him or her if they had any idea who the hell Maidana was before he was scheduled to fight Mayweather. 

Across the board, the answer will probably be no.

Popularity isn't why Mayweather will dominate Maidana, of course. The fact that Mayweather is the vastly superior boxer will take care of that. But it is a strong indication of just how uninteresting this fight is, as Mayweather faces another in a long line of inferior opponents that he's hidden his undefeated record behind over the past several years. 

The fight will do big numbers, of course, because in a sport starved for superstars, Mayweather's name rings out. He could fight Butterbean and folks would gobble it up. (Actually, I'd probably pay to see that, too.)

But how compelling will it be to watch Mayweather dance circles around Maidana, toying with him, cutting through his defenses like Khaleesi's dragons while never getting hurt himself? We've seen this movie before, folks—Maidana wants a fight, but he'll get a boxing clinic instead, and his face will show it by the time the fight is over. 

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Sure, there's danger in facing Maidana—the man swings a mighty fist, and if he catches Mayweather, well, I might be eating my words—but he's also predictable. And Mayweather thrives against predictable. Even Mayweather hinted at the predictability of Maidana, telling Alexander Trowbridge of CBS News, "This guy comes straight ahead. And he has the will to win like myself."

High praise that, "the will to win." How many boxers at this level don't have the will to win?

Heck, the most controversial and intriguing aspect of this fight could end up being the ridiculous glove controversy. Yes, that actually happened. 

Look, I'm not the only one who thinks Mayweather is going to dominate. Here's what Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated had to say about this fight:

"

This is a Mayweather whitewash. Promoters have pushed the narrative that after beating Mayweather's protege, Adrien Broner, Maidana was ready to knock off the real thing. But Broner is to Mayweather what a Single-A prospect is to an MLB All-Star. Mayweather is stronger than Broner, faster and throws more punches. When Maidana comes forward, Mayweather will beat him back. When Maidana swings wildly, Mayweather will simply step out of the way. Maidana is tough and won't go down easily. But he won't win many -- if any -- rounds, either.

"

It's not that I don't appreciate Mayweather. Far from it. In the ring he's a technical genius, a graceful, brilliant fighter who is the shining example of the difference between boxing as the sweet science and two grunts in a ring bashing their fists into heads like neanderthals. 

He's an artist, his fists are his brushes and, on Saturday night, Maidana's face will be the canvass. 

But I'm tired of admiring one side of the fight every time Mayweather steps into the ring. It's like watching the Miami Heat play the Philadelphia 76ers—I can appreciate the brilliance of LeBron James as he tears apart an inferior foe, but I'd rather see him rise to the occasion against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Two brilliant boxers are better than one, after all.

So yes, I think Mayweather will dominate Maidana. Whether you're willing to admit it or not, you do too. And ultimately, that just makes this another fight that won't live up to the hype.