Mayweather vs. Maidana: Examining Future of Boxing After Title Fight

On Saturday night from MGM Grand in Las Vegas, we witnessed a fight much closer than many anticipated.

Marcos Maidana entered the bout as a huge underdog to Floyd Mayweather; however, when the fighters took the ring, it certainly didn't look that way.

This was Money's first fight since turning 37, and he didn't quite resemble the Mayweather of old.

Maidana found early success backing Mayweather into the ropes and pounding him repeatedly with his signature overhand right.

Luckily for Money, Maidana has more of a rugged, swing-for-the-fences style of boxing and missed his mark on many of those shots. With a little more accuracy, the fight could have ended in a far different manner.

It certainly wasn't all Maidana.

Mayweather finally found his groove toward the seventh round. He began to keep the fight in the center of the ring and used superior agility and accuracy to rack up points against El Chino.

Both fighters were frustrated near the end of the bout, but each had some shining moments in the championship rounds.

So, what does this fight mean for the future of boxing?

One thing is for certain: Mayweather won't be around forever. After watching his record move to 46-0 on Saturday, it's easy to wonder exactly how long he can keep it up.

Was Maidana a better fighter than advertised? Was Mayweather's age starting to show? Was it a combination of both?

Whatever your take may be, it appears changes are forthcoming.

Before the fight, Mayweather contemplated retirement upon the bout's conclusion.

Although, once the fight ended, he took a different tone.

After he was asked if he would give Maidana a rematch, he quickly responded, according to a tweet from Gary Parrish of CBS Sports:

Maidana was not subtle at all when asked if he would fight Mayweather again, according to a tweet from David Mayo of MLive.com:

If we do witness a rematch, could that possibly mark the end of Mayweather's legendary career?

Maidana is far more familiar with the pound-for-pound king, having now faced him in the ring. If El Chino was able to put up such a great performance the first time around, could he come away with a win next time?

Maybe.

One thing is for certain: Saturday's fight appears to have changed the outlook of boxing—especially in the welterweight class—going forward.

Mayweather's reign looks to be winding down, and new challengers like Maidana continue to rise up the ranks.

Perhaps the new face of this weight class will not be a polished, defensively sound fighter like Mayweather. He could be a scrappy brawler, throwing countless heavy punches like Maidana.

We'll have to wait and see if a possible rematch ends up coming to fruition.

Whether it does or not, the future of boxing looks to undergo some severe changes sooner rather than later.