Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana 2 Early Fight Odds, Scorecard Predictions

If at first you don't succeed, brush yourself off and try again. For Marcos Maidana, that's exactly what he'll get the chance to do against Floyd Mayweather on Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

After a close fight back in May, the rematch promises to be a riveting one for boxing fans. Despite Mayweather's 46-0 record and unwavering confidence, Maidana gave him a true test but fell short.

How close was the initial fight? Close enough for one judge, Michael Pernick, to score it as a 114-114 draw. As for the others, Burt A. Clements had it 117-111 in Mayweather's favor, and Dave Moretti scored it 116-112 to Mayweather, allowing him to escape with an unblemished record.

This time around, both fighters come in with something to prove. Money is still the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world, but El Chino presents a daunting challenge for him. But in typical Mayweather fashion, he played down Maidana, per David Mayo of MLive.com:

"

What I can do, what makes me a little different than any other fighter, is I'm well-rounded and very versatile, as far as I can box, I can counterpunch, I can bang, I can do a little bit of everything. That's why I'm at the pinnacle in the sport right now. Can he switch up anything? I don't really think so. I mean, that's just my gut feeling.

"

The truth will be revealed when the two powerful boxers step into the ring yet again. Whether Maidana can close the deal remains to be seen, but both fighters have reasons to be confident.

With the match just days away, it's time to start looking at the early odds and predictions for the massive bout. Here's a look at both and a breakdown for Mayweather vs. Maidana 2.

Scorecard Predictions

Despite the closeness of the May match, Odds Shark has Money as a 1-8 favorite over El Chino, who holds 5-1 odds in the early going. But if boxing fans learned anything from the first fight, it's that Mayweather will have his hands full. 

The Argentine boxer nearly matched Mayweather blow for blow but came up just short in the first match. But with Money still undefeated and on top of the boxing world, a win in the rematch would be just as vital for Maidana's career.

In fact, the fight was so tight that both hoisted their gloves following the match, as Showtime Sports notes:

This time around, expect Mayweather to show much more flash and knowledge of his opponent in the ring. As he alluded to, Money has typically taken what he learns in previous fights to outwit his next opponent, which in this case is the same fighter.

Though he's downplayed Maidana recently, Mayweather made it clear that he knew how strong the Argentinian is after their first fight. Showtime Sports shared comments from Money following the initial bout:

But for those expecting a knockout when they meet, that's not likely from Mayweather.

The last time Money scored a KO over an opponent was in 2011 when he faced Victor Ortiz. While the 38-year-old has the power to do so, he hasn't shown that knockout punch in recent years.

Rather than being on the attack, Mayweather will likely have to be great defensively against Maidana. As Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated noted, El Chino threw an onslaught of punches at Mayweather:

Expect a slightly more one-sided ending for Mayweather this time around but still a 12-round match. Knowing the power of Maidana and what he has to do to attack him, Mayweather will come in more prepared.

As for the actual scorecard, look for a wider margin in Mayweather's favor. Cards across the board should read slightly closer to 118-110 or 117-111 throughout as Money closes the door for Maidana's hopes of a career-changing victory.

With Mayweather coming out strong at the beginning, he'll bully Maidana and wear him down before another dominant finish. Expectations are always high for the 46-0 fighter, but Money will live up to the billing against El Chino.

Scorecard Prediction: Mayweather wins by unanimous decision 118-110, 117-111, 117-111.

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