Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: Weigh-in Info, Fight Schedule and Rematch Projections
When Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana face off for a second time, a lot will be at stake. Mayweather's unbeaten streak. The notion that boxers always beat fighters. And of course, the possibility of stretching this rivalry into a trilogy.
In other words, a lot of money is at stake.
Below, we'll take a look at the fight and weigh-in information before musing about the possibility of a trilogy.
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Fight Date: Saturday, September 13
Fight Time: 8 p.m. ET
Weigh-In: Friday, September 12 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Starting at 3 p.m., the weigh-in can be viewed via Showtime online, Showtime's YouTube page, Mayweather's site or the Golden Boy site.
Rematch Projections
Yes, it's hard to know what might be next before we see these fighters in action for a second time. To be fair, the biggest fireworks from the first match probably came in the press conference afterward. Remember this exchange, via Bob Velin of USA Today?
""You're a great fighter and very tough competitor," Mayweather told Maidana, who hails from Argentina. "Congratulations on the new baby. She's beautiful. Next time, just don't hit me (below the belt) so much."
Maidana quickly replied: "Next time let me use my gloves," a reference to a drawn-out pre-fight controversy involving the gloves Maidana wanted to wear.
Things went downhill from there. Maidana said, "give me a (bleeping) rematch."
Mayweather, standing at the podium while Maidana sat to the side, replied: "We can take it back down there right now if you want. Put the ring back up. … It's not a problem. If he feels he won, we can do it again in September."
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So, that was fun. And as boxers are wont to do, Maidana has continued to talk in the lead-up to the fight, per Elias Cepeda of Yahoo Sports.
"He's not as good as people think," he said in a Showtime media round table.
"I was able to pin him to the ropes and land punches, so he's not as difficult or as invincible as people think. He's hittable. You can land on him. I made mistakes. I was a little too anxious. He never hurt me, but he's got a respectable punch. You've got to respect him."
Indeed, the fight was almost as memorable as all of these words.
Yes, Maidana came after Mayweather and threw more punches. Yes, Mayweather was the more cerebral fighter and was far more efficient when he threw punches, eventually winning a majority decision. To Mayweather's credit, he did stand in and fight, though he ultimately won the fight because he was technically superior, not because he outslugged Maidana.
It was a bit of a twist on the sort of fight that has become typical of Mayweather in recent years. The result never truly feels in doubt, you get the sense that the two fighters aren't in the same class, and Mayweather leaves rolling in the dough while the rest of us leave feeling just a little bit cheated by the ordeal.
That wasn't the case early in the May fight, however. Maidana gave Mayweather all he could handle. His back-alley fighting style had Mayweather off-balance early on, and it didn't seem inconceivable that Maidana could hurt him early and win the fight. Yes, Maidana nearly did enough to win the fight.
But that's how Mayweather fights. He starts slowly because he's measuring his opponent, studying him and making his adjustments. If you don't completely dominate him and hurt him early, you'll lose. He'll dissect you with ease as the fight progresses.
Even if Maidana surprised him a bit, which he clearly did.
The balance between Maidana going for broke early and Mayweather adjusting late made the first fight intriguing. But it also means Mayweather will be far more measured and prepared for Maidana in the second fight unless the Argentine makes significant adjustments.
And if Maidana makes significant adjustments, he may just find himself veering away from what made him a handful for Mayweather in the first place.
See where this is going?
The second fight could be a flop, and Mayweather could completely dominate the proceedings. Maybe he'll toy with Maidana. Maybe he'll stand in and fight to make things more interesting for the fans. But unless Maidana drops Mayweather to the canvas, it's hard to see anyone leaving this fight really feeling as though a third bout is necessary.
For there to be a rematch, either Maidana has to win or we need to really, truly believe he could have—or should have—won. It's just hard to see that happening after Mayweather survived him the first time out and has had a few more months to tweak his approach in this fight.
Mayweather wants to win—his reputation is completely built on his unbeaten streak at this point—but he wants to win in a tight, competitive contest that would justify a trilogy. That's how he prints his money. But it might be more difficult to convince the masses that Maidana is on his level for a second time.
In other words, don't be shocked if we don't get a trilogy. Perhaps Mayweather won't have any other great options, but if he does, he'll likely take them over beating Maidana a third time.
The rest of us will take that too.
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