Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: Fight Time, Online Odds and Projected Rematch Winner

Can Floyd Mayweather continue winning his fight against Father Time and beat Marcos Maidana in the process?

Mayweather has been accused of ducking opponents in the past, but now that he's reaching the twilight of his career, he's begun the legacy-building period. Maidana and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez weren't pushovers when they stepped into the ring against the welterweight champion.

Maidana pushed Mayweather like few fighters ever have. Now he's got another chance to make history.

When: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

Watch: Showtime PPV

Odds (via OddsShark): Mayweather (-800), Maidana (+500)

Is anybody gonna doubt Mayweather right now?

Nothing in his last four wins leads you to believe that he's slowing down. Sure Money isn't the fighter he was 10 years ago, but you expect some regression from a 37-year-old. Mayweather at 37 is still better than anybody else on the planet pound-for-pound.

With that said, Maidana only needs the tiniest of openings to land the kind of blow on Mayweather that would end the fight. He's what you'd consider a knockout artist, with 31 of his 35 wins coming via KO.

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Maidana doesn't need to fight the perfect fight to beat Mayweather, but his margin for error is extremely small. When he gets a window of opportunity, he must take advantage and take advantage quickly.

After his majority-decision win over Maidana back in May, Mayweather admitted how difficult the victory was, as reported by ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

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Typically, Mayweather fights are over early, when it is obvious that he is dominating his opponent and on his way to a wipeout decision win. But Maidana, a 12-to-1 underdog and given no chance by anyone other than his most ardent supporters -- one media poll was 46-0 in Mayweather's favor -- was in the fight all the way.

'This was a tough, competitive fight. This is what fans want to see,' said Mayweather, who was hit by more punches than in any of his 38 fights tracked by CompuBox. 'I want to give fans an exciting fight. Normally, I box and move. Tonight, I gave fans an exciting fight.'

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Confidence won't be a problem with Maidana.

"He's not as good as people think," the Argentine star said of Mayweather during 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."

As Mayweather continues to age, his skills will naturally decline. One of these days, he could overextend himself and step into the ring against the wrong guy at the wrong time.

Maybe this is when that happens.

Think Muhammad Ali taking on Larry Holmes. Ali was a great fighter and avenged his loss to Leon Spinks. But against Holmes, he looked old and way off the pace. The "Greatest of All Time" was anything but.

Now Mayweather shouldn't look as bad as Ali did on that night in 1980, but the same basic principle applies. Maidana is six years younger, a skilled fighter and boasts an abundance power.

The champion's not gonna win this one in a walk.

What has set Mayweather apart is his ability to read his opponent and devise a strategy on the fly. He takes a couple of shots early in the round to see the other guy's best stuff, and then he reacts accordingly.

Against Maidana the first time, Mayweather wasn't afforded that opportunity. Now that he's fought against Maidana and had months to devise a game plan, he should be much better off in the ring. The fight will be close, but it won't be as competitive as their first bout.

Prediction: Mayweather wins 117-111